Bernadine
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Sacrifice pt. 2
I didn’t expect my post about staying in Samoa to resonate so deeply with others. I’ve gotten a lot of messages—encouraging me to go home, to be strong, to choose myself. People telling me to think beyond family. All of this has made me reflect even more. Lately, the question that keeps coming to mind… Continue reading
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Dilemmas of being a public defender
Since I’ve begun working in indigent defense, I’ve been asked these questions so many times: How do you deal with representing criminals? How do you sleep at night? To be honest, I haven’t experienced a moral conflict with representing those accused of heinous crimes—whether it’s rape, child molestation, sexual assault, unlawful possession of drugs, or… Continue reading
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Is staying worth the sacrifice?
As I consider staying in American Samoa permanently, I’m realizing how much I’d be sacrificing. Living so far from my parents and sisters means missing out on family milestones, the little everyday moments, and even the mundane interactions that I once took for granted. It makes me question: Is this sacrifice worth it? Or more… Continue reading
Dine's Ethos 