Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 7, 1 July 1987 — Being Hawaiian and Ho'olako Coincide [ARTICLE]

Being Hawaiian and Ho'olako Coincide

Miss Hawaii Proud, Thrilled

By Kenny Haina, Editor Ka Wai Ola O OHA "Being Miss Hawaii doesn't stop there. I will be trying my very best to bring home the Miss America crown from Atlantic City." This air of optimism was expressed to Ka Wai Ola O OHA by what is believed to be the first native Hawaiian to wear the Miss Hawaii title — Sandra Luana Alapa, a country girl whose roots have a direct connection to Hewahewa, kahuna nui to King Kamehameha the Great. "I know I don't look Hawaiian but I am 56 percent. I brought along my genealogy to prove it," this down to earth no holds barred beauty queen explained. "My other mixture is Irish-Scottish-English-Welsh-French," she quickly added. Miss Alapa, who goes by Luana, was born in Agana, Guam, where her father, Stanley, was a traffic air eontroller. She grew up in Laie and attended Kamehameha School from where she graduated in 1979. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Hawaii Manoa in 1984. Asked how she felt about being Hawaiian in this Year of the Hawaiian, Luana said it didn't really hit her on the

night of June 5 when she won the title but I did think about it the next day." "Of course I'm thrilled and proud of my Hawaiian background. It was perfect timing, this Year of the Hawaiian celebration and my winning the crown," she observed "It gives me the added incentive to do my very besi . the Miss America pageant," Luana added. This beautiful young lady, still single at 26, is a determined individual. She said she set her sights on being Miss Hawaii at age 11 when she saw the crown and other memorabilia of Miss Hawaii 1971, Aurora Kaawa, a next door neighbor in Laie. "I used to look at her scrapbook and all the publicity about Miss Hawaii and I decided then that someday I'd like to win the title," Luana remembers. "Aurora was my role model." Incidentally, the name Sandra eame from another Miss Hawaii, Sandra Forsythe (1957). The Miss Hawaii pageant was her only contest, having made her entry from the preliminaries and winning the Miss Island International title. A younger sister,

Kaui, 24, was Miss Molokai 1983 and a former Miss Hawaii entry. She now works for a Honolulu commercial real estate firm. Another sister, Ohelo Alapa, 27, lives on Molokai and "farms and runs the family business with dad in Hoolehua where we grow organic foods such as medicinal herbs, fruits and vegetables." "Our market is gourmet restaurants, hotels and East coast destinations. Dad has four and one-half acres of Hawaiian Homes agricultural land and we three girls also have the same acreage in Kalamaula where we ean expand our operations," she stated. The Alapas are divorced. They have since remarried, Stanley to the former Shirley Ross and Kawana Kanahele Alapa to Leroy Pukahi. They reside in Laie. Mrs. Pukahi is a sister of George Hu'eu Sanford Kanahale, Hawaiian entrepreneur and author of "Ku Kanaka"and many other books. Luana, who was homecoming and Rainbow Classic queen in her senior year at UH, said one of her prizes was a modeling class at Barbizon Modeling School so she took advantage of it. She's been at Barbizon for the past two years as one of its instructors. She also was a hostess at the Bali Restaurant in the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel where the Miss Hawaii pageant was held. As for future employment, Luana wants to enter the field of sports psychology but has left her door open to other options. "I also want to go back to school but it will always be there in case something else comes up," she explained. Luana leaves for Atlantic City with chaperone Leilani Keough Sept. 10 to prepare for the Miss America pageant Sept. 19. Meanwhile, there are many personal appearances scheduled statewide throughout her reign.