HIKI NŌ 1221 [intro music plays] [sound of beach waves] Aloha, I'm Frances Uy, a proud HIKI NŌ graduate from Moanalua High School's class of 2021.

I'm currently a freshman biology major at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.

But when I'm not in class, I work here, in the HIKI NŌ edit suite at PBS Hawai‘i, where, as an assistant editor, I help to assemble episodes, just like the one you're watching right now.

Tonight, we present Part One in a two-part series on outstanding HIKI NŌ graduates from the class of 2021.

Eight honorees were selected by their teachers for the unique and profound ways in which HIKI NŌ changed their lives.

Tonight, you'll meet Lawson Makaneole, from Roosevelt High School on O‘ahu, Lichen Forster from Waiākea High School in Hilo, and Kyson Calibuso from Maui High School in Kahului.

But first I'd like to introduce you to a very dear friend of mine, and a fellow class of 2021 graduate from Moanalua High School.

We worked on many a HIKI NŌ project together, and I think you'll see from this story why Austin Ariola was selected as one of the outstanding HIKI NŌ graduates from the class of 2021.

So, my first experience in the studio was my sophomore year.

I believe it was a Spring Challenge, where we competed in my group and we actually got first place, and I was invited in to do a host.

And it was just so amazing to, like, be part of a bigger production.

It just made me feel like, wow, this is, I'm doing something right.

Thank you for joining us on this special 2019 Spring Challenge edition of HIKI NŌ.

It was very hard to produce a story in a short amount of time, but it really, like, gave us a peek into, like, what the real industry is like.

I think that's where I ultimately fell in love with the art.

Just seeing the behind the scenes and what it takes, as a team or an individual, just to produce something bigger than yourselves, and to tell a story that's far beyond, uh, what people hear, and just sharing those experiences of others.

She's definitely really silly.

She really likes to draw, too.

She's very goofy.

She loves to laugh.

She's just kind of a dork, so.

As simple as some tasks are for others, it requires a little bit more effort for Rogue.

So, a part of journalism, broadcast journalism, is having a real, organic story, the true story, because in the end, we're telling people’s stories, not my story, not your story, but people's stories.

It's their story we need to focus on, and I believe, especially in a competition, a lot of people forget about that and always focus on 'we need to win'.

No, we just need to tell their story.

And I think that's what that person needs, and I think that broadcast journalism centers us on ultimately sharing people's stories and reminding us to make everything organic and real.

So, I didn't, I didn't truly understand until about Middle School, when I just accepted that there's nothing I can do to change it.

Like, I was, I'm me because I'm me.

That's how I was born.

So, why not?

Well, watching “One Step at a Time” now, it just takes me back to the importance of storytelling, and telling people's story.

As a broadcast journalist, we're always looking for ways to improve.

My teacher always ingrains in us, Mr. Zavala says, um, go from good to great.

So, we, we received first place for “One Step at a Time.” And I think it was just amazing because you know, at first place, or placing at all -- comes with a lot of publicity.

And I thought that was something, something we needed for Rogue's story.

It was so different.

Just the idea of getting up and doing, uh, things that, um, other people can do I can, that is my accomplishment for me.

I think it's important that HIKI NŌ gives the students the opportunity to produce self Reflections, because it, it, it allows us to actually take the time to step back and see, to tell our own story.

‘Cause I think broadcast, we're always telling other people's story.

And we don't really tell our own story, and just focus and reflect on our experiences.

So, I think that HIKI NŌ allowed us to do that.

It just helps us put something out there that shows the best us and it gives us a chance to tell our story that many people can relate to, especially nowadays with the distance learning, the pandemic.

I believe that it was just needed at such a vital time in our society so that we can all see the stories, the self-reflections and be like, “Wow, I went through that, too.” Dear distance learning, I hate you.

I think this project really highlighted that balance I needed to find.

You know, it, it had the specifics of my own personal things, like marching band, I talked about being canceled, uh, enjoying my grandma's Filipino cooking.

And I think, like, I talked about it specifically for my own, uh, personal story.

But in the end, on a greater scale, people can relate to it.

So, I, I found a good balance of sharing my own experiences but still relating on the scale to ultimately every student in some way.

