Makatala So'oialo

Name: Makatala 'Kam' So'oialo Gender: Female Age: 18 Grade: 12th School: Aurora High School Hobbies and Interests: Volunteering, cooking (especially baking), acting/theatre (Drama club), LGBT Activism, American football (spectating), student council

Appearance: Makatala's Polynesian ancestry is fairly obvious from her light brown skin-tone, typical to natives of her Samoan homeland. Kam is a shade under 5'6" tall and at 166 lbs, she's somewhat on the overweight side, leading to a fairly chubby figure. She wears her weight well, giving her soft curves, especially around her wide hips. Her stomach is a little soft, but where Kam's weight is most obvious is her bust; her breasts are quite large, which is the source of occasional discomfort to her. Facially, Makatala is quite appealing, with naturally tapering eyebrows, soft brown eyes, a broad, slightly flat nose, rounded cheeks, a dazzling smile and full lips, which are probably her best feature. Kam doesn't usually wear much make-up, preferring to stick to the basics, as her smooth complexion rarely requires particular touching up. Kam's hair is dark, shoulder length and has a lot of curls, the shining tresses testament to how much time she spends maintaining it.

Makatala's clothing tends towards the plain, something that has rubbed off on her from her parents. She usually favours knee-length skirts and simple t-shirts in fairly neutral colours, though on those occasions she's looking to show off, Kam will go for curve-hugging jeans and lower cut tops. Kammy is rarely seen without several bracelets on both arms, preferring simple designs and materials of leather, rope and beads. On the day of the trip, Makatala had travelling considerations in mind, sticking to a pair of comfortable old bluejeans, a tie-dye t-shirt, her usual bracelets and a pair of practical trainers.

Biography: Makatala's parents, Kaila and Bali were originally natives of the independent state of Samoa, both coming from large families. However, before Makatala was born, the two of them immigrated to the United States, Bali looking to develop his burgeoning career in American Football. The young couple didn't take the decision lightly, but they recognised that Bali had a real chance of making something big of himself in football, a number of scouts remarking on his power and intensity. However, that was never going to happen if they stayed in Samoa, and so they made up their minds to move to America. With a lot of support from their families, the couple were able to bring themselves, along with their three year old daughter Alea to Seattle Washington, where they settled. Bali, bolstered by favourable reports of his ability, was offered a try out with the Seattle Seahawks, and before long, was playing professionally. This was very timely, as by this point, Kaila was pregnant, and just eleven months after arriving in the United States, their second child was born. From then on, their household became a lot more interesting.

Makatala, nicknamed Kam and occasionally Kammy was always a bubbly and excitable kid, energetic at times to the point of sheer exasperation. She would always want to be involved in everything and to know the answer to every possible question, clambering all over her father to the point where she exhausted even the athlete's stamina for play. Even so, Kam was such a cute and well-behaved child that nobody could ever fault her for it, even if her constant chatter sometimes drove everyone around her to distraction. These tendencies meant that Makatala's mother began to, in a bid to actually get dinner ready on time, talk her through every step of what she was doing whenever she was making food, something which would at least keep Kam quiet for a while. Before long, this led to the young girl developing a keen interest in the process of food preparation, Kaila's own enthusiasm for cooking rubbing off on Kam and meaning that her questions soon changed from 'What are you doing?' to 'Can I help?'. Kaila soon obliged, starting off by just giving Makatala small tasks to do and as she grew older, eventually delegating more and more responsibility to her; by the time Kam was 13, she could cook a full meal by herself. Generally speaking though, Kaila and Kam worked as a team, leading to their relationship becoming especially close.

Kam's first love in cooking has always been baking. She enjoys the individual twists she can put on the cookies and cakes that she makes, and with practice, she has become truly accomplished at it. Kam finds that baking relaxes her, and it isn't uncommon to see her warming up the oven after a stressful day.

Makatala's early years were fairly average, in spite of her father's profession. The family was well off, thanks to the lucrative salaries that came with professional football, but Bali kept his feet firmly on the ground, never overspending, never taking his career for granted and most importantly, never allowing his children to become spoiled. As such, Makatala grew up free of want, but without becoming demanding; she was aware that her family was wealthy and that was about it. She didn't get everything she wanted bought for her, nor was her allowance much more than other kids her age. What Makatala did grow up as though was a football fan. As soon as she realised that it was her father playing on the television, Kam became fascinated with the sport, her interest soon branching beyond just the matches that her dad was in. Although her enthusiasm waned as she grew older, Kam still checks out the occasional game, especially if it's the Seahawks that are playing.

The second of four children, Makatala doesn't have a whole lot in common with her siblings. Her little brother Tana is only five years old and she dotes on him when she gets the opportunity. On the other hand, Kam scathingly refers to her older sister Alea as an attention seeker and drama queen, the pair of them clashing heads fairly often, although it never translates into true enmity. In the end, they're still family and still care a lot about each other... they just don't hang out together. Makatala's other sister is Taimane, currently fifteen, and they are simply too different to ever have a whole lot to discuss. Taimane is very much an intellectual and a bookworm, her head always buried intently in her studies - a sharp contrast to Kam's own relaxed and happy-go-lucky outlook and life. In the end, they're a cynic and an optimist, and just not all that compatible. Makatala's family is important to her, but that doesn't mean they always seem eye to eye.

