Aug. 20, 2026
Get to know the Kamehameha Schools kumu who are inspiring haumāna and helping shape the future of our lāhui.
Tell us about a time you saw your haumāna use what they’ve learned to make a difference. What did that mean to you?
I apologize, but this is going to be a long one, but it really is a highlight of my time here at KS.
It happened when we took our first group of actors to participate in the Festival Fringe in Scotland. We were doing our opera, Hāʻupu, which involves stage combat. We were assigned a very small black box theatre where the action would be right in the laps of the audience. As the audience was coming in, I noticed a good-looking Hawaiian man enter with his two keiki (a girl and a boy around 11-12). My immediate thought was, “What is this kanaka doing here in Scotland?”
Well as the show started and continued and the glory of the ‘ōlelo rang out, I noticed the father was very moved, while the kids, not so much. Then came the first stage combat scene and when the wāhine koa came in with their pīkoi swinging over their heads, dancing and chanting and then engaging in stage combat with their clubs and slings and pāhoa and pīkoi, I looked up at the father again. Again, he was intrigued (the little boy not so much) but the little girl — I can still remember her. She was sitting up, eyes wide open, and her little hands outstretched, fingers tense and wiggling, almost like she wanted to jump down and help with the combat. My eyes teared up because it was so fulfilling to move this little girl.
After the show, one of our team talked to the father and he said he had graduated from KS, got a job in London and had been living there since the 80s. He came up with his kids to Scotland to see the show and he was so glad he did. He wanted to show his kids — who had grown up half a world away — their culture. Once I heard this, I knew this whole trip and our show was worth it. To this day, I will not forget that little girl seeing for the first time, Hawaiian women fighting for what they believed in. I hope she remembers it for the rest of her life.
I was so proud of our students and their commitment and knew that after I shared this episode of the little girl with them, they too would know all their hard work had been worth it.
What is something your haumāna have taught you about yourself?
I am not the smartest person in the room. Our kids are so smart in everything they do. I often wonder if I was smart enough to be accepted into the school. I learn from them every day and I enjoy talking with them and hearing their stories. I always share my stories to make them laugh and let them know that in the end, everything will be okay.
Where do you see Pauahi’s legacy most in your work?
No doubt the students and alumni and the fact they have such an influence on our life here in Hawaiʻi. In my work, it’s the resources I have to teach and the people I work with, and how we all feel like family.
Shout out a fellow kumu who empowers their students every day!
Wow, so many. I had a tribute speech today. It was from a freshman who spoke about their middle school math teacher, Nader Shehata. The student explained how Mr. Shehata not only taught math but also treated each student as a person, not just a number.