I know that every moment should be cherished.

So, thank you, distance learning.

Thank you.

I really wanted to attend college in person, which I didn't get in high school, you know.

My senior year wasn't in person.

So, my plans for Fall 2021 is attending University of Portland in Oregon, uh, studying marketing.

Having to be held up to a standard and just to be very professional -- that's something HIKI NŌ taught me that I'll always have going into college.

[Music plays] I thought I could improve my horrible technology skills, and, uh, maybe get a little bit of, like, broadcast experience, um, and at the beginning of my junior year, I also started our school's newspaper, and doing digital media alongside that was, uh, really helpful.

I, I had started becoming interested in journalism.

Uh, Mr. Yamamoto, our teacher was pushing us to, uh, do HIKI NŌ reflections.

Hi, I'm Lichen Forster, a senior at Waiākea High School on Hawai‘i Island.

I'm kind of naturally a very, uh, self-reflective person, and that was kind of at the period of the pandemic where, uh, we still don't know what's going to happen, like, next week.

And I was just kind of thinking, uh, what would, what is interesting in my life right now, what's going on with me, and I was kind of coming up short because it was a pandemic, and I was just knitting and reading.

Um, uh, but I had learned how to milk our goats over the summer, and that was, uh, something that I wouldn't have really done without, um, the pandemic happening.

These little guys were born in mid-March, and I was actually there to witness it.

The biggest thing I found in this time is the ability to be gracious.

I finally realized how lucky I am to have the things I do.

Um, I wish I had, uh, done my hair differently.

Um, the student reflections, I think, are really good.

They give you enough time to, um, get a little introspective, and, uh, it was really great for me with my, you know, first ever story that I did on my own, to figure out how to do all those things, how to shoot and how to write and how to edit, uh, is, it's a really good, like, to kind of work with and not get too frustrated over.

I think especially during the pandemic, uh, student reflection are really interesting.

I think it's, uh, valuable to hear, like, a range of things that students are feeling when something important is happening around them.

But now I barely know the difference between work and rest at my own house.

I, uh, still get, um, people coming up to me who I know in my community, for whatever reason, and saying that they saw me on TV and I have a moment of being scared and then realizing what they're talking about.

Telling stories about smaller communities for smaller communities, for those communities that you're telling the stories about, I think are really valuable because, um, it's really easy to pay attention to, like, the big news and what's going on in the wider nation or world.

But I think, uh, where news, like, really matters and really, like, impacts people's lives really personally is when you talk about stuff that's happening next door to them or down the street.

Uh, Lorraine, uh, lived, uh, next door to, um, one of the girls in our group, and she mentioned that she had had cancer and she knew a little bit about her story and maybe we could find, you know, a moment of pure joy, um, in her story because, you know, she's a cancer survivor now.

Like, you're alone, but I'm not really alone, because Heavenly Father was always there with me.

Uh, HIKI NŌ challenge is a competition based over four days.

Uh, I believe it's Friday morning, you get a prompt, and working within that prompt, you have to find a story in your community, or your school or your family or wherever it might be, and, uh, try to find that prompt in your story.

I would say telling someone else's story as opposed to telling your own, uh, is, it's, uh, really difficult and really rewarding because you have to really listen to them and ask them, you know, a ton of questions and maybe be a little bit annoying, and make sure that you're really understanding, uh, what they're telling you and what they're trying to express about themselves and what they're trying to share, um, which was especially difficult during this story because I wasn't there.

I was writing the script and I was telling people what, you know, what to think about this woman, but I hadn't met her.

I hadn't met her.

She, I don't think she knew my name.

Um, and I watched her interview, but that was, um, kind of about it.

So, I had to really trust, um, like, my team and ask them all of the questions to say, “Hey, do you think this is, you know, this is right?

This is accurate?” And when the results came, everything was excellent.

And that was a very special moment because I knew Heavenly Father had blessed me.

I was already being healed.

In Lorraine's case, it was ultimately her faith that saved her.

I think it's very important that there are, um, opportunities for students to tell their stories in a, and tell other people’s stories in like, a wider sense and be held to PBS standards and be, you know, held to this has to be right, this has to be fair, this has to be honest.

