Name Adam Tuifagu

Social Media -

Age 34

Town/Moku Hilo Palikū

Island Hawaiʻi Island

Leadership Category Education

Nominated by Trenton Niino

Share with us a little about yourself and what you do.

No Maui a me Tutuila koʻu mau kūpuna. Ua hānau ʻia wau ma Kailua, Oʻahu. ʻO Hilo kuʻu home. Aloha mai. I am a Hawaiian who works in the Hawaiʻi Department of Education public school system. Specifically I am the Title I & Curriculum Coordinator at Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Elementary & Intermediate School in Pāpaʻikou, Hilo Palikū. In my role, I work with admin, teachers, and families to support students in their educational journey while here at our PreK-8 school.

Why is the work that you do important to you? The community?

ʻO Hawaiʻi ke kahua o ka hoʻonaʻauao. As Hawaiians we know that education happens in all settings of our everyday life, home, school, car, beach, māla, etc. Getting educators, ʻohana, and students to understand, or in some cases just reminding them, that learning happens in various forms and not only in classrooms through lectures, books, and computers is a kuleana of mine. Itʻs not always the easiest thing to accomplish, so building relationships is something I really need to depend on.

Share with us the qualities of leadership you admire and how you express those in your life.

Proactive

Resourceful

Inclusive

Determined

Empowered

These are the Cougar Values embedded into our school's Vision and Mission.

These are the values we want to see in all of our stakeholders, and these are the qualities of leadership I admire and would like to express in my own life.

I do my best to anticipate roadblocks and prepare for those difficult conversations.

I look to resources, within and beyond the DOE classroom, to guide our mission.

I welcome individuals from all places and walks of life into our school community.

I am unwavering in my missions to have teachers and students leave our school better than they came to use.

In these ways, I express these PRIDE leadership qualities in my own life.

Who has inspired you to do the work that you are doing?

The first name that comes to mind is that of my grandfather, Joseph William Paʻakaula Nākoa no Lahaina, Maui. He spent most of his life, 42 years, in service of the US military, all the while encouraging my cousins and myself to learn Hawaiian and return our ʻohana to a Hawaiian way of life. "I served the US so you folks wonʻt have to."

After my papa, I think of my many kumu at Kapālama who guided me through my education. Hailama Farden, Healani Huch, Kalehua Lima Simeona, Keola Wong, Kawika Kauka

Me lākou koʻu mahalo palena ʻole.

What is one word that describes something you are excited about for the lāhui? ʻIke

What is one word that describes a pressing issue that is facing our lāhui? Kūʻokoʻa

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