NAME: Reneau Kennedy JOB: Clinical and forensic psychologist BEGINNINGS: Kennedy was born and raised in rural Idaho. She received her doctorate in psychology from Boston University in 1994. “I did my dissertation on men who murdered and I did two…
We are continuing to publish stories researched and written before the COVID-19 crisis, such as this one. Antique Alley is a collector’s delight and a storehouse of Hawai‘i history and pop culture. Andrew Abraham "Pake" Zane met Julie Lauster…
We are continuing to publish stories researched and written before the COVID-19 crisis, such as this one. Name: Dennis Takata Age: 69 Job: Beekeeper & Owner, Hawaiʻi Tropical Honey Beginnings: "My wife's grandfather came to Hawaiʻi from Japan to…
We are continuing to publish stories researched and written before the COVID-19 crisis, such as this one. We want to feel someone really hears us, and that they get what’s going on,” says Darcy Ing, a part-time clinical psychologist for…
Name: Thomas R. Birchard Jr. Age: 50 Job: Senior forecaster, National Weather Service Honolulu/Central Pacific Hurricane Center Beginnings: After high school in the New Jersey/New York area, Birchard joined his mother on Kaua‘i. “I worked as a crew member for…
Name: Samuel K. Peck Age: 57 Job: Heavy equipment operator foreman, Goodfellow Bros. Inc., Waikoloa office, Hawai‘i Island Beginnings: Peck grew up and lives in Waimea, where his father owned a trucking and heavy equipment company. “My dad was my…
Laurie and Gail Baron’s Nohea Gallery offers local art at stores in Kahala Mall and the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Laurie Baron has loved art since childhood. Her early years were spent in Mānoa, then her family moved to Boston when…
Blood from babies’ umbilical cords at birth can be used instead of bone marrow transplants to save the lives of patients with diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia. And the cord blood does not need to match…
Events International has been planning, producing, marketing and servicing events throughout the Pacific since 1987. In 2017, it merged with Arch Hawaii, a custom design and fabrication shop – allowing the combined company to offer customers even more services. “We’re…
Name: Jefferson Chang Age: 40 Job: Geophysicist/seismologist, U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawai‘i Island Beginnings: Chang is from Waimānalo on O‘ahu and a Kailua High School graduate. “I ended up in Flagstaff, Arizona, where I received a B.S. in…
Siletha Hubbard moved to Hawai‘i from North Carolina in 2014 to be closer to her daughter. Two years later the monthly rent on her Waikīkī apartment was raised by $400. “I’m just living on Social Security. I have no pension,”…
Manoa School of Music and the Arts: Providing youngsters "with a refreshed brain for life" Tim Stanton says the Manoa School of Music & the Arts is unique: It’s “the only school in America that has a liquor license and…
Kiley Adolpho, 39, says she tried for years to become a carpenter, but found there was a lot of competition and the field was male-dominated. “I tried to apply for part-time jobs, or full-time jobs when I was between jobs,…
Name: Robert Fram VII Age: 26 Job: Fish buyer, Garden & Valley Isle Seafood Inc. Beginnings: Fram graduated from Hawai‘i Pacific University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in business management. His father started…
Laureen Kukino, 56, is legally blind in her right eye and has only a quarter of her vision remaining in her left eye. The retired Family Court bailiff lost her sight in an accident involving children and a stray volleyball…
Name: Garrett Barker Age: 35 Job: Lieutenant Commander, MH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilot, U.S. Coast Guard Beginnings: Barker was born in Dallas and grew up nearby. “My house was located along a military flight training route and I regularly saw fighter…
Korean Hibiscus BBQ offers traditional dishes localized for Hawai‘i Blake Nuibe, who’s been a customer of Korean Hibiscus BBQ for almost 15 years, calls it “the best Korean takeout on the island: fast, consistent, quality Korean food and the portions…
Aloha Hula Supply in Salt Lake hand makes many of the items it sells For more than 10 years, Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin has been buying hula implements and artificial lei for her hālau’s foreign performances from Aloha Hula Supply. “I…
Emma Tugade says she was wracked with pain, and felt half-dead when she first came to the Gulick Elder Center more than 10 years ago. Today, the 73-year-old says, “I feel like I’m born again!” The center is one of…
Name: Joyce Marvel-Benoist (MAR-velle Ben-WAH) Age: 58 Job: Laughter coach and owner, The Exclusive Hawaii, an addiction treatment center in Hakalau on Hawai‘i Island Beginnings: Marvel-Benoist was born and raised in the rural coastal community of Tillamook County, Oregon. “My…
Name: Johnathan Casey Age: 31 Job: Senior aquarium biologist and laboratory manager, Waikīkī Aquarium Beginnings: “I was first inspired to become an aquarium biologist when I was 6 during a field trip to the Seattle Aquarium,” Casey recalls. “I was…
Moloka‘i is known as The Friendly Isle, but the nonprofit Moloka‘i Child Abuse Prevention Pathways is teaching students about uncomfortable issues and another dimension to friendship. “The MCAPP teachers taught us all about suicide and bullying,” says ‘Ohi‘aku Ritte Camara…
“I feel more hopeful due to the help I’ve received from Parents and Children Together,” says Nannette Fritz, 41, a single mom of two young girls. “They gave me a full-time job so I can support my family. It’s a…
Name: Shaden Sato Age: 37 Job: Banquet and events chef, Halekulani Start: “My first job was as a short order cook at Zippy’s when I was 16” and still in school, he recalls. Sato graduated from the culinary arts program…
The nonprofit has added classes in graphic design, filmmaking, animation, coding and Lego robotics.
The owner of the ‘Aiea shop started making chocolate-dipped strawberries as a Valentine’s Day treat when she was still in high school.
