Aloha mai kākou.

You can take the boy from the island…

but not the island from the boy.

I come from Honolulu, Hawai‘i, where I grew up in the ahupuaʻa of Kalihi-Kapālama on the Island of Oʻahu. My parents immigrated from the Philippines as part of the Hawai‘i Plantation migration, and our family has been settled in U.S.-occupied Hawai‘i for over three generations. The unique experience of growing up at the crossroads of the Pacific has shaped my deep appreciation for the land, ocean, diverse communities, food, and extensions of family that make up my identity. I am an Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Seattle University in Washington before pursuing both my Master’s and Doctorate in Public Health at Claremont Graduate University in Southern California. Before joining the University of Hawai‘i, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. No matter how far I’ve traveled, I carry with me the pride, passion, and values instilled in me by my island home.

Hawai'i is more than an idealized destination; it is a real place with real people facing real challenges. These challenges include the high cost of living, health issues, disenfranchisement and grievances of our Native peoples, and other social and economic problems. As a Keiki o ka 'āina (child of the land), I have a relationship and responsibility to the land, the Indigenous people, and the communities. I take accountability for our shared and connected histories. I stand for decolonization, addressing the issues of colonialism and systemic racism and improving the health of all.