Melissa Akoni
NAME Melissa Akoni
AGE 24
TOWN/MOKU Keaukaha and Pāhoa
ISLAND hawaiʻi island
social media @mmmeliss_
NOMINATED BY Skye Razon-Olds
Leadership Category Education
Share with us a little about yourself and what you do.
I am a Kānaka woman, mother, and student, and kumu kākoʻo working towards earning my full teaching licensure to become a Hawaiian Language Immersion Kumu. Since early 2020 I have been using social media as a means to share my perspective as a "typical" Hawaiian on Hawaiʻi issues especially as it pertains to our displacement and the gentrification of the islands. I also use social media as a means to educate others and offer resources for learning Hawaiian History and ways our community can be supported through these unprecedented times of hardship.
Why is the work that you do important to you? The community?
The work that I do is important to me because I am a firm believer in the ʻōlelo noʻeau "ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi" Knowledge can be gained in a plethora of ways. Whether it be in the "traditional" classroom setting, working hands-on with the ʻāina, or sometimes even in brief videos or infographics on social media. My main goal with the work that I do is to help our kaiāulu, our lāhui, actualize a future in which our language, practices, histories, and values are no longer invalidated or stigmatized. Unfortunately in Hawaiʻi, Native Hawaiians are among the least of the educated demographic and this is something that needs to change.
Share with us the qualities of leadership you admire and how you express those in your life.
I admire leaders with integrity and humility. No one on this earth is perfect nor exempt from making mistakes regardless of whether their intents were genuine. However, the most admirable of leaders are ones who are able to take accountability for their actions and grow from their missteps while always keeping their values and community at the forefront of every decision.
I am constantly working on myself and finding ways to improve the way that I ʻauamo kuleana. I work on becoming a more patient makua to my keiki, a more innovative kumu for my haumāna, a more attentive haumana to my own kumu, and how I can be a more inclusive and effective advocate and member of my community. Whenever I make big decisions in my life I always refocus myself on my values and beliefs, and make sure that I am honest with myself before I decide to take a big step.
Who has inspired you to do the work that you are doing?
My keiki, my mākua, and my kūpuna. Other Hawaiian leaders and figures like Haunani Kay-Trask, Liliʻuokalani, Princess Ruth, Pua Case, George Helm etc...
What is one word that describes something you are excited about for the lāhui?
Reuniting
What is one word that describes a pressing issue that is facing our lāhui?
Colonialism