HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i’s new wave of storytellers.

Aloha, and welcome to this week’s episode of HIKI NŌ, Hawaiʻi’s new wave of storytellers.

I’m Christian Aragon, a senior at Konawaena High School, here, on Hawaiʻi Island, speaking to you from my home in Kailua-Kona.

In this edition of HIKI NŌ, we’ll see how Hawaiʻi students are managing life and school during the COVID-19 era in our continuing series of Student Reflections.

We’ll visit a Kauaʻi beauty salon that had to close its doors during the lockdown last spring and is now adjusting to a new way of doing business.

We’ll continue our HIKI NŌ 10th anniversary celebration by looking back at some of the top stories from the program’s first decade, and we’ll meet a HIKI NŌ alum who set the bar for covering controversial topics with fairness and objectivity.

But first, here is my Student Reflection on life so far in this school year of distance learning.

I recorded it on October 25th, 2020.

I have two goals this year.

One, I want to graduate high school.

That’s it.

Two, I also want to improve my performing arts skills, so I can study acting in a university or community college.

COVID-19 has forced me to find new and unexpected ways of achieving these goals.

For school, I’m really working on my time management so I can fit different activities into my schedule.

Even though I’m at home, I’m still working with my community theatre group over the computer.

It’s challenging, because we can’t meet on a physical stage and I can’t share my energy with the cast.

So, we make those connections through improv exercises instead.

I was also invited to promote some of my previous theatre shows on the radio, where I voiced different characters and right now, I’m reading scary stories, whoooooo.... Anyways, I’m grateful that persevering through high school and theatre has opened these doors for me.

All these challenges have shown me that my goals are just stepping stones for something much greater and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

Now, from Kauaʻi High School in Līhu‘e, here is a story about a local beauty salon that had to close its doors during last spring’s lockdown and has since reopened with a new way of doing business.

OK, I agree, ‘kay hold, hold tight, tight, tight.

I think just the unknown of when, not knowing when we would be able to reopen or know if we would even survive during this time.

For Britney Fujioka, Spring 2020 was a season of uncertainty.

She had to close her salon, Beauty BAE on the southeast side of Kauaʻi, as part of a statewide shutdown to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

March 22nd we were ordered to close here on the island, all non-essential businesses including our salon and spa was deemed non-essential, so we all had to close our doors.

Managing a business with no customers was stressful.

Britney feared she would have to close for good and let down her team, their families and her own family.

It was us being out of work for a total of two months and still being able, you know, still being able to, how we gonna afford to pay the rent to stay alive, you know, and still keep our business able to open when we are able to come back to work.

Hawaiʻi allowed non-essential businesses, like the salon, to reopen in May, but with the new rules.

Things were like social distancing, um, having that six feet apart.

Also, having to wear face masks whether it be the disposable one or a cloth, and then also we do, um, intake forms as well.

So we do client intake forms for everybody entering the building.

We also do temperature checks at the door, which we keep record of as well and then, um, we have our dividers in between stations that are closer together, less than six feet apart, just to be able to maintain the social distancing.

Even though the salon is open, it can’t accept as many clients as before.

Yeah, I could apply someone’s color and then I could take a haircut or wax in between while that guest is processing.

We’re no longer able to do that, so we’re only, um, our time is just kind of, our time is more valuable now because we’re just one on one with the guest.

Despite the challenges, Britney maintains a bright mindset about the situation.

We just try to look at it as a positive and more on the glass is half-full kind of perspective.

So, for us, we’re just taking it day by day.

We’ve been just, every day practicing everything that we’re required to and just kind of going that extra step, making sure everything’s cleaned.

Britney’s happy and grateful to continue spreading smiles through beauty, even if the smiles look a little different nowadays.

You look cute.

This is Ty Kajihara from Kauaʻi High School, for HIKI NŌ.

This is Ella Anderson, a sophomore from Kapaʻa High School on Kauaʻi.

I’m filming this at my home on October 22nd, 2020.

When coronavirus first hit, I did not want to stay at home.

Each day I couldn’t see my friends seemed like a day wasted.

Both my parents still went to work, so it was usually just me and my 11-year-old brother.

It’s sad for me to say now, but before COVID, we weren’t really that close.

I would lose my patience and get mad at him all the time for giving me attitude and not doing as I asked, which seems normal, but it was happening a lot more then I would’ve liked, and I never really made an effort to do anything about it.

Things started to change when I began to help him learn from home.

Of course, we had a rough start, but each time I wanted to give into my frustration and just yell at him, I took a deep breath, kept a smile on my face, and continued trying to help out.

Slowly, but surely, there were less arguments, less go away, I hate you, and more respect and understanding on both sides.

It seems so obvious that this is what a good sister should be, and I can’t believe I couldn’t see it for so long.

