I’m old enough to remember living on Kauai in 1978 in a foster home. My foster family and I moved there from San Francisco. I remember learning to swim in both the ocean and our local pool. I remember finding shark teeth on the shores any day I looked for them. I also remember the flattened frogs and lizards that littered the roadways in newly developed areas. I remember  Poipu beach before it was developed, long before hurricane Iniki took most of the houses away. With all these and many more memories, the thing I remember most is the day my foster father told me while driving me to school that they were not going to adopt me, that I was going to have to move back to California to live with another family. I swore I would find a way back. I even said I’d swim across the ocean to come back, because I had become a fish after learning to swim. You couldn’t get me out of the water. 

 

39 years later, I finally returned. I have visited Hawaii three times since I left as a child. Every time it felt like I was returning home. I can’t help but feel the aina in my blood. This land owns me and I have heard its call to protect it and serve our people. Like most problem solvers, I see problems everywhere and I also see solutions. I want to use my vast skill set to help our community grow and thrive and overcome the obstacles before it. I am not here by accident or because it is easy. It is a long story, but I have sacrificed greatly to be here.  I love this island. I love our people. This is my home.