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OCTOBER 2023 15 "As the years have gone by here, my 'why' got greater," Faumui said. "I added my son onto that 'why' and my wife. And it's been a blessing lately. It's easy getting out of bed knowing you have got to support your family." Those around the UVA program have no- ticed that when it comes to football, Faumui has taken his drive, commitment and inten- sity up a notch this year. "He was focused before, but I think now he's really, really focused on trying to do this football thing for as long as possible and provide for his family in any way," sixth- year defensive end Kam Butler said. "The thing about Aaron, and really the Polynesian culture, is how family oriented they are," said associate football strength and conditioning coach Nathan Pototschnik, who frequently works with Faumui and who served in Hawai'i during his stint in the Army as an aviation officer. "His life changing this year, with having a son and being married, and going through that, I think was a little bit of a paradigm shift for him. He has gone to an extra level as far as his commitment and his intensity and not only how he attacks condi- tioning and rehab, but also in being a team- mate and being dedicated to extra work. "I'm excited about Aaron this year, be- cause I think this truly is the hardest he's ever worked, and I think that family is kind of at the core of who he is." "I enjoy his passion and how much he loves to play the game of football," Faumui's position coach Kevin Downing said. "He loves to be there for his teammates. The way he goes about his business in football, he does everything he can so as not to let them down. I love how hard he plays and his passion. It's contagious to our guys. "I think he has a heightened sense of inten- sity and responsibility, because I think he plays for a bigger purpose. His 'why' is really deep. Aaron is a guy who is a really big thinker. I think he has a lot of things to play for this year." Last spring, Faumui proudly walked the Lawn to receive his degree in American studies. He was the first member of his im- mediate family to graduate from college. "It felt great to set a new standard for my younger siblings and my kids in the future," Faumui said. "Man, it was awesome. I loved it. When I walked that lawn, a lot of memo- ries came through my head of everything I've been through of knowing that I went through a lot of adversity when I first got here, all the way to my senior year. "And just being able to fight through and battle and dig deep. And to finally say that I did it, it felt really good. It was a big bless- ing for me and my family." When football is behind him, Faumui hopes to return to Hawai'i and provide oth- ers a similar opportunity. "I want to help out the youth in Hawai'i to pursue football and an education," he said. "Growing up, I did not think we really had a lot of exposure out there. We had to fly out to states to get looked at. "I feel we have a lot of talent back home that we can help get to college. Through a camp or an organization, I would like to help out kids back home to get looked at, to get more expo- sure and to further their education as well." To help accomplish that, Faumui enrolled in classes this fall including Foundations of Leadership and Organizational Leadership. "I can lead, but I lead by example," Fau- mui said. "On the field, a lot of people just follow me because of what I put out there on the practice field, practicing hard. But I took these classes because I want to be able to verbally lead. "And I want to be able to do it right. And that's what I'm learning." It's just a small part of the incredible jour- ney Faumui has experienced at Virginia.