This journey made me realize that change starts with me first, before I can expect it from anyone else.

And now, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of HIKI NŌ, coming up in February of 2021, here’s the third in a series of profiles on outstanding HIKI NŌ alumni.

So, the school I went to was Kua O Ka Lā Miloliʻi Hipuʻu Virtual Academy and it’s a virtual program that’s based in Puna and it has bases outside of the Puna school and one of those bases was in Miloliʻi.

Miloliʻi is a fishing village on the south, uh, south end coast of the Big Island.

When everyone came down from HIKI NŌ and we started learning everything from them and they started mentoring us in how to, you know, make certain shots, how to scope out an area for a shot, it was all very, very foreign to me because it was my first time in an actual production.

I’ve always wanted to make content and that was one of the biggest motivators for me is, there was an opportunity to be creative and tell a story and write stories that other people can see.

And I thought, wow, I really, really, really like this and I, I want to continue to do this with HIKI NŌ.

Um, my HIKI NŌ story on Mauna Kea, the spark for it started when I went to the groundbreaking ceremony for the TMT and I saw the protests that had initially happened.

The dignitaries were funding the telescope and the people who were protesting the telescope were walking together away from the groundbreaking ceremony.

They’re walking together and they were talking, and I overheard some of the conversations that they had and I thought to myself, I was like, wait a minute, this is a lot more complex than I think it is, and I want to know more about it as well.

It was a huge issue, a lot of passion, a lot of different sides, and for Hoku to take it on, it was a little daunting for me, actually.

I love science and technology and I'm actively involved in web design and computer technology.

I’m also Hawaiian.

I respect my culture and its values.

The reason why I took it from a Native Hawaiian student, but also a student of science approach, a lover of science, was because I wanted to go into it as someone who just wanted to know more, to investigate, to look at everything.

So, what I loved about working with Hoku and actually found really inspiring myself, was how motivated and how passionate he was.

It’s a lot to ask of anyone to go out and spend hours and hours and hours, speaking to six, seven, eight, nine different people about a very emotional subject, and Hoku took it upon himself to really reach out to those people and to call, you know, the mayor he’s never met before.

I believe celestial navigation, astronomy, is a sacred science.

And the whole, the whole word that we were thinking of, when we were working together with Christi, was just being as objective as possible and keeping the balanced story.

And that stayed true into the editing, all up until the end when we eventually recorded it, is that, I didn’t, I didn’t, I couldn’t take a side, and that, you know, this whole story is something that, I just, it’s too complex and taking a side wouldn’t do it justice because it’s something that happens from all perspectives.

I’m still torn.

I want to preserve the places that mean so much to my cultural heritage, but I also see that the project will bring new understanding of our universe and provide educational opportunities to students in Hawaiʻi.

I hope to revisit this in 10 years’ time and see for myself if TMT does, in fact, keep their commitments, both to help expand our knowledge of the universe and to be respectful stewards of our cultural sites.

Five years after the story had taken place, I’m still neutral about it and that’s because I continue to see different sides for the story popping up left and right.

I really, really, really appreciate the story so much more having watched it a year later and even several years, and it’s a piece I think that, holds up over time and actually gets better over time, for me, for sure.

Hi, my name’s Nalea Udac, an eighth grader from Kealakehe Intermediate School on the island of Hawaiʻi, coming to you from my home on November 2nd, 2020.

I’ve been attending online school from home with a class of six, or with all my siblings.

All of us ranging from the ages five to fourteen, which is me, the oldest.

Then there’s the youngest one who is Leiliʻa, then there’s Leilehua, Naoli, Leiani, and Nahana, who had recently just turned 11.

It can be great at some point, all six of us learning in a classroom, but chaotic at best.

In order for you to get the spot you want, you have to fight for it.

And if you don’t get your way, then you have a bunch of arguing going on.

We tend to get in each other’s way to figure out whose turn is it to speak or not, or to attend a meeting, and when we do, the room sounds like a bunch of annoying parrots all talking at once.

But despite all of that chaos, the bonding has caused me to learn things that I didn’t expect.

Like, fixing a truck, learning to cook, and even teaching my siblings how to shoot and film broadcast and other short films.

It’s pushing me to go above and beyond to be like a second mom.

As children, we think parents are supposed to know everything and have all the answers all the time, but not always.

It makes me proud to know that we don’t always have to turn to our parents to figure things out.

We can figure them out on our own, too, and we can teach them a thing or two.

Like, learning how to use new applications and technologies.

Continuing our celebration of 10 years of HIKI NŌ, here’s a story from Maui Waena Intermediate School in Kahului that was one of the first to tackle the sensitive topic of a student with body image issues.

