[intro music plays] [sound of ocean waves] HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i's new wave of storytellers.

[intro music continues] Aloha and welcome to this week's episode of HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i's new wave of storytellers.

My name is Santana Sebastian, a junior at H.P.

Baldwin High School on Maui, and today on HIKI NŌ, it's all about introspection.

In this episode we'll be seeing how a particular series of superhero movies has helped one of my classmates at Baldwin discover the keys of storytelling.

We'll learn how one student at Pearl City High School found inspiration through new pastimes, and how another dealt with the loss of friendship through the pandemic.

We'll meet a Roosevelt High School student who found joy after she stopped trying to fit in, and a Highlands Intermediate student whose family learned how to move with the changing tides of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you get hungry, we'll share a favorite Filipino recipe.

We will also learn how to make a friendship bracelet.

And stay tuned for an interview with a mentor about the behind the scenes work that goes into the making of a HIKI NŌ story.

But first, I like to share my own piece about discovery.

For this assignment, I wasn't allowed to show my face.

So, I cast the next best thing, my little brother Jackson.

I hope you enjoy it.

[sound of an ocean wave] Hi, I'm Santana.

This isn't really me.

But today, I'm going to show you what my life is like.

I grew up here.

Oh wait, no, here.

Throughout all of my life, I grew up on Maui with a pretty social life: always had friends and someone to talk to, played ukulele, baseball, did cool stuff with cards.

I was always happy doing all of these things, but then, you know, stuck at home, wake up, go to school, log off, sleep.

But then I repeated all that: wake up, go to school, log off, sleep.

Over and over and over, it started to feel like normal.

But then, boredom turned into creativity, and creativity turned into wanting to make something of my time.

So, there it was, the camera in the corner of my room.

Finally, something new, something to kill time on, something to keep me busy.

Eventually, after a year and a half of being isolated from the rest of the world, I started to get pretty good at this camera stuff.

Here, let me just show you.

[music continues] But nah, back to normal now, kind of.

Things are weird.

People change.

Did I change, too?

Well, the thing about all of this was that before the pandemic happened, I was always looking for validation from others to fuel my passions for the things that I did.

But now, I'm comfortable with who I am.

[sound of ocean wave] Now, let's hear from my classmate, Jaqueline, an aspiring filmmaker and senior at Baldwin High School who has a very fun family tradition.

[sound of orchestral music] The first type of film was animation, and in animation, every frame has a purpose.

If a frame is removed, there might be something out of place, or something important may be skipped.

When the first Thor movie came out in 2011, my family and I gathered around the living room TV to watch it.

And since then, it's become a tradition for our family to watch every Marvel movie together with no one else except each other.

I'm not sure what exactly drew us to love these movies so much, but I have a few ideas.

Maybe it's the cool effects and unrealistic scenarios that we don't get in real life.

[Barbie, why do you –] Maybe it's the cinematography and beautiful landscapes that inspired awe.

Or maybe it's the element of family, to feel connected with one another through the best and worst situations.

The reason I film is because of the things that hold value to me.

The greatest feeling is picking up a camera and capturing every one of these moments.

And just like frames in animation, I weave these moments together to create my own tapestry of film.

And who knows, maybe one day there will be a family that makes it a tradition to see my movies.

That would be wonderful.

[Sound of TV turning off] [sound of an ocean wave] Let's watch a story from the HIKI NŌ archives from a Kaua‘i High School student who explores the nature of truth.

The word ‘fact’ can be defined as a true piece of information, and in our day and age where information and messages are bombarding us from every angle every second of the day, that's all we really want in life: truth.

We are curious beings.

We like to know things and we like to get answers, correct answers.

As we all know from presentations and essays and reports we've made, it is of utmost importance to be factual and accurate in everything we produce.

But isn't it ironic that in a world that is so conscientious about producing substantiated truth, our very selves often lack authenticity and accurate representation?

We have fact-checked and weeded through the false information in the world around us.

But what about the false information that lies within us?

