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Senitila McKinley grew up in Tonga, a group of islands in the SouthPacific. "In Tonga I went to a very small school which taught basic English ... hello and goodbye ... but there was never any opportunity to have conversations," Senitila explains. "When I moved to America, I realized that what I thought I knew about English was very limited."

When her two American-born daughters started school, Senitila saw that it was time for her to learn English. "I needed to be able to write notes to the teacher and understand the children’s papers coming home from school!" Senitila first attended a local adult basic education class, and then became part of the Lincoln County Coalition of Oregon Literacy, Inc. In the years since then, Senitila has served on ProLiteracy America’s national committees, has chaired the Oregon State Literacy Congress, and has also served as a board member of Oregon Literacy and of her county literacy coalition. 

Senitila is the creator and director of Waldport’s Seashore Family Literacy Program. In 1994, her town named her Outstanding Citizen. In 1996, the National Institute for Literacy awarded Senitila and another adult learner a joint fellowship to conduct a national survey of "best practices" in adult learner advocacy activities. "I will never forget my reason forgoing back to school: to be a better mother for my children," Senitila said, "I’m not only becoming a better mother, but a better person for my community and the world. What more can I ask?"