Kaycee Arase is an eleven-year-old at Maui Waena Intermediate School.

From the outside, she seems to have a perfect life.

Kaycee’s an extremely hardworker, puts in lot of time, as I understand it, both in the classroom and on the field.

She’s the first one here, the last one to leave, so she’s a great example for everyone around her.

Everyone views Kaycee as a healthy, normal sixth-grade girl, but when Kaycee looks in the mirror, she sees something else.

Well, I remember when I was little, I used to always love Disney princesses and how they used to be so skinny.

So, when I found out, when I was old enough to look in the mirror and see I’m not like them, it made me realize that I think I’m fat.

Basically, girls who think they’re fat when they’re not is based around their body image and typically that means that they have a poor body image and our body image is how we perceive our bodies.

It’s something that’s psychological.

It’s not necessarily based on facts.

Well, I know I should be thinking that a beautiful girl is nice, sweet, kind, but my image of a beautiful girl is skinny, pretty, small, and that girl is just not me.

Even with her busy life and many accomplishments, Kaycee is still hindered by her self-image.

Well, I’m not as confident.

It makes me feel more shy or bashful because, like, you know, I’m scared of what people might think about me.

Because of how female beauty is depicted in advertising and the media, many girls find it difficult to reconcile what they think they should be with who they are.

Sometimes, yeah, I feel like I have to be perfect.

And we’re seeing images of women that have this unachievable body.

Five-eleven and a hundred and seventeen pounds, whereas the average woman is about five-four and a hundred and forty pounds, and only about one percent of the female population is even capable of achieving a model-type figure, so we’re trying to achieve something that’s totally impossible.

Faced with the problem of achieving the impossible, how should we respond?

I honestly don't know.

I tried...I try to like, every day, figure that out, but I just can’t.

There’s a lot of really good websites out there with a lot of really good information and, you know, chat rooms and stuff like that.

And if you do feel like yours is a more serious problem, you know, definitely do go seek help from the grade-level counselor or talk to your parents about it and seek counseling outside of school.

Today, Kaycee may not know how to solve the problem, but hopefully, in the future, she will be part of the solution.

This is Giel Tolentino from Maui Waena Intermediate School reporting for HIKI NŌ.

Aloha, this is Alexa Vinarao, an eighth-grade student at Aliamanu Middle School on Oʻahu.

I’m recording this from my home on October 26th, 2020.

In my opinion, distance learning isn’t as bad as it may seem.

There’s going to be a lot of change in life and this is just a part of it.

Distance learning is similar to face-to-face learning.

Students just need time to grow accustomed to it.

You still see your teachers and you still get homework, not much of a change.

It’s like the first day of school, you might get lost, but eventually, you’ll get used to it.

Virtual classes are easily accessible.

Just grab a working device and get to class.

No need to wear a uniform, walk to school, or prepare much at all.

Plus, you can change your learning space to your every need.

Most classes before distance learning were just online websites anyway, so I’m used to it.

In conclusion, distance learning has many advantages and you should give it a chance to show how amazing it can be.

As we continue a look back at 10 years of HIKI NŌ, here’s a story from Waiʻanae High School on Oʻahu that was one of the first to explore a mental health issue affecting many students’ grandparents.

I just think about like, oh, what if she tries to make breakfast and she leaves the stove on and the house burns down.

Oh, she overdoses and she can’t get to a phone and she’s paralyzed on the ground.

Send a check to 87-147 St. John’s Road.

Eh, you remember your address.

It’s a small victory for Edith Domingo.

Where you going?

That’s not to your room.

In a battle that she’s losing every day.

At first it was funny, because all the repeating, we’d just laugh and tease, but then, it kind of gets on your nerves after a while.

Why you stealing my... Edith is always up to something.

What do you usually do when we’re not home?

Whatchu mean?

I eat, and I eat...and I read, and I read... And she laughs, and she laughs.

But the one thing she can’t do... What did you eat at The Spaghetti Factory?

...is remember.

Edith is one of five million people in the United States with dementia, a disease which causes a gradual loss of brain function, so even remembering her favorite grandchild isn’t always easy to swallow.

Grandma, you took your pills?

Reminding her doesn’t always get an answer.

But the Domingos can still see the affect dementia is having on her.

Doesn’t remember....it’s a really difficult situation for families when they have loved ones that have dementia, and even the individual may not realize, you know, that they’re not able to do as much as they used to do.

I think she gets frustrated and some of it she gets scared.

She frowns a lot nowadays, she just frowns.

This fear and frustration has caused Edith to hurt those closest to her.

She would just want to, just fight and argue with Brina, yeah?

I think she punched her a couple of times, it was that bad.

But no matter how bad it’s gotten, Brina has always been by her grandmother’s side.

