I’m honored to be one of this year’s Pacific Business News 40 Under 40, among such remarkable honorees. “This year really stands out for the number and quality of nominations,” wrote Editor-in-Chief A. Kam Napier. “The past year and a half has brought out the best in a lot of people, and we were inundated with stories of young professionals and entrepreneurs who made a difference in their businesses, their industries, and their communities.”
Below are my responses to the questions PBN asked:
What’s been your biggest professional accomplishment so far and how did you do it?
I’ve helped raise millions of dollars for nonprofits in Massachusetts, Delaware, and Hawaiʻi, and led communications campaigns that have reached hundreds of thousands of people. But I think I’ve accomplished my most meaningful work during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, I’m proud of the COVID-19 resource map that I created for Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network.
When the pandemic first reached our shores in March 2020, people needed help, but reliable information was scarce. I used my design and coding skills to launch HCAN’s resource map — a mobile-friendly, multilingual website — a day after Gov. David Ige’s first stay-at-home order. It compiled critical information on food, financial assistance, child care, COVID-19 testing, and other basic needs. Since then, I’ve organized 20 community partners and volunteers, who have helped collect and maintain over 500 resources.
How would you change or improve the state of Hawaii?
Enshrined in state law is a definition of the “Aloha Spirit,” which includes values like kindness, unity, and “warmth in caring.” But for too many people, our state’s systems and policies fail to live up to these values. Three in five Hawaiʻi households are struggling to make ends meet, according to Aloha United Way.
I’d like to see a Hawaiʻi in which our public policies are imbued with the Aloha Spirit, demonstrating we truly care about our people. For me, this means ensuring that every family can afford basic needs, like nutritious food and decent housing. It means providing the self-determination and justice that Native Hawaiians deserve and ending systems of racial discrimination. It means investing in high-quality education and care for all, keiki through kupuna, and living in harmony with the land.
What are you reading or binge watching right now?
“The Wire” and “The White Lotus.”
