Atsila Hialeah

Her Excellency Atsila Hialeah AAK GS
ᎠᏥᎳ ᎯᎠᎴᎭ
Hialeah in 2023
Senator from Eastern Sequoyah
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 April 2022
In office 1 April 2020 – 7 November 2020
Personal details
Born	Atsila Unega Ahyoka (1972-03-31) 31 March 1972 Uweyaholigadu, Sequoyah
Nationality	Sequoyan
Political party	Republican Party (since 2007) Democratic Party (1996–2007)
Spouse(s)	Galilahi Hialeah (m. 1994)
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Itse Gadu
Occupation	Politician, journalist

Atsila Unega Hialeah (née Ahyoka; Sequoyan: ᎠᏥᎳ ᎤᏁᎦ ᎯᎠᎴᎭ; born 31 March 1972) is a Sequoyan politician and journalist who currently serves as a senator of Sequoyah from Eastern Sequoyah. Before entering politics, Hialeah was a writer for the Asequi Expositor and a correspondent and later news commentator for GVANA News.

Early life

Atsila Unega Ahyoka was born on 31 March 1972 in Uweyaholigadu, Sequoyah. Her parents are Atohi and Kamama Ahyoka. She has one older sister, Walela, and one younger sister, Awinita. Ahyoka's parents were both civil servants in the Ministry of Development during the presidency of Agatani Degotoga.

Journalist career

Education and early journalism

In 1990, Ahyoka began attending the University of Itse Gadu to pursue a career in journalism. While attending the university, Ahyoka became a member of the university's journalism club. As a member of the club, she contributed to Gowelanvhi Uyonv, the university's student-ran newspaper. In 1993, Ahyoka became the journalism club's vice president. She graduated later that year with as a Bachelor of Journalism; she also completed an associate's degree in political science.

After Ahyoka's graduation, she began working at the Itse Gadu News writing news articles about local events in the city of Itse Gadu. While working for the newspaper, she wrote about city projects, public celebrations, reported crimes, and other occurrences in the city. In 1994, Ahyoka married Galilahi Hialeah, an architect whom she met while attending the University of Itse Gadu; Ahyoka changed her surname to Hialeah upon her marriage.

In 1996, Hialeah was one of the first journalists to cover the 34th Street scandal when a sting operation by the Itse Gadu Municipal Police caught Itse Gadu mayor Usti Agatanahi soliciting services from an undercover police officer posing as a prostitute. The scandal led to Agatanahi's resignation, and Hialeah wrote on the events of the 1997 Itse Gadu mayoral election that saw Democratic nominee Adohi Tayanita's victory. Hialeah's coverage of both the scandal and the election received praise from fellow journalists, and in December 1997, the Eastern Sequoyah Society of Journalists named her as its female journalist of the year.

Asequi Expositor

In 1997, Hialeah moved to Asequi after Galilahi was hired to oversee a construction project in the city. She left the Itse Gadu News and was hired by the Asequi Expositor, one of the largest news organizations in Sequoyah. With the Asequi Expositor, she continued to write on similar topics as she did at the Itse Gadu News but for Asequi and the broader province of Eastern Sequoyah. In 1999, Hialeah was chosen to contribute to the Eastern Sequoyah Events editorial, and in 2001, she became the editorial's director. Under her leadership of the editorial, Eastern Sequoyah Events focused heavily on covering the events of the 2002 Sequoyan presidential election. The editorial was praised for its neutrality in comparison to the rest of the Asequi Expositor that generally had a conservative leaning.

Political career

Early political involvement

Hialeah joined the Democratic Party (UDU) in 1996 while reporting on the 34th Street scandal.

Personal life

Ahyoka married Galilahi Hialeah in 1994. The couple has two daughters: Awinita and Ayita. Hialeah was raised as a Ghigauist, but she has stated that she does not actively adhere the religion, instead saying that she "believes in God" ("ᎤᏬᎯᏳᎭ ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ") rather than any religion.

Political positions

Awards and decorations

State honors

Sequoyah

• Order of Ahuli Kanuna Commander of the Order of Ahuli Kanuna (25 July 2020)

Institutional honors

• Eastern Sequoyah Society of Journalists Female Journalist of the Year (1997)

Electoral history

The following table summarizes Hialeah's electoral history.

Year	Office	Party		Main opponent and party			Votes for Hialeah				Result	Swing
							Total	%	P.	±%
2020	Senator from Eastern Sequoyah		Republican	N/A			N/A		2nd	N/A	Won		Hold
2022	Senator from Eastern Sequoyah		Republican	N/A			N/A		2nd	N/A	Won		Hold
2025	Senator from Eastern Sequoyah		Republican	N/A			N/A		2nd	N/A	Won		Hold

See also

• Current members of the Senate of Sequoyah