Makatala and her parents used to be a lot closer, but since Kam's early teenage years, their relationship has significantly deteriorated. At around 14 years old, Kam began to notice that, unlike many of her friends that had started to giggle over boys, it was other girls that set her heart aflutter. Her first big teenage crush wasn't Leonardo DiCaprio or Christian Bale, it was Beyonce. Homosexuality was not a topic discussed in the So'oialo household, and it took Makatala several months to realise and come to terms with the fact that she was a lesbian. She decided immediately that her parents had to know, and came out to them not too long afterwards. Unfortunately, both Bali and Kaila still held the traditional Samoan view on homosexuality (on the island, it is illegal), and they reacted poorly to the news, especially Bali. They didn't disown Kam or kick her out of the house, but their closeness suffered greatly, both parents on a number of occasions trying to 'persuade' their daughter to 'change her mind'. To this day, their attitude largely remains that they love Kam, but they do not love that particular part of her, something that hits her very hard, but that she tries to stay upbeat about. So long as sexuality is not broached, the parent-child relationship remains good (especially when Kammy and her mother cook together), but there is a permanent unspoken barrier between them. It is because of her parents' poor reaction that Makatala became interested in LGBT activism, joining Aurora's Gay-Straight Alliance and volunteering in the local LGBT Centre, often using the stories of those less fortunate than herself as a means of motivating herself and to prevent herself getting too down about her parents. Makatala was recently bolstered significantly by Taimane, who secretly told her that she had massive respect for her courage, and that she 'deserves a beautiful wife someday', causing Kam to burst into tears.

The LGBT centre isn't the only area in which Makatala does volunteer work. She also takes part in some local programs aimed at disadvantaged children, channelling her positive attitude into a genuine desire to do everything she can to help others - especially kids, who Kam has a real affinity for. Makatala holds the belief that no good deed is too small, and that if everybody was willing to do small good turns, the world would become a much happier place very quickly. Kam is not naive, but she is definitely idealistic.

Makatala is currently in a relationship with one Michelle Weschler. Though they attended the same school, they hadn't really had much interaction until Kam encountered Michelle whilst the other girl was at work, in an ice cream parlour. The two of them hit it off quickly, and before long, started dating. The relationship goes a long way towards helping Kam overcome the constant pain that comes from her sexuality being so rejected by her parents. Kammy's family knows about her girlfriend, and her parents make no secret of their disapproval. Though they are polite enough on those occasions Michelle is around, the atmosphere is always decidedly frosty, and invariably an argument results once Michelle leaves. As a result, Kam doesn't bring Michelle home very much, the two of them preferring to spend time together outside of home and school.

Kam's aspiration in life is to become an actress, having been involved in drama schools and the like since she was a child. What was at first simply a means for her mother to get her out from underfoot and doing something engaging became a hobby that Kammy latched onto with a passion. She loved adopting different roles and personas, holding a fascination with what she regarded as almost becoming a different person. Whilst other children's desires for adulthood changed, sometimes on a daily basis, Kam's conviction remained firm; she wanted to star in movies, appear on stage... everything, so long as she could act. Unfortunately, whilst Makatala's abilities were never in doubt, a consistent problem she found with auditioning was with her appearance, especially as she grew older. Naturally of heavy build, Kam's weight played against her in many cases, often preventing her from landing leading roles, regardless of the level she was aiming for, whether school plays, local productions or even in minor films. This remains a frustration to this day, as whilst she is happy enough to just be on stage, Kam wants her talents to be recognised. With her enthusiasm for the theatre, Kammy is naturally in Aurora's drama club, though it is somewhat lower on her priorities than her volunteer work.

At school, Makatala isn't exactly a model student, owing to the fact that her extra-curricular activities often keep her very busy. That is not to say that she doesn't work hard, simply that she doesn't generally have the time to do extra study, which prevents her from overcoming her academic weaknesses. Kam performs best in English and Math, usually making B grades, with the rest of her subjects hovering in the comfortable C range. If it weren't for her focus on life outside of school, Kammy could probably make straight As, as she's certainly intelligent enough for it. Otherwise, Kam is quite well known amongst the student body, if not because of her father then because of her position on the student council, a position that she went for because she wanted to make sure potential LGBT issues were brought to attention. Kammy can be quite a polarising person, whilst there is a lot to like about her, there is also plenty that can rub people in the wrong way. On the plus side, she's bubbly, enthusiastic, has a positive attitude to more or less everything and does her best to be friendly to everyone. On the other hand, she is headstrong and outspoken, especially on issues dear to her, and Kam's personal problems mean that when she does lash out, it tends to be with astonishing vitriol and venom - the result of her bottling up so many of her negative feelings. Kam's happy-go-lucky demeanour can also come across as a little forced and false, and in truth, it sometimes really is a front, usually if she has had another bad experience with her parents. Overall, Kammy is a lot less happy and a lot more bitter than she's entirely willing to admit.

Advantages: Makatala is an accomplished actress, and if she chooses to, can lie very convincingly, broadcasting a wide array of false emotions, though in practice, without time to rehearse, Kam is just fairly good at faking. Her largely positive reputation and friendly demeanour will stand her in good stead when it comes to making alliances, and she may even be seen as a leadership figure if she can keep a cool head. Disadvantages: Makatala lacks conditioning and fitness, and so is going to have trouble coping when endurance comes into play. With quite a number of deep-seated emotional problems, it's very possible that Kam's feelings could cloud her judgement and cause her to act rashly or alienate others by lashing out.

Designated Number: Female student No. 008

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Designated Weapon: Adam Dodd's Ballestair-Molina Conclusion: That's a lucky draw from a lucky owner, G008. And you will finally realize your dream of being on television. Putting on a good show is what you live for. Or at least, it will be. - Abby Soto

'The above biography is as written by Namira. No edits or alterations to the author's original work have been made.'

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