Kaliʻa Wasson

Name Kaliʻa Wasson

social media @KALIAWASSON, @LEIMAKANIHAWAII, @HAWAIISWIMSHOW

Age 25

Town/Moku Hilo

Island Hawaiʻi Island

Leadership Category Professional Development

Nominated by Kaleonani Kalauokaʻaeʻa-Kahele

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

Growing up in Hilo, I was very rooted in my culture and was raised by an amazing ʻOhana. I started dancing hula from the age of 3. I danced for uncle Johnny Lum Ho nand Hālau o ka ua kani lehua, until I graduated and moved away. Hula was a big part of mine and my families life and was a very big passion of mine. As I got older my family grew and today I am the eldest of 7 girls. Being the eldest comes with a lot of responsibility and I did my best and continue to be that role model and example for my younger sisters. I strive for the best in all that I do in order to show them that you can do anything you put your mind to regardless of where you come from or any obstacles you face. My ‘ohana and I are also fluent in ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i. I graduated from Kamehameha Schools in 2015 with my Honors Diploma. I was able to complete Hawaiian 6 and at home was immersed in the language with my sisters and parents. I am grateful to be able to practice and perpetuate my culture and language and represent Hawai‘i in what I do today. I am currently the CEO and designer of my own swimwear brand, Leimakani, for 2 1/2 years now. My designs are inspired by the beauty of Hawai‘i and the purpose of my brand is to empower young women and men and challenge societyʻs view of swimwear, creating an environment for all to feel comfortable and confident in their bodies and in my swimwear. I had the dream at a young age to start a brand of my own and use the platform to spread aloha. I also dreamt of being the first Native Hawaiian Designer in the infamous Miami Swim Week, which I was able to do last year! With Sports Illustrated Swimsuit writing about Leimakani and its inclusivity and representation, Leimakani expanded even beyond the US and to countries all over the world. Once, I moved to Florida, I began dancing for fun and soon got picked up to dance professionally. I have had the opportunity to dance for latin artists Zion and Lennox as well as currently on tour with Farruko. I just finished my first season as a professional MLB Dancer for the Miami Marlins, the first Native Hawaiian to be a part of their organization as well. This year, I had a vision to take the opportunity that I had and the connections I made in Miami Swim Week and bring it home to Hawai‘i. I thought about the many small business owners, designers, creatives, and talented Hawaiian men and women who I could help bring visibility to and who deserve to be seen on a global scale. With that, my friend and partner Taylor Matas and I founded the Hawai‘i Swim Show, The first swim week to be in Hawai‘i took place September 1-4 at the old Wainaku Executive Center. We featured 15 designers, 8 of which were local designers. The First Annual Hawai‘i Swim Show had millions of views on youtube and over thousand people in attendance. The aloha spirit and love from the community was very apparent. The brands were able to also make a great amount of income through the vendor popup we hosted and press and media covering the event helped their brands reach a much larger audience. This is my goal, to continue to bring visibility to Hawai‘i, our people and our talent. I am excited to continue this throughout my life.

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

I follow my passion and my heart and my heart is for Hawai‘i and our people. In all that I do and put my mind to, I am remembering that I am doing it for a greater purpose. My goal is to be an example and to inspire others to do the same and to chase after their dreams. I remember being that little girl in my beautiful small town on my small island but I had big dreams. Often times we think that we cannot do great things or make a big impact. It is my kuleana to show our youth that we can. With big faith and hard work, anything is possible. I hope my heat and what I do will reflect in my community for years to come and I hope to leave a lasting legacy for my future ‘ohana as well.

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

Many people may think that a good leader needs to be stern and separate emotion from the task at hand. I, however, know a good leader to be someone who is compassionate of others, someone who can listen before being heard and is always open to learning new things. One thing I do admire about myself is my heart. My heart is big and often times I am putting others before myself. I am able to gain respect from others by being compassionate with them and listening and understanding them. I believe that I have the confidence in my purpose and what I believe in that may also be respected as a leadership quality. I express leadership in my life by always treating others the way that I would want to be treated, by living by my morals, and by having a heart for others.

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

My mom has always been a huge inspiration for me. She has one of the biggest hearts for people and her community. Her and my dad go above and beyond to make sure that all of her daughters have the opportunities to be successful. She did not have an easy life, she had me at the age of 19, yet she was resilient. She got her Masters degree and worked her butt off. To this day, she puts others above herself always. She shows me what the true definition of selflessness is and love. She is kind but loves hard and disciplines with love. She taught us to always love on others. As an entrepreneur herself, she works tirelessly with passion to provide for her ‘ohana. She has always had big dreams for us and encourages us to go after our heartʻs greatest desires.

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

Growth. I am excited about our lāhui reaching beyond Hawai‘i and taking their talents to the world. I have seen a lot of young men and women find success outside of Hawai‘i as well and because of this are able to educate others on who we are, what we stand for, what the authentic Hawai‘i looks like and what makes us so unique. I am excited to see more growth from the young generation and even their ability to reach people on a global scale on social media platforms as well. It can be a great tool if used correctly and positively.

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

A pressing issue that is facing our lāhui is definitely drug usage. I have seen such a disturbing increase of cases in Hawai‘i that resulted from or included some sort of drug relation. This has been greatly affecting communities, families, and the safety of our youth. I have seen first hand what drugs does to a family and to the community and I believe we need to really start focusing in on what we can do about this.