About Me

I’m a journalist and storyteller based in Honolulu. I love

writing about the communities I grew up in and highlighting the

challenges and successes that make Hawaiʻi so unique.

 

I started my journalism career as one of two reporters in the

Orlando Sentinel's Lake County bureau, which is about an hour

north of downtown Orlando. My beat encompassed everything

under the (hot Florida) sun — from courts and crime to curriculum

and city government.

 

Hawaiʻi has always been home, so I was thrilled when I landed a

reporting job at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser shortly after. I

covered city hall and the neighborhoods of Central and

West Oʻahu, a new regional beat that I cultivated.

 

While at the newspaper, I also covered ethnic and cultural affairs via Report for America, a national organization that places journalists into newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities. Through my work with Report for America, I mentored and taught high school students about journalism as part of a youth storytelling project that I spearheaded about Hawaiʻi’s Japanese American veterans.

 

I've also worked as a staff writer at Honolulu Magazine, where I developed a deeper appreciation and interest in arts, culture and history. And most recently, I was the culture and arts reporter at Hawaiʻi Public Radio. 

 

I grew up in ʻAiea and graduated from Moanalua High School. (Go Menes!) I earned my bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon and my master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. I credit Northwestern as the place where my love of journalism flourished. Working as a student reporter was a challenging, exciting and memorable experience.

 

When I’m not chasing a story, I love dancing hula and playing taiko.