Kili Watson

Name Kili Watson

Age 28

Town/Moku Nanakuli

Island Oʻahu

Social Media Handle @nanakulifootball

Nominated by Christopher Kuaiwa

Leadership Category Education

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

I am the Head Coach for the Nanakuli High School Football Program. I also serve as the school's strength & conditioning coach, assisting with other sport programs.

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

Being from Nanakuli, our children are faced with a lot of adversity daily. My goal is to utilize athletics as a platform to mentor our community's youth to overcome stereotypes and become future industrious leaders.

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

I believe a true leader must be caring. As I go about my responsibilities as a head coach, I ensure all decisions I make is for the betterment of our youth. My community continues to birth youth with tremendous potential and I try my best to get them to believe in themselves. This pursuit is no easy task but once our youth can harness their capabilities, the reward of seeing them succeed is more than fulfilling.

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

My mom, Charline Watson, who is an educator at Nanakuli High & Intermediate School, has inspired me to give my absolute best in everything I do. My mom is from Tahiti and has raised myself and my sisters as a single parent. Seeing her resiliency overcoming obstacles has motivated me to do the same. My cousin, Keala Watson, is someone else who has motivated me, as far as coaching. He has taught me the value in coaching and the opportunities it presents to mentor our community's youth.

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

Future

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

Mindset