"In Just 10 Days, I Had Become a New Person" — A Kailua-Kona Junior Who Found Herself at Nalukai Is Now Headed to Her Family's Philippines.

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

"In Just 10 Days, I Had Become a New Person" — A Kailua-Kona Junior Who Found Herself at Nalukai Is Now Headed to Her Family's Philippines.

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"Kindness Connects Us" — The Class President of Waiʻanae High Competed in National Media Competitions, Found PAAC on Instagram, and Is Headed to South Korea.

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

"Kindness Connects Us" — The Class President of Waiʻanae High Competed in National Media Competitions, Found PAAC on Instagram, and Is Headed to South Korea.

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She Went to Idaho and Couldn't Find Lumpia Wrappers Anywhere. That's When She Understood What Growing Up in Hawaiʻi Really Meant.

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

She Went to Idaho and Couldn't Find Lumpia Wrappers Anywhere. That's When She Understood What Growing Up in Hawaiʻi Really Meant.

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She Made a Vision Board for This Program. She Talked to Her Parents About It Every Day. When the Notification Came, She Shook.

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

She Made a Vision Board for This Program. She Talked to Her Parents About It Every Day. When the Notification Came, She Shook.

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He Spent Years Hearing "Why Can't You Be More Like Your Brother?" He Founded a STEM Club, Met His Senators, and Got Into PAAC. Now He's Going to Jeju.

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

He Spent Years Hearing "Why Can't You Be More Like Your Brother?" He Founded a STEM Club, Met His Senators, and Got Into PAAC. Now He's Going to Jeju.

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Seventeen Years Ago, a Faint Knock on a Door in Vietnam Changed Everything. Now He's a Senior at Pāhoa High, and He's Going to the Philippines.

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

Seventeen Years Ago, a Faint Knock on a Door in Vietnam Changed Everything. Now He's a Senior at Pāhoa High, and He's Going to the Philippines.

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"I'd Be the First Person in My Family to Travel Outside of Hawaiʻi and Pohnpei" — A Kapaʻa Junior Is Taking Her Family's First International Journey to Ilocos Norte

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

"I'd Be the First Person in My Family to Travel Outside of Hawaiʻi and Pohnpei" — A Kapaʻa Junior Is Taking Her Family's First International Journey to Ilocos Norte

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He Was Displaced From Lahaina in the 2023 Wildfires. Now He's Going to the Philippines to Learn How Islands Rebuild.

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

He Was Displaced From Lahaina in the 2023 Wildfires. Now He's Going to the Philippines to Learn How Islands Rebuild.

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The Staff at His Elementary School Treated Him Like a Nephew. That's When Hawaiʻi Changed Him.

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

The Staff at His Elementary School Treated Him Like a Nephew. That's When Hawaiʻi Changed Him.

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She Taught Herself Saxophone in Five Months, Golf on Her Own, and Korean in Class. Now the Moanalua High Student Is Taking It All to Jeju.

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

She Taught Herself Saxophone in Five Months, Golf on Her Own, and Korean in Class. Now the Moanalua High Student Is Taking It All to Jeju.

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At Eight Years Old, She Left Waiʻanae for the Big Island and Called It "Getting Thrown Into Cold Water." Now She's Ready for Okinawa.

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

At Eight Years Old, She Left Waiʻanae for the Big Island and Called It "Getting Thrown Into Cold Water." Now She's Ready for Okinawa.

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"I Hope to Honor My Family, My School, and My Home" — Radford's Cameron Werkman Is the First in His Family to Leave the Country

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

"I Hope to Honor My Family, My School, and My Home" — Radford's Cameron Werkman Is the First in His Family to Leave the Country

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"Many Beautiful Differences Within the Culture and People That I Can Bring Back Home" — A Hilo Student Leader Is Headed to Ilocos Norte With No Assumptions

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

"Many Beautiful Differences Within the Culture and People That I Can Bring Back Home" — A Hilo Student Leader Is Headed to Ilocos Norte With No Assumptions

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"When the Canoe Glides Smoothly, It Is As Though Everyone Is Moving and Breathing Together" — A Puna Paddler and Filmmaker Is Headed to Jeju

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

"When the Canoe Glides Smoothly, It Is As Though Everyone Is Moving and Breathing Together" — A Puna Paddler and Filmmaker Is Headed to Jeju

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A Kaimuki Senior Who Represents Kiribati, Marshallese, and Hawaiʻi Is About to See Cherry Blossoms for the First Time

Colleen Barrett 3/19/26 Colleen Barrett 3/19/26

A Kaimuki Senior Who Represents Kiribati, Marshallese, and Hawaiʻi Is About to See Cherry Blossoms for the First Time

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From Planting Seedlings in Fiji to Representing Hawaiʻi in Okinawa: McKinley's Ariana Nath Is Carrying Two Worlds With Her

Colleen Barrett 2/24/26 Colleen Barrett 2/24/26

From Planting Seedlings in Fiji to Representing Hawaiʻi in Okinawa: McKinley's Ariana Nath Is Carrying Two Worlds With Her

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"Be Prepared for the Hāna Wave" — How One Student From the End of the Road Is Opening a Door for Everyone Behind Her

Colleen Barrett 2/24/26 Colleen Barrett 2/24/26

"Be Prepared for the Hāna Wave" — How One Student From the End of the Road Is Opening a Door for Everyone Behind Her

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Born in Manila, Raised in Kauaʻi, Bound for Ilocos Norte: Angela Querubin Is Carrying Both Worlds With Her This March

Colleen Barrett 2/24/26 Colleen Barrett 2/24/26

Born in Manila, Raised in Kauaʻi, Bound for Ilocos Norte: Angela Querubin Is Carrying Both Worlds With Her This March

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Born in Manila, Raised in Waimea, Bound for Jeju: Alliah Punzalan Is Representing Kauaʻi This March

Colleen Barrett 2/24/26 Colleen Barrett 2/24/26

Born in Manila, Raised in Waimea, Bound for Jeju: Alliah Punzalan Is Representing Kauaʻi This March

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A Ninth Grader From Kīhei Is Headed to Ilocos Norte — And She's Been Preparing for Years Without Knowing It

Colleen Barrett 2/24/26 Colleen Barrett 2/24/26

A Ninth Grader From Kīhei Is Headed to Ilocos Norte — And She's Been Preparing for Years Without Knowing It

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