Um, it's a really great opportunity for people who just want to, you know, learn how to use a camera and do that kind of stuff, but also for people who are going to be journalists in the future.

I definitely think that, you know, has, um, impacted the way I think about, uh, my career and my future plans, uh, because the beginning of my junior year, I thought I would be a print journalist, which is kind of a scary goal to have as your number one, um, plan, but, like, working on HIKI NŌ I realized I actually really like putting together broadcast news and there's a lot of writing in it, and there's a lot, um, that I can still use the skills that I, um, that go into journalism in broadcast and I can do it.

Aloha.

My name is Lawson Makaneole from Roosevelt High School, and I'm speaking to you from home.

When I first started with HIKI NŌ, um, I've done prior things for PBS Hawai‘i, uh, including, uh, voiceovers and a Spring Challenge that happened, uh, in my junior year.

In my senior year, my teacher wanted us to participating in getting our CT honors, and so for our CT project, we did a student reflection about me which was centered around my procrastination in school because f distance learning.

Uh, at the time that we did the reflection, my life was very busy and stressful.

Um, at the beginning of quarantine, or when quarantine, like, first, when we were first allowed to go outside, uh, I started working.

And then school started, so I had to balance both school and work at the same time, which was extremely stressful.

Um, having to learn from the computer was extremely hard for me.

I wasn't able to pick up on things that my teachers were telling me.

So, I was in a negative space of mind, I guess.

As a result of distance learning and senior year laziness, also known as senioritis, I felt little to no motivation to do my schoolwork or anything school related.

Being able to express what I was going through was a very big accomplishment.

I'm more of a sheltered person, and sometimes keep a lot of walls up, and for the first time, and very publicly, I’ve made myself vulnerable, and I think that can reach a lot more people and people can relate to that a lot more.

It's a positive thing to make yourself vulnerable because so many other people can relate to what you're saying by being vulnerable, and you will connect with people more by being vulnerable with them.

Distance learning has been interesting, to say the least.

With it comes its fair share of problems, like canceling school events, including homecoming and spirit week, which I was really looking forward to.

Also, all of your teachers throw homework at you like it's a competition to see who can stress you out more.

And worst of it all is struggling with preparation for college.

All of it can start to feel overwhelming to deal with and has ultimately made me feel like giving up on school completely.

Seeing my own product being in the show was really insane, to think that I can see myself in a PBS broadcast.

I guess I never really expected to really see myself there.

Like, couple years ago, I would have never imagined that I'd be having my own segment on TV about myself and being vulnerable in front of a camera.

To counteract this, I've started to do things I normally wouldn't.

I’ve practiced card shuffling, learned more songs on my ‘ukulele, and have been cleaning and trying to be more organized.

I think the main thing that I take away from the HIKI NŌ experience is that your video, no matter how small it is, always means something, and it can touch people in ways that you never expect.

This video was personal to me.

But, at the same time, someone watching it can feel exactly the same and, and relate to it and, and feel the same thing that I'm feeling.

And sometimes having someone that is going through the same thing as you is a lot more helpful than being completely alone.

My big goal in life is really to create something that changes at least one person's life.

I believe that if I'm able to find motivation doing the trivial things, then maybe I'll be able to find my motivation for school again and finish my high school career strong.

Until then, I'll keep trying.

My HIKI NŌ experience has definitely prepared me well for the future, and especially in this program because this is, the HIKI NŌ experience is my first experience doing, like, real-world work in the film industry, pretty much.

My plans for this upcoming fall is attending the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa as a Creative Media major.

Um, I plan to stay in this major, definitely.

Um, after college, I would like to become an editor.

You know, out of all the excellent HIKI NŌ graduates in his class, Maui High School media teacher, Clint Gima, selected a student who had only produced one HIKI NŌ story.

But that story about that student's mother and her struggles with depression, alcohol, and serious health issues that arose after divorcing her husband was so powerful that Mr. Gima's choice as his most outstanding HIKI NŌ graduate from the class of 2021 had to be Kyson Calibuso.

You know, I was going through this rough time with my mom since, um, my dad left.

