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“Growing up, I thought very differently of the world. It’s a very reflective moment, as far as what I’ve learned and then unlearning things and seeking truth. It’s liberating. Voting within your local community is important because it is an opportunity to advocate for underrepresented members of the community. We, as a whole, can imagine a better future if we stand for human rights with no prejudices. I believe that the way we’ve been governed is not right. The only way to change that is by speaking out. [My home state of] Hawaii was illegally occupied, and there’s no justice there because no one’s listening to the natives. For example, the [proposed] Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea, which was [the site of] a church for indigenous Hawaiians. They’re building a railway right now, and they are finding bones every single day and they’re putting them in boxes. It’s a perfect example of how little respect the [state] government and the U.S. has had for native Hawaiians.

“If I could change one thing about America, I’d give the land and tax dollars to the native and Indigenous people. We live on stolen land and in the process America has wiped out the rich culture and practices of the natives, and instead is exploiting the land and culture for profit. If people knew the truth, I think there would be more anger and more people speaking out. Hawaii is a perfect example of how the U.S. has strategically hid the truth of this, by not owning up to the illegal occupation of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

“This year feels very unreal. For three months, I was constantly posting about things that I would see on the Internet about what’s going on around the world. All the injustices in every system. There’s a lot of lies that’s been fed to us and there’s no one to hold accountable. It began to weigh down on me to the point where I needed to go and come back to what I do on the daily. I continue my life with my regular routine for self-care. It’s important to me that I live normally so I don’t burn myself out emotionally. It’s really just about finding a balance. I’m not an activist, I just care. No one really tells you how to fight for human rights and still live your life every day. I’m trying to figure out where I fit in, in this so-called revolution.”

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