MY VISION
My goal is to use my own research and field work in education to develop new paradigms and reforms that empower students. I believe that students learn best through hands-on, minds-on projects, service learning, and using the arts as a vehicle to promote ideas. My focus on the cultural practice of kapa-making has given me an avenue for sharing and building mana'o (knowledge) with students in my community. Especially important to me is the perpetuation and preservation of Hawaiian culture. I do this by continuing my own cultural practice in the art of kapa making, and the legacy it supports. There are important cultural influences involved in this work and students benefit from the traditional context, such as inter-generational and social opportunities for learning, teaching, and mentoring. My vision is to integrate these ideas in the classroom and beyond the classroom with students of all ages, diverse backgrounds, and cultural heritage.