Le Va’s Futures that Work: Aotearoa’s first Pacific Doctor of Social Work takes the stage

As Pacific people, we do not study alone, so being part of Le Va was about doing things as a collective and also celebrating success.

When Dr Jack Scanlan walked across the stage at Massey University in May 2026 to graduate as Aotearoa New Zealand’s first Pacific Doctor of Social Work, he carried with him the hopes and dreams of his Samoan mother, āiga and ancestors.

A New Zealand-born Samoan, proudly hailing from Māngere, South Auckland, and the villages of Faleula and Vaiusu/Vaigaga in Samoa, Dr Scanlan made the valedictory address on behalf of the other students graduating that day.

“It’s a real honour to be named valedictorian. I want to thank our family and friends – those who have passed on and everyone in our lives who has supported our journey. Today is the day we get to carry you all across the stage with us,” he said.

Alongside completing his doctorate, Dr Scanlan also works as a social work lecturer for Massey University and is a former recipient of Le Va’s Futures that Work Pacific Mental Health and Addiction Scholarship.

When starting over as a mature student, his last assignment in the early 90s had been handwritten. Having to relearn how to study in a digital environment was a challenge:

“Le Va supported me by connecting me with like-minded Pacific students who were in the same boat. Le Va also provided me with a village. As Pacific people, we do not study alone, so being part of Le Va was about doing things as a collective and also celebrating success,” says Dr Scanlan.

His greatest challenge came in the final year of his master’s degree, when his mother tragically passed away. “My mother was my inspiration, my whole world. And thankfully, I was able to honour her – not only by earning my master’s degree with honours, but by being here today with a doctoral thesis named in her honour.”

Receiving the Futures that Work scholarship allowed Dr Scanlan to pursue doctoral research focused on transformational change, and to shift his career from social work leadership in the youth justice field to social work education, where he uses his passion and expertise to inspire others.

To his fellow graduates at Massey University, Dr Scanlan said, “The best is yet to come. Now let’s go out and make our village proud.”

And his message to students considering applying for Le Va’s Futures that Work Pacific Mental Health and Addiction Scholarship is, “Do it! You owe it to yourself, your āiga and the community.”

Learn more about Le Va’s Futures that Work Pacific Mental Health and Addiction Scholarship.