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Aloha! 

I am the Owner and Creative Instructor at Hua ʻĀina. My team and I craft Hawaiian experiences that are fun, educational and can inspire change. 

In addition to my work at Hua ʻĀina, I am also a Professor at Hawaii Community College, a position I have held since January 2007. There I team courses about Hawaiian culture, with a focus on Hawaiian philosophy regarding ocean and land practices. 

In August of 2016, I decided to fully invest my time and attention to the work I do at Hua ʻĀina.

Since 1994 to present, I have dedicated myself to numerous creative initiatives that focuses on cultural land connectivity education, which includes a youth program named Kūkulu Kumuhana o Puna now celebrating 25 years in the community.

I earned a Masterʻs degree in Education at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, graduating in 2005, with a special study in Indigenous Practices and Indigenous Forms of Assessment, and my Bachelor of Arts at the same university, majoring in Hawaiian Studies and Anthropology. Prior to that, I earned an Associate’s Degree at Hawaii Community College in 1994. 

I am Fluent in both English and Hawaiian, my specialties include teaching, creative direction, public speaking, leadership and Hawaii Culture and Arts. Recently, I have also become something of a social media expert; learning to build websites, market and sales.

My cultural knowing comes from my maternal grandmother, Ana Kealoha ʻĀina and many ʻOhana (family) members who hānai (cared for) me.  My Hula Traditions with world-renowned Hālau o Kekuhi and Akaunu has also been foundational in my expression of my cultural self. 

Being raised in Hawaiʻi coupled with lived experiences on the Hawaiʻi landscape enables me to create fun, inspirational and useful experiences for others.  

My passion is personal development through a connection to a cultural landscape.  I believe that the relationship of people to the landscape has an organic connection to all forms of personal greatness.  This is what inspires me, and the work that I love at Hua Āina.

Aloha mai Kākou (greetings to all)