See, yeah, I’m your favorite, yeah, Grandma?

With open arms and more than one way to solve a problem.

You’re constantly repeating yourself and it gets so draining and so exhausting that you just want to write it on a Post-It and stick it on her forehead, but you can’t.

Single scoop in a cake cone.

The Domingos are known for their creative solutions, which are helpful when trying to ensure that Edith is in good hands.

I try to juggle time at home between schoolwork and helping Grandma.

I love her, she took care of me when I was growing up, so now the roles are reversed.

It freaks me out sometimes.

I would like to have someone home all the time to watch her, but we can’t have that, so we just hope, we hope and we pray.

And... [INDISTINCT] They help her win as many of these small battles as they possible can.

She’s my mommy.

She’s my mom.

Gotta take care, yeah, she’s family, yeah?

This is Tressa Hoppe from Waiʻanae High School reporting for HIKI NŌ.

This is Cara Jurison, an eighth grader at Highlands Intermediate.

I’m filming this from my home on October 29th, 2020.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe everyone has learned some life lessons.

For me, distance learning has been a struggle since I'm not able to be in a real classroom interacting with my peers.

I’ve been thinking during this time that life won’t be able to go back to the way it was before the coronavirus.

A few months into the quarantine, my family and I had a virtual get-together.

All my extended family were there: uncles, aunties, grandparents, cousins.

It had been the first time we had all seen each other in three months.

I was very nervous and excited seeing everybody for the first time in a while and once everybody was in the virtual meet, having a good time, talking story, it was a very special moment.

Even though we couldn’t be together face to face, it was still a very good time and we made the best of it.

Now, the restrictions have eased, we are able to visit each other in person, but for the family that we can’t visit, we still make it a point to talk on the phone.

I’m very thankful my family was there for each other during the rough time and that they still are there for each other now.

Now, as part of our celebration of the upcoming 10th anniversary of HIKI NŌ, let’s take a look at a story from Island School on Kauaʻi, dating back to January of 2013, it was one of the first HIKI NŌ stories to deal with the near tragedy that sets the person’s life on a completely different course.

I started paddling when I was 12 and, um, and sort of just slipped deeper and deeper into it until about the time I was 18 or 17, I was really putting all of my time into it.

And for about a five-year period, I was training probably, you know, up to 20 hours a week, and that’s like time on the water, not including commute and all of that, so my life was really focused on paddling.

On October 10th, 2010, Luke Evslin’s life was almost taken from him when the propeller of his escort boat tore through his back during a championship race between Molokai and Oʻahu.

You know, after I got onto the boat and I was lying there on my back, thinking that I was bleeding to death, or paralyzed, or that my stomach had been ripped out of my body, um, you know, that’s when, you know, your mind is going through a lot of stuff.

And to me, that was sort of my transformative moment with those 45 minutes, and I would say the most, without a doubt, the most transformative 45 minutes of my life.

So, yeah, up until the accident, you know, my life plan was pretty clear, you know, I was at a business building canoes and I wanted to be, you know, one of the best paddlers in the world and that’s the direction I was going in.

You know, something that I sort of learned through this accident, you know, is this desire for more, you know, is that we don’t always need more.

Since the accident, Luke has focused on giving back to the environment through his off-the-grid sustainable farm.

We have a piece of property, you know, and the goal is to basically reduce inputs, or eliminate inputs is the ultimate goal, and uh, and also outputs.

So, every time, we have a river that we have to cross to get to our property, so, for me, that’s like the barrier line that’s pretty obvious when I’m carrying something into that or carrying it out of that, you know?

So, normally, in a property, you know, you’re taking food in and taking trash out.

So, I’m trying to minimize that.

So, we, we produce our own electricity with photovoltaic panels, we catch our own water, so there’s no pipes or anything connecting us to the outside world.

We have a really good existence, right now where we’re living, you know, we have six solar panels which produces very little electricity, you know, it means we can’t, you know, turn our TV on at night if it hasn’t been sunny, or we can’t wash our clothes, you know, unless it’s beaming hot out.

But that’s fine with us, you know, and it makes us live with what we have, and that sort of concept I’ve really applied to the rest of my life and especially our business, you know, and this idea of: It’s good where it’s at, you know, let’s perfect this.

Although still very involved in his business, Kamanu Composites, Luke Evslin has been able to find a balance between his career-driven lifestyle and his desire to reduce his impact on the planet.

This is Gabriel Figueroa from Island School on Kaua‘i, reporting for HIKI NŌ.

Thank you for watching this episode of HIKI NŌ.

Be sure to join us next week for more Student Reflections on school and life as we learn to navigate our way through the new normal.

Plus, we’ll continue our look back at 10 years of HIKI NŌ, Hawaiʻi’s new wave of storytellers.

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