This article is part of a series of profiles of 2024 graduating seniors in Salem high schools.
With two older brothers, Hatimu Letisi has been competing his whole life.
The South Salem High School senior, 18, is best known on the football field, where he’s been a starting varsity athlete for the Saxons since freshman year. Letisi plays defensive line.
But he’s also an accomplished chef, a mentor and a versatile athlete who helped start a bowling team that placed fourth in state in its first year.
“He’s kind of mellow just around the school, but when you put him on the football field, he transforms into this other, almost machine,” said Laura Hofer, South’s culinary teacher.
While in grade school, Letisi followed in his older brothers’ footsteps, hanging around football practices and helping cater events in the culinary program before he was in high school.
“I met him when he was in grade school because I had his two older brothers and he’s like, ‘I’m gonna play varsity my freshman year,’ which was unheard of,” Hofer recalled. She was skeptical.
“And then he did and I was like, ‘Oh, okay,’” she said.
Letisi has an easy smile that widens as he talks about his competitions, whether on the football field or in the kitchen.
South’s culinary program has organized several competitions against professional chefs and military members. Letisi recalled once making a coffee pound cake and a pesto pizza using ingredients in ready-to-eat meals, the packaged meals used by soldiers and survivalists. An independent judge crowned him the winner.
“I beat them using the MRE packets, and I used every single ingredient,” he said, grinning.
He also set out to learn to smoke salmon, a meal his teacher still remembers.
“Timu’s made the best salmon I’ve ever had in my entire adult life,” Hofer said.
He also came in with other students to move about 1,000 boxes of culinary supplies after the school was renovated and got a new culinary classroom in 2021.
Hofer said he’s a leader in the culinary program. He is currently assigned to mentor a younger group of students who struggle with behavior in class.
“He just has a gentle approach with kids that makes them want to do better,” she said.
On weekends, Letisi works with Island Boy Camp, a program teaching young athletes football fundamentals while incorporating Pacific Islander culture and ceremonies. Letisi is of Tongan heritage and said he enjoys the opportunity to give younger players some of the coaching he got as a kid.
“It’s a lot of fun. I love it. Just because I picture myself when I was younger and everything, and it’s like ‘Wow, l had this, so let’s get them that,’ kind of giving back,” he said.
He plans to attend Butte College in Chico, California, studying exercise science and playing football in hopes of transferring to a four-year university.
His goal is to get more footage of him playing “game-ready” teams “to just show other colleges that you have that kind of skill to play against higher level of competition,” he said.
His older brother attends Butte too.
“Growing up with them, having two older brothers that kind of set the weight, set the path and what I do, it’s been really nice,” Letisi said. “I thank them for everything that I can do now.”
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.