With a heavy heart we would like to bid a fond farewell to Tatiana Echevarria. We would like to thank her for her commitment to our organization and to the people of Polynesia. Although it is sad to have Tati step down, we are excited to welcome our new Miss Polynesia International 2010- Marissa Petsas. As of January 26, 2011, Marissa has assumed all responsibilities as our new titleholder. At the age of 22, Maui-Native Marissa Petsas is no stranger to pageants. In 2009, Marissa captured the title of Miss 'Ulalena where she represented the island of Maui in the Miss Hawaii 2009 pageant. Later that year and with the help of Kupono U'i, Marissa competed in the 2010 Miss Hawaii USA pageant where she placed 3rd Runner Up. Marissa took a break from pageants and recently returned from spending a year in Japan working as a Polynesian Dancer for Tokyo Disney. We are pleased to have Marissa join our Kupono U'i team as our new Miss Polynesia International 2010. Stay tuned to www.kuponoui.com for more information on Marissa and her year in the life as Miss Polynesia International 2010.