Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 10, 1 ʻOkakopa 2017 — Describe a moment that made you proud to be a kaiapuni graduate. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Describe a moment that made you proud to be a kaiapuni graduate.

READER'S RESP0NSE

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Ka Papahana Kaiapuni, we asked a number of graduates to reflect on their time in the program. We share five responses here, and eheek out OHA's Instagram and Facebook accounts for posts of additional responses. - Sterling Wong

Kalamkūno'eau Freitas response: '0 kekahi wā i komo nui iho ai ka ha'aheo i loko o'u no ko'u kula piha 'ia ma ka kaiaupuni, 'o ia ka wā pilikia ai 'o Maunakea i ka 'ohenānā 30 mika. Ma ia manawa nō au i mahalo nui ai i ka pa'a o ka'u 'ōlelo a me ke kuana'ike Hawai'i ia'u; nā mea e pa'a pono ai ke kahua o ka Hawai'i. One of my proudest moments as an immersion graduate was when the struggle atop Maunkea eame to a head over the 30-meter teiescope. i truly realized how biessed I am to have this grounding in my Hawaiian language and perspective; the tenets ofa soiid Hawaiian foundation. high sch00l alma mater: Ke Kula '0 'Ehunuikaimalino (Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i) year graduated: 2013 grades attended kaiapuni: Mālaa'o - Papa 'Umikūmālua (K-12) current occupation: Kaiapuni Teacher

Leahi Hall response: Ma muli o ka hana a aloha nui o nā kūpuna, nā mākua a me nā kumu, ua ulu ehuehu a pa'a hina 'ole kēia polokalamu ho'oulu i ka pilina kaiapuni Hawai'i. Mohala nā pua mai ia kahua ku'una a kūpa'a i ke ko'iko'i o ka pilina i ka mauli ola. Ke ulu nei nō ka lālā i ke kumu. /\ tabor oflove by kūpuna, parents and teachers, birthed this thriving program preserving the value of relationships to Hawaiians. its graduates, grounded in an understanding of reiationships to welibeing, are the branches that grow from the solid trunk ofthose who eame before. high school alma mater: Kula Kaiapuni 0 Maui ma Kekaulike year graduated: 2001 grades attended kaiapuni: PŪnana LeO 0 Maui - Papa 'Umikūmālua (P-12) current occupation: Community Engagement, Discovery Lanel Company; Doctoral Student, Pepperdine University

Lāiana Kanoa-Wong response: i ka mālama 'ana i nā kuleana 'aha 'awa no Hōkūle'a. Mahalo nui wau i nā kumu, nā mākua a me nā alaka'i o nā kula kaiapuni. Ua ho'opa'a pono ke kula kaiapuni i ko'u kahua Hawai'i, i hiki ke kūkulu a 'auamo pono i nā kuleana like 'ole no ko kākou lāhui. ...asi took on the kuleana for various 'awa ceremonies for Hōkūle'a's Worldwide Voyage. I have a great mahaio for the teachers, parents, and leadership of the immersion schoois. They set a solid foundation that I could build upon to assume various kuieana for our lāhui. high school alma mater: Ke Kula Kaiapuni 'o Ānuenue year graduated: 2002 grades attended kaiapuni: PUnana LeO 0 Honolulu - Papa 'Umikūmālua (P-12) current occupation: Hawaiian Cultural Specialist, Kamehameha Schools

Punahelekeli'inuikeolamailokahi Oana response: lā mākou ko Manaola e hālāwai a ho'omākaukau ana no ka Pule Kaila Nūioka 2017, ua nui ka ho'ohana 'ia o ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i. Ua nui ka ha'aheo! 'A'ole nō kā mākou e hana ana ma ia pō'aiapili ma NYC wale nō, akā, no ka pā o ka mākou hana i ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i kekahi! Ās our Manaola team prepared for NYC Fashion Week 2017, it dawned on me how mueh Hawaiian we were using in our meetings. i felt so proud, not only because ofwhat we were doing and where we were, but because I knew our 'ōlelo Hawai'i had a plaee in that process. high school alma mater: Ke Kula 'o Samuel M. Kamakau (also former Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Anuenue student) year graduated: 2012 grades attended kaiapuni: Mālaa'O - Papa 'Umikūmālua (K-12) current occupation: lnventory Manager, Manaola Hawai'i

Keli'i Wilson response: Ua hū a'e ka ha'aheo ma ko'u wā i hiki ai ke kū'ai i ka'u kamepiula Mae hou a 'ōlelo Hawai'i me ka limahana o laila! Hau'oli loa au i ko'u kama'āina 'ole i nā kānaka a pau i hiki ke 'ōlelo Hawai'i ma kēia wā o ko'u ola. Ke ola nei nō ka 'ōlelo a he mahalo nui ko'u i ko ka papahana! / was stoked when i bought my Mae computer from an employee that could speak Hawaiian! i'm just happy to be at a plaee in my life where I actually don't know all the people that ean speak Hawaiian. Our language is living and it's due in no small part to our immersion program! high school alma mater: Ke Kula '0 Nāwahīokalani'ōpu'u year graduated: 2001 grades attended kaiapuni: PŪnana LeO 0 Hilo - Papa 'Umikūmālua (P-12) current occupation: Entrepreneur