Puuwaihaa Kalauokaaea-Kahele '23 Recruiting Profile

“I maikaʻi ke kalo i ka ʻohā,”which translates to “the goodness of the taro is judged by the goodness of the plant it produces (Pukui 1983: 133: 1232).” This is a Hawaiian proverb I live by, I take pride in everything I do, and I do it to the best of my ability. I’m rooted in my Hawaiian values, therefore I am a hard working and determined individual. My goal in life is to uphold an honorable reputation that reflects back on my parents, my family, and my ancestors. 

My name Puʻuwaihaʻa Kalauokaʻaeʻa-Kahele was given to me by my mother. I am a senior at Ke Kula ‘O Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, a Hawaiian Medium Education school in Keaʻau, Hawaiʻi. My family made a bold move and moved from Waiʻanae, Oʻahu, to be closer to family on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, where we could continue on the legacies of our ancestors. Without having faith, we wouldn’t be where we are today, but with the big leap of faith we took it enables me to continue on with my life, but also keeping me rooted in my cultures and Hawaiian customs.

I have experience in college level learning and earning college credits at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo. My soccer career had just gotten started, and I was selected for ODP, an Olympic Development Program, it's a whole nother level of preparation. Not so long ago, I was blessed to be nominated for the Congress of Future Medical Leaders, a program for high school students who have a demonstrable GPA of 3.5 or above, who have interest in going into medical science. After high school I plan to graduate high school as a valedictorian, and major in health communications & sciences to balance with sports in college. Although it may seem hard for various athletes to balance sports with academics, I will do whatever it takes to keep up a perfect score in every class. It only takes courage and determination to achieve the unthinkable, if I only do everything with an open mind and believe in myself no matter what, there’s a chance I can make it through. 

I am an athlete, dancer, an actor and a singer. All of these things take rigorous, wise and confident individuals. Being a hula dancer from when I was 9 years old has shown me the importance of reviving the traditional knowledge and cultures of our people, and it shows muscle memory, stamina, voice, strength but most of all manawahine of a person. At this time I’m preparing to film a virtual musical of a redo of Little Shop of Horrors. After my acting experiences through Hoʻoulu Pāhiahia, I’ve seen my muscle memory, multi-tasking, selfcare, vocals, expression and flexibility skills improve drastically. The reason for being a part of clubs, if it's in hula, acting, singing groups, is to be a part of human interaction with others as much as we can, it helps us to figure out our plans and goals in the future. Most of the things I take part in because of my interest in perpetuating and sharing traditional knowledge and lessons with the world is to teach a different style of dance, to reach people and touch lives like I’ve never before. 

“You should know you're beautiful just the way you are, and you don't have to change a thing.” These are two lines from ‘Scars to Your Beautiful’ by Alessia Cara, a Canadian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. The words encourage young men and women to be who they want to be and just to remember their worth, regardless of what anyone says. In everything you do, it is crucial to remember those who you are representing, they made you who you are. I am interested in making a better tomorrow, to revive languages, cultures of my people and save lives in the medical field.