How did you get involved in the water industry and how has your career evolved?

I got involved in the water industry through my time as a University of Hawaii student. Dr. Roger Babcock took myself and a few of my Native Hawaiian classmates to WEFTEC in Chicago. It changed my life, and ultimately, set my career path. At the career fair, I met my future employer, Carollo Engineers – who by chance had just opened an office in downtown Honolulu. I am now working on projects that contribute to the safety and expansion of the wastewater systems near my hometown of Ewa. I’m thankful and I’m humbled to say that the work I do directly affects the neighborhoods that my family and I reside in. It is an extremely special feeling to know that I can give back to the communities that raised me.

 What do you like most about the water industry?

I love the people that serve our water industry. Every person that I have met is extremely supportive, kind-hearted, and is focused on doing their part, no matter how small the task may seem. I think it could also be that growing up in Hawaii, everyone understands the saying “it takes a village…” and it applies in so many ways here. As a young engineer, it’ll take a village to get me to become self-sustaining, so everyone pitches in to make sure that I’m confident and well-equipped.

 What is the best advice you have ever received and who gave it to you? Do you have a mentor and what did they teach you?

One of the best pieces of advice that I’ve received was from Dr. Lelemia Irvine, who taught my hydraulics course at the University of Hawaii. He stressed one word: nalu. This literally means surf, but it was more about the ideal of going with the flow. In life, we often find ourselves in situations that we’re unable to control, but we can always control ourselves – how we react, how we manage, and how we proceed. If you’re struggling, don’t fight the current. Go with it. We often waste energy being stressed or complaining about a problem, when we can redirect that energy into a solution.

I have countless mentors in my life. I try to absorb as much information as possible and see what works for me. But in any time of hardship, I always make sure to do one thing: if you’re going to do something, do it 100%. I am a firm believer that if you always fully invest yourself into the work that you’re doing, the quality of your work will be unmatched. The breadth of your character and who you are will far outshine any technical knowledge that you may have.

 Tell us a little about your hobbies. What do you enjoy in your off time? Tell us about your family.

I enjoy playing with my two pups on my off time. Cooking is another one of my hobbies as I think spending time with family preparing and eating a meal is one of the best ways to spend free time.If I’m not at work or spending time with my partner and pups, I can guarantee that I am at my desk playing video games.

My family are all located on the west side of Oahu, starting at Ewa and are scattered further west. My mother and father are Hawaii Baptist Academy (HBA) and Damien alumni, respectively. They had me right out of high school, so I appreciate them giving up their dreams to take care of me. My mom’s family is becoming more in touch with our Native Hawaiian roots, and I absolutely love that. As we grow older, I find that we are getting closer to one another because we are losing more of our kupuna (elders), but I am thankful for it. My dad’s side is from Guam and we have relatives scattered all over, so it’s nice when a birthday or wedding can bring us all together.

The generations above me grew up without much, but my generation is currently using the opportunities our parents provided us as steppingstones to create generational wealth, which has been my parent’s dream for their children. I’m proud that I’m able to spearhead the effort and I am learning more and more everyday. I’m honored to learn financial literacy, investing, and other luxuries that my family hasn’t had the opportunity to learn up to this point. I continue to share all this knowledge with my family, and plan to pass the knowledge down to future generations – with high hopes that we don’t have to live check-to-check anymore.