For the first couple months of my life I lived in a tent; pitched up on a patch of grass surrounded by nothing but lava rock. My dad worked constantly, trying to support us whilst building our house from the ground up. It was a struggle, but it taught me that through hard work and perseverance you can overcome anything. Fast forward to 2020, when my ability to persevere was truly put to the test.

High School was on the horizon the true start of my academic career, But uncertainty and uneasiness arose as the world was put on lockdown. I had applied to HPA, a private school on the north side of the Big Island and I was accepted. I was ecstatic as I had dreamed of going to this school for years. Unfortunately, this dream was squashed. When I arrived to board on campus I was presented with an ultimatum, either get the covid vaccine by October of that year or unenroll from their institution. It was a hard decision but because of uncertainty surrounding the vaccines long term effects, I decided to not get the vaccine and unenroll. I was missing out on my first year of high school and it sucked, but it gave me an opportunity to persevere.

Covid was a huge struggle for me, taking away my ability to socialize and cutting me off from the resources I needed to learn. It was really hard, but I never gave in, teaching myself throughout my freshman year. Towards the end of my freshman year the world started to return to normal, Covid mandates began to lift and eventually, I was able to reintegrate into society. Still, the damage had been done and I ended my freshman year with a 2.9 GPA, something I wasn’t proud of. Even though I had a rough start to my highschool career, it really tested my ability to persevere, proving to me that I can accomplish hard things.

With this new perspective I sought to better my community, returning to school for my sophomore year, I joined the athletics program at Ka’u High playing as many sports as I could. Throughout my sophomore and Junior years I decided to get involved with lots of volunteer work and community service. I participated in reforestation efforts and wild-life studies through the DLNR, I also participated in local beach clean-ups, and native Hawaiian restoration projects garnering me over 100 hours of community service. Without the difficulties I faced during Covid I wouldn’t have had these incredible experiences or opportunities.

Today I hold the same mindset and I strive to apply myself in anything I decide to do. I was accepted into university which is one of my most recent and proudest achievements. An article I wrote about the effect of technology on the youngest generation titled “Technology: Shaping Our Youth for Better or Worse” was published in the Honolulu Star Advertiser. I won first place in a Malama Hawaii's environment essay contest winning me a grand prize of 200 dollars. It feels amazing to accomplish something and I am proud of all my achievements. A few years ago I thought that it wasn’t possible for me to achieve things that I'm proud of, but a change in perspective can be profound. By persevering and learning to take advantage of every opportunity I'm presented with, I know I can achieve anything I set my mind to.

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