Seven Things to Know about Freshman Alaiza Roth (CAS’30)
Roth says BU is “a million times bigger than my high school.” Nevertheless, she’s enjoying her first few weeks on campus and hopes to balance her competitive snowboard training with her academics and other interests.
Seven Things to Know about Freshman Alaiza Roth (CAS’30)
American-Fijian dual citizen describes herself as a “Pacific Island girl who surfs in the snow”
This fall, 3,706 freshmen begin their journeys at Boston University—the Class of 2030. They hail from 87 countries and 48 states, as well as the District of Columbia. Over the coming weeks, we’ll bring you some of their stories.
Today, in our ongoing series of profiles on members of the Class of 2030, we profile Alaiza Roth (CAS’30), who describes herself as a “Pacific Island girl who surfs in the snow.” Here are seven things to know about her.
1. She was born in Fiji—and adopted by American parents
Roth was born in Suva, Fiji’s capital, about 8,091 miles from Boston. Her birth parents were teenagers who placed her up for adoption, and she was subsequently adopted by an American couple.
She isn’t the only adopted child in her family—her older sister Alivia was born in Ethiopia.
Today, Roth has dual US-Fiji citizenship—her connection to Fiji has become increasingly important to her as she has grown older.
2. She grew up in Vermont
After adopting her, Roth’s family left Fiji to live in California and Florida. When she was in elementary school, her sister Alivia attended a summer camp in New Hampshire, and her parents fell in love with New England.
Eventually, the family settled in St. Johnsbury, Vt., in the state’s Northeast Kingdom, near the Canadian border. That’s where Roth discovered the sport that would become a major part of her life: snowboarding.
3. She is a competitive snowboarder
When Roth was nine, her mother signed both sisters up for a weekend introductory snowboarding camp at Smugglers’ Notch in Vermont. One of the instructors also coached a children’s team over at Stowe Mountain and recruited Roth.
“He noticed that I liked going really fast,” Roth says. “He wanted me to join that team to develop further.”
She quickly started taking the sport seriously. Roth attended a boarding high school in Dover, Vt., with a strong snowboarding program and eventually became a member of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation and the United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association.
Currently a member of the US Junior Snowboard Racing Team, Roth competes in alpine snowboard racing, specializing in giant slalom. Racers navigate a course marked by gates against the clock, with top qualifiers advancing to knockout rounds.
“It’s such a freeing feeling,” she says of the sport. “Even when you’re racing, and it’s stressful, you kind of feel like a different person in your body. It’s like a different version of yourself. You have the freedom to do everything.”
What she likes best about snowboarding, she says, is that there is always something new to improve. “I’m sure any athlete knows the feeling of when you’ve been working at something for so long, and it clicks, and then your whole body just does what it needs to do without having your coach in your ear yelling directions.”
At BU, Roth plans to continue training and hopes to join one of BU’s ski and snowboard clubs, if her schedule allows.
4. She is passionate about social causes
Roth describes her parents as active in social and political causes, which, in turn, has influenced her own interests. In high school, she helped organize a food drive that collected 2,000 pounds of food.
“I’ve always been encouraged to talk about those hard things,” she says. “Obviously, one small group of people can’t do it alone, but if everyone does, it’s a big help.”
At BU, Roth is studying international relations and says she could see herself becoming a human rights lawyer. She is also considering joining BU’s coed pre-law fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta.
For now, though, she’s still figuring out where her interests will take her.
5. BU is a big change—but she’s settling in
BU has been an adjustment for Roth, who comes from a close-knit town in Vermont. “It’s a million times bigger than my high school,” she says. Still, she’s enjoying her first few weeks on campus and hopes to balance snowboarding with her academics and other interests.
6. She is inspired to keep connecting with her Fijian roots
Growing up in Vermont sometimes made it difficult for Roth to stay connected to her heritage. “It’s one culture, one vibe,” she says. “So I feel like growing up, I lost touch with my culture, especially in my elementary and middle school years. The kids around me were all born and raised in Vermont.”
She remembers thinking, “I should just fit in rather than embrace that I’m something different.” Her parents, however, always encouraged her and her sister to learn about and embrace their cultures. That effort became especially meaningful during the family’s trip to Fiji last year.
One of Roth’s most memorable experiences was attending a kava ceremony, a formal welcoming ritual. Kava is a drink made from the root of the yaqona plant, and holds deep social and cultural significance in Fiji. “I think that was my favorite, just because you got incorporated into it, even if you weren’t from that culture,” she says.
That experience strengthened Roth’s desire to keep exploring and embracing her connection to Fiji.
7. She has her sights set on the Junior World Championships–and maybe the 2030 Olympics
Roth’s snowboarding ambitions extend beyond college competition; her goal is to qualify for the Junior World Championships and 2030 Winter Olympics. Because of her dual citizenship, she hasn’t decided which country she wants to represent in the Olympics, although she is leaning toward Fiji.
“To be able to represent this small portion of people on the other side of the world is a big thing for me,” she says. “I’m thinking Fiji just because it’s a very large part of who I am.”