So, I figured it'd be good to tell a story about my experience and my mom's experience because as much as people go through it, people don't see how, like, detrimental it is to people's lives.

And I think it's very important to see how it affects not only the spouse, but the children, because I don't think people focus that much about the children.

So, when I got this opportunity to tell about this story, this was the moment, this is the right time, and I had to make it happen.

Never in my dreams that it would happen to me.

Everything blew up into proportion.

Like, I did, I fell down, they said.

I didn't even notice that I fell.

Maryann Calibuso was desperate to find ways to cope with her depression and the pain in her heart.

So when I introduced the idea of doing the story on my mom to my mom, she was not very accepting of it at first.

She was saying how she didn't want people to see her in such a weak state, or see, our family see her in such a weak state, and that's understanding because, of course, as humans we want people to see us at our strongest, and not in our weakest state.

But after some time, I, I had to convince my mom and tell her to look at the bigger picture, which was not to tell a story about her, but tell a story about what people go through.

So, I think that's what convinced her to show people, to help other people just like her, in understanding that even though this is such a tough time, you'll get through it with your children, your family, and everything that surrounds you because there's always a silver lining in times of trouble.

I, I was ready to go, and I almost committed suicide because of the stress that I'm going through.

Luckily, Maryann Calibuso held on with the support of her family, especially her son, Kyson.

I always try my best to do things for her, to always be with her.

You know, sometimes I would always hold a little contest for her.

So during this project, uh, all the sorts of feedback I received from my mentor, David Rosen.

It was definitely a lot, and it’s always for the betterment of something.

So, of course, that’s something I learned from Mr. Gima was to never take constructive criticism personally, but to always take it in a way where it’ll help the product of something turn even better.

Receiving help from someone who’s so experienced, that’s something people don’t get to experience a lot.

It's an opportunity to be thankful for.

I realized that I was going to be a big part, not only behind the camera, but of course, in front of the camera because that was, that’s what the whole story’s about.

We would always cook together, dinner, breakfast, lunch, whatever.

It was very difficult because I had to think of where to place myself, and also where to place everything else compared to myself.

And then, you know, running back and forth, it was very confusing.

It was like jumping from, like, an ocean to a lake, and into a puddle.

Like, it just doesn’t make sense.

So, of course, \with the help of my mentor, it just made things so much more clear, and I was able to get a sense of how to sequence stuff together and how to tell an effective story.

This bond helped.

For my mom, she basically saw every rough draft, and every cut.

‘Cause, of course, you know, when someone’s in a video or story, you want to make sure that they're comfortable with what's going on, and you want them to feel involved in the whole entire process.

And then, finally, you know, the airing night, we watched it together.

So, for me and her to see it together, the final product, live, in the same room, it was just a momentous occasion.

Life goes on.

Don't dwell on the past, just look to the future.

And that’s what me and Kyson is trying to do.

This is Christine Alonzo from Maui High School for HIKI NŌ.

So, I say the value of the story, for me, was, of course, you know, to, um, bond with her more.

And then, but most importantly, my purpose was to make sure that everybody out there who's going through the same situation, to know that they're not alone, and to know that there's always something around them that will always make them happy once again.

I wanted other people, men and women alike, and children alike, to know that they're there for a reason.

They're there to help each other.

So my plans for this fall is to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and to major in biology, but I'm also thinking about majoring in nursing.

But the reason why I want to major in either one of those fields is because eventually I want to become a health care worker.

And I feel like one of the most impactful reasons why I wanted to become a health care worker was because of my mom.

Because, as you can see in the story, she went through so much health problems.

And then, um, you know, seeing all of the health care workers come together, it was magic to me.

Helping my mom recover from such an ill state, it was magic.

It was like a fairy tale almost.

So, of course I wanted to be that magic.

I wanted to have those magic hands and to really help people recover from something that my mom went through.

Thank you for watching Part One of our special two-part series on outstanding HIKI NŌ graduates from the class of 2021.

Their unique stories illustrate the power of HIKI NŌ to touch lives.

We wish them all the greatest success as they continue on their journeys of lifelong learning.

Be sure to tune in next week to meet four more outstanding HIKI NŌ graduates from the Class of 2021.

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