May 21, 2026

Waipūlamakupuohina Hosea started her senior year at Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi with a devastating loss: her father, Benjamin Kama III, passed away during the first week of school. Suddenly navigating grief while trying to finish her final year, she found strength in her ʻohana —both at home and school.

“It was so hard for me that first quarter — I had so many ups and downs — but I knew that I had to get back into the groove and get this year done because I know that’s what my dad would have wanted,” Hosea said.

She credits her kumu for helping her persevere through one of the hardest times of her life. Having grown up in Hawaiian immersion and hula, Hosea said the relationships she built were among the most meaningful parts of her time at the Keaʻau campus. Their support — and the resilience that came forward — led to her appointment as a keiki kahu.

“When I’m going through a hard time, I pray to God but I also talk to my ʻaumakua and my dad,” Hosea said. “I think that’s what my kumu saw in me — that I am strong in my faith and my culture.”

Those experiences helped affirm what she wants to pursue after graduation. Hosea will attend the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo to double major in history and education with hopes of one day becoming a teacher.

“I want to share the knowledge of my kūpuna and all of their lessons because I know that it will help the next generation,” Hosea said. “I want to be that for people who don’t know anything about our culture.”

As Hosea begins her next chapter at home on Hawaiʻi island, Kamehameha Schools Kapālama’s Malakai Lee is preparing to head north to play football for the University of Michigan. The standout offensive lineman helped lead the Warriors to the state championship game and was named the 2025-2026 Gatorade Hawaiʻi Football Player of the Year.

But Lee said his proudest accomplishment was helping build something bigger than himself.

“My goal when I talked to my parents when first coming to Kamehameha was that I wanted to be a part of something special,” Lee said. “If that was being a leader … and taking our team to the state championship, it felt like I accomplished that goal.”

For Lee, leadership did not come naturally at first. As an underclassman, he sometimes struggled to speak up or see where he fits. Over time, guided by coaches and teammates, he grew into the role and learned that leadership means helping bring others along with you. One of his favorite memories came during the Warriors’ dominant semifinal victory over Kapolei — a moment he said made everything feel real after years of persistence and hard work as a team.

At Michigan, he plans to study sports management while balancing the demands of Division I football. He knows one of his biggest challenges will be adjusting to life away from home and family for the first time. As he prepares for that next step, Lee is holding on to the same advice he would share with his underclassmen: be bold.

“You only get to live life once,” Lee said. “High school is all about making mistakes and learning how to fix them. Everyone makes mistakes, but it’s how we get back up from them.”

That same sense of tenacity is guiding Kahaliʻaokuʻuhāola Kana-Yarborough into the next phase of her life at Willamette University in Oregon, where she plans to study political science and pursue a law degree focused on Indigenous rights. Her passion for advocacy comes from her family’s deep roots in Keʻanae and witnessing firsthand the ongoing struggles over water rights on Maui.

“KS has made me confident in who I am and what I am capable of,” Kana-Yarborough said. “Being an ʻōiwi leader is someone who perpetuates our culture, language and speaks up for Hawaiians.”

Kana-Yarborough helped lead her class to multiple wins at the campus’ annual song competition, ʻAha Mele, earning recognition as an outstanding director during her senior year. As the first second-generation Kamehameha Schools Maui graduate, she said attending the same school as her parents has deepened her sense of kuleana. Her mākua, Risa Yarborough and Nāʻilima Kana, both graduated from KS Maui in 2007 after meeting there as students.

“Them being alumni has pushed me to be better because I have a legacy to uphold here,” Kana-Yarborough said.

Though she knows leaving Hawaiʻi to study on the continent will come with challenges, Kana-Yarborough already sees her path leading back home. And when she thinks about Pauahi’s legacy and the opportunities she has received — from traveling across Moananuiākea with Hawaiian Ensemble to reinforcing her own ties to her hometown — her response centers both on gratitude and service.

“I am so grateful to Pauahi and all that she has provided for my family and me and all that she will continue to provide,” Kana-Yarborough said. “I’m going to continue to step up, push the system and fight for change.”