Margaret Mead:

Exploring Human Development

Helen Lauti
Lefili Vaoga
Senior Division
Group Website
Samoana High School

When we were in the process of choosing our topic, we wanted to

consider topics that we have not learned heavily upon in school, and
something that personally interest the both of us. Without a doubt
Margaret Mead was always a topic that resonated and seemed to have
been in the back of our minds especially when we heard the theme of
this year was, Exploration, Encounter, and Encounter in History.
Mead was an extraordinary anthropologist, explorer, a great scientist, a
womens rights activist, a professor at six different universities, and an
author of numerous books showcasing her research she gathered from
all over the world. We admire her dedication to making a difference by
studying how various cultures affect the human development. It was
also captivating to learn that her first fieldwork was in American Samoa
where she published her book, Coming of Ages in Samoa regarding
to her findings about our culture.
Initially, we started by visiting the Feleti Barstow Library where
we analyze numerous articles, viewing many photographs and reading
multiple books about and was written by Margaret Mead. We
conducted most of our research through the Internet, finding useful
sources and listening to several interviews that we could use to create
our website. After reading more about Margaret Mead, we started
interrogated a few people with the insight pertaining to this subject.
With the help of our local librarian, our teachers, parents and
consultants, we were able to add precision and betterment to our
research.
For the competition this year, we chose the group website
because we have never done a website before and wanted to try
something new. Also, since were both seniors and are holding
leadership positions in school, we figured that we could collaborate and
work on our project together even though we were in different places.
It took us almost a whole week to learn how to use different items on
our Weekly account in order for us to proceed. We were able to use

media, pictures, slideshows, etc., and words to depict our project in an

interesting and engaging way.
This famous anthropologist, Margaret Mead is known for teaching
generations of Americans about being eye-openers at other cultures to
understand the human development. Margaret Mead traveled the
world throughout her life and explored different cultures. During her
fieldwork in Samoa, New Guinea, and Bali she encountered people
that taught her about their culture and how they are different from the
rest of the world. After gaining a tremendous amount of research, she
exchanged it with the world. Her work was exchanged through her
books, interviews, articles, photographs and lectures after exploring
and encountering new people and places. Margaret Mead also inspired
others to take a stand on bettering our world and making a difference,
like how she has allowed American to experience different people and
places of the world and understand about how various cultures can
affect society.