Kamehameha Hawaii senior and ASKS president Sophia Perry joined KHON 2's Living808 team on Thursday to share how she is using her voice to inspire classmates to make a change starting in our own communities.
“As young people in this country there are a lot of things that we find don’t meet our standards or don’t align with our values. As soon as you can, you should jump to the chance to vote so that your voice can be heard and change can be made. This is one of the simplest ways to influence change within our communities,” says Perry.
She shared that the best way to see a change on a global scale is to start with change within our community, beginning with the care for our island’s natural beauty.
Perry says, “As a Native Hawaiian, I feel a strong connection to my place, and view aloha ‘aina as a responsibility. What can we do to shift the (primary Western) perspective that land is to be exploited for money into one of respect for and appreciation of the Earth which takes care of us.
Being involved in student government since middle school, Sophia has built a love for creating change on her campus, so much so, that she is encouraging all of her fellow classmates to watch the “Hawaii Town Hall Broadcast” on KHON2, so her peers can be aware of the changes needed to be made in our community.
“The most powerful thing we can do is vote, that is our personal contribution to each cause. At the end of the day, the people that will be making our choices are the ones that we put into power. I feel young adults should watch the town hall broadcast because it could motivate them to express their opinions, which is a powerful thing for our community,” says Perry.
Mahalo to Sophia for her civic engagement and representing our kula, her ʻohana, and her community so well! I Mua!
Watch the interview below:
Sophia was one of nine student leaders across our pae ʻāina that participated in an Up Late ʻŌpio Panel hosted on Facebook that followed that KHON 2 Election Town Hall on Thursday evening. Student leaders discussed matters of importance to them and why civic engagement is so critical. Watch a replay of that panel discussion below:
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