EMBA graduate Tema Hunkin Laussen had a lot to smile about in 2023. Her company, Tema Realty, brokered by Realtypath, closed $20 million in residential real estate sales last year. But as much as she loved closing each deal, Laussen’s real highlight of 2023 was opening doors for students through her family’s charitable foundation. Giving has always been what makes Laussen glow.
“My dad often said, ‘Education is the salvation of our people,’” Laussen explains. Born in Vailoatai Village in American Samoa, Laussen’s father, Eni Fa’aua’a Hunkin Faleomavaega Jr., served 13 terms—a total of 26 years—as the delegate for American Samoa in the US House of Representatives. After his passing in 2017, his children took over the charitable foundation he had created to provide scholarships for Pacific Islander students and renamed it the Eni & Hina Faleomavaega Foundation.
But even before the foundation, Laussen’s life revolved around giving. For 11 years, she held a full-time job at LDS Philanthropies—the Church’s department for facilitating philanthropic donations.
“I learned so much about giving and stewardship at LDS Philanthropies,” she reflects. “I believe that giving when it hurts—when you don’t think you can afford it—is when the blessings really come.”
Laussen’s desire to help others motivated her to always stay current in real estate—a field she had worked in before she landed her job at Philanthropies. “The whole time I was working at LDS Philanthropies, I had my real estate license so I could help friends and family buy or sell homes,” she explains. “I was only reactive—never proactive—about real estate.”
One thing Laussen pursued proactively, though, was gaining more education. “I always knew I wanted a graduate degree. My father had two law degrees, and his siblings all had graduate degrees. I just felt like it was something I needed to do.”
A friend pointed Laussen to BYU Marriott’s EMBA program, which Laussen soon realized was a good fit for her career goals and her busy schedule. “In my mind, I was going to be at LDS Philanthropies for a long time, and a graduate degree would help me move up or into other areas of fundraising,” she says.
What she didn’t know was that her EMBA experience would turn her career upside down—in a good way. Shortly after Laussen finished her degree in 2013, an EMBA classmate referred her to InsideSales to spearhead its corporate foundation. Instead of working with donors, Laussen now worked on the opposite side of philanthropy, directing the donations and initiatives of a major software company. She thrived in this new role until 2016, when the company announced mass layoffs.
As Laussen figured out what to do next, she leaned into the lessons she had learned in graduate school. “The EMBA program taught me that I can do hard things,” she says with a smile. “I built the thick skin I needed to be a good real estate agent. I also learned how to problem-solve, and that’s really what real estate is all about.” Laussen’s skills and confidence helped her turn her real estate side gig into the thriving business it is today.
Whether Laussen is selling homes or setting up scholarships, she’s grateful for the example set by her father and by the donors she has worked with. She encourages fellow alumni to give of their time, treasure, talents, and testimony. “Give until it hurts,” she says. “If everyone did that, just think how different things would be in this world.”
