Student at Princeton University studying art and creative writing

 

“When I was younger, my mom always encouraged me to nurture my passions. My mom has reassured me that it’s okay to go into a creative field instead of trying to study engineering or math because you can still make a difference through the arts.” 

 

“In my writing I like to talk about my culture and experiences and some of the challenges we face today, or have been facing for generations. As a Hawaiian poet I champion the ‘āina in my writing and try to promote a connection to the land. In my visual art I’ve done a lot of pieces highlighting mo’olelo. These mo’olelo often have lessons about the environment.” 

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“Living in Molokai has helped me become closer to the environment and more aware of what’s happening in it. I’ve spent a lot of time at Keawanui fishpond, where I used to go to work with my dad before I was in elementary school, and so that place became my first school. I learned about the ocean and how to care for it. Later I spent a lot of time around activists because those were the people my parents were friends with, so I was always surrounded by people who were passionate about protecting Molokai and the land and it’s people.”