WE COME ACROSS COUNTLESS VIDEOS
ON A DAILY-BASIS...THAT HAVE
LEADING TO EVERY-DAY-PEOPLE
BECOMING POP-
CULTURE-PHENOMNANS...
FOR ONE HAWAII-NATIVE...HER
VIRAL MOMENT LED TO A
GOLDEN-OPPORTUNITY...
ONE THAT SHE'S USING TO SERVE AS
AN INSPIRATION...
IT WAS A SPLIT-SECOND DECISION
THAT WOULD END UP CHANGING HER
LIFE FOREVER... BACK IN
DECEMBER...DURING RETAIL'S
CHRISTMAS-SEASON-RUSH...
AIEA'S SUMMER TAPASA...WHILE
WORKING AT BEST-BUY IN
CENTRAL-OAHU...
PREVENTED A MAN FROM
ALLEGED-THEFT...
REPEATEDLY BLOCKING HIS ATTEMPT
TO FLEE THE STORE WITH AN
ITEM...
WHICH ULTIMATELY...PER
COMPANY-POLICY GOT HER
TERMINATED...
BUT...IN THE DAYS
FOLLOWING...FOUND HERSELF UNDER
A WORLD-WIDE-SPOTLIGHT...
WHICH CASTED A SHADOWN OF
SUPPORT...
SUMMER TAPASA:
"EVERYONE PRETTY MUCH HAD SO
MUCH POSITIVITY TOWARDS WHAT I
DID AND WHY I DID IT. THERE WAS
SO MUCH UNDERSTANDING EVEN
FROM THE BEST BUY MANAGERS,
WHICH REALLY HELPED ME A LOT.
HAPPY THAT I DID IT. NOT BECAUSE
THAT TIME WHEN HAWAII WAS GOING
THROUGH THE PURSE SNATCHING AND
THE PEOPLE GOING THROUGH HOUSES
AND ROBBING
PEOPLE, BY DOING THAT ONE SIMPLE
THING STOPPING THIS DUDE AND
HELPING MY ISLAND GET A LITTLE
MYSELF."
ROB DEMELLO:
NOW...AMONG THE MANY THE
CELEBRATED HER STRENGTH AND
CHARACTER...
WAS U-F-C-PRESIDENT DANA
WHITE...WHO A MONTH LATER...
FLEW SUMMER TO
LAS-VEGAS...GIVING HER V-I-P-
TREATMENT AT THE CONNOR
MCGREGOR/COWBOY
CERRONE BOUT...
WHILE EVEN GIVING HER THE JOB TO
SERVE AS SECURITY AT THE HIGHLY
ANTICIPATED WEIGH-INS... SUMMER
TAPASA:
"THAT WEEKEND WAS PROBABLY ONE
OF THE BEST WEEKENDS OF MY LIFE.
UNCLE DANA, FROM THE MOMENT I
STEPPED ONTO THE
PLANE FROM THE MOMENT I STEPPED
OFF OF THAT PLANE COMING HOME,
IT WAS JUST SUPER AMAZING.
EVERYTHING WAS
PERFECT."
ROB DEMELLO:
NOW...WHEN THE EVENT WAS OVER...
THE U-F-C'S OFFER WASN'T...
AS SUMMER WAS EXTEDNDED A
FULL-TIME JOB WITH THE
COMPANY...
WHICH SHE RECENTLY ACCEPTED...AS
U-F-C- CORPORATE-OFFICE-SECURITY
IN LAS VEGAS...
SUMMER TAPASA:
"IT'S BEEN AMAZING. EVERYONE,
THEY'RE SUPER, SUPER NICE. I HAD
A COUPLE FIGHTERS TAKE PICTURES
OF ME LIKE JON JONES. UM, WOW.
IT'S BEEN PRETTY AMAZING SINCE
I'VE BEEN HERE."
ROB DEMELLO:
NOW...SUMMER'S LONG-TERM-GOAL IS
TO CLIMB THE CORPORATE LADDER
WITH THE COMPANY...
BUT...ALSO WHILE TAKING HER
SERIOUSLY...
RESPONDING TO COUNTLESS MESSAGES
FROM PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD...
THAT FOUND MOTIVATION IN HER
MOXY...
INCLUDING...ONE IN PARTICULAR...
SUMMER TAPASA:
"A MOTHER REACHED OUT TO ME AND
SHE SAID, 'MY DAUGHTER IS BIG
AND SHE'S BUILT BEAUTIFULLY JUST
LIKE YOU.' EVERY TIME I THINK
OF THIS MESSAGE, I ALWAYS GET A
LITTLE EMOTIONAL BECAUSE THAT
WAS ME. SHE'S WONDERING IF SHE
CAN BE A GREAT PERSON JUST LIKE
ME AND IT LITERALLY BROUGHT ME
TO TEARS BECAUSE AS A KID, THAT
WAS ME ASKING 'HOW COME I'M
BUILT LIKE THIS? HOW COME I'M SO
BIG?'
SO BEING A BIG GIRL TAUGHT ME TO
TOUGHEN UP, TAUGHT ME TO HAVE
THICK SKIN, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL
THE BULLYING GOING AROUND, I
DIDN'T
STAND FOR IT. THAT WASN'T ME,
THAT WASN'T HOW I AM. THAT MADE
ME SUPER PROUD OF WHAT I DID
BECAUSE IF I CAN REACH THIS
LITTLE
GIRL AND TEACH HER THAT BIG IS
BEAUTIFUL AND IT'S NOT JUST
ABOUT YOUR LOOKS, IT'S ABOUT
YOUR HEART."
ROB DEMELLO:
AS THE OLD SAYING GOES...
HOME...IS WHERE THE HEART IS...
AND FOR SUMMER TAPASA...
THAT'S WITH THE U-F-C...
WINNING THE FIGHT...FOR WHAT'S
RIGHT...
ROB DEMELLO, KHON2 SPORTS.
JOE:
FINALLY TONIGHT...