Small Hands Carrying Big Responsibility
A lei is aloha in its fullest sense: love, respect, compassion, and the recognition that we are connected. Photo credit: Steven Moyer
The Pacific American Foundation is dedicated to education—cultivating the next generation of caretakers who can serve our wahi pana and beyond. That mission is exactly what The Next 200 is all about: building leaders rooted in ʻike, responsibility, and a deep connection to place.
It is always a special moment when the students share back with us—because these are the moments that show what the next generation is capable of.
Hawaii Baptist Academy 8th graders Lydia Miyshiro, Kaila Brownfield, Lauren Quan, and Brandi Shinagawa dedicated their yearlong capstone project to the Pacific American Foundation. Inspired by their own interests and passions, they created handcrafted pikake jewelry and turned it into a fundraiser—donating all proceeds to support Waikalua Loko Iʻa. They presented their check to Uncle Herb at a recent Lā ʻOhana workday, stepping into their roles not just as students, but as emerging stewards of our community.
This is what The Next 200 looks like in action.
Our ancestors understood that the health of the land and the health of the people are one and the same. These young students show us that for modern-day Hawaii, that connection is not lost. It’s being rebuilt.
Student-led ideas can grow into real community impact. When creativity meets cultural connection and purpose, it becomes something bigger: a commitment to stewardship, to community, and to future generations.
These young leaders remind us that caring for places like Waikalua Loko Iʻa isn’t just ecology, conservation, or food. It’s also about responsibility, about becoming the leaders our ancestors envisioned, and the ancestors our descendants will one day thank.
If you’re ready to be part of that movement, to reconnect, to give back, and to help shape the future, we invite you to join us.
