Growing up in Hawaii I was very close to both my Native Hawaiian and Japanese heritage. The diversity in the state was what made it so easy to learn about both of these heritages; however a lot of what I learned was the 'Hawaii' version of these cultures. Although I was always surrounded by my cultures I rarely took the time to truly learn the language or the history. Most of my knowledge about Polynesian culture comes from classes in elementary and middle school. I always regret not trying harder to learn the Hawaiian language when I was little. I recently started learning again however it has proven difficult starting from scratch. Being a part of such a small state/community made it hard to think of what the rest of the world was like. To me being Native Hawaiian means spreading aloha around your community. In Hawaii, the community plays a huge part in our lifestyle. There's rarely a time where you go grocery shopping and not see your friends or family. Which is why I always try to give back in some way or another. During my senior year in high school I worked at Zippy’s, a local restaurant, while also being a student ambassador and stage manager for CPAC. Through everything that I did I tried to make a difference in some way. Whether it was making someone’s day a little easier at work, guiding tours for students and dignitaries, and putting on a show for the community. Even when I’m not on Oahu I try to help in any way I can. Whenever I go home I always check up on my theatre community from high school. See if they need any advice on problems or need a hand in anything taking part at the theater. In winning this scholarship I will be able to achieve my dream by having the opportunities to become a stage manager at other theaters across the country and maybe even the world. Along with pursuing my career my other goal in life is to bring the knowledge that I have obtained back to my community back home. Whether it's sharing my technical theatre experience with programs on Oahu or practicing my Hawaiian with my mother through postcards. My overall goal in life is to uplift the community that I grew up with so that they can better understand their options when choosing to go to college or getting a career away from Hawai'i. Mostly because when I went up to college there were many things that I had to figure out on my own or without the proper knowledge.

Theatre is something that has been a part of my life since I was in elementary school. For the longest time I thought my role in theatre was as a performer, until I got to high school. I had to deal with the harsh reality that every performer has to learn. That sometimes your strengths/style as a performer do not fit the shows being put on. After not getting cast, I was offered the chance to join the tech crew. In taking on this position I became more open to helping backstage and now prefer it over being on stage. Being stuck at home for over a year was not something I enjoyed. Staying at home impacted my mental health immensely. The solutions I sought after were never the best but when you’re so far past the line it’s hard to think clearly. Getting away was what fueled my need to come back. One lunch period, Ms.Meyer asked me if I wanted to be the Assistant Stage Manager for Anastasia. She had explained to me that I would be assisting the current Stage Manager and also the director, herself, during rehearsals and shows. In being a performer first, taking on the position of stage managing was very different for me. Deciding what you want to do with your life isn’t something that needs to be set until the end of your high school career. This was something that I pushed back as far as I could. Not because I didn’t want to ‘grow up’ but because I didn’t want to be stuck in a job I didn’t enjoy. That fact alone made pursuing my passions difficult. Nothing I came across stayed ‘set in stone’ but stage managing is something I think I can build my future around. If not, the skills I’ve learned from stage management can be applied to many other fields. I found a different side of myself. Someone who shines under her own spotlight and no one else's. The 1st grader who had to mature too early turned into the stage manager everyone knows today. Being a stage manager helped me discover aspects of myself I always looked for. As someone who had to mature at such a young age, struggling was a fight fought every day. One of the few reasons as to why I kept fighting was because I wanted to find some kind of purpose to it all. It was frustrating thinking that if I ended it all there would have been no meaning to the years I fought. The constant voices putting me down would win the feat that my life had no purpose. So the race to find my purpose, although as exhausting as my other feats, was what I’ve been hanging on to. Taking on the opportunity has helped me answer the question that I've been trying to answer since the very beginning, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’. I want to pursue stage management whether here or halfway across the world, it is the purpose I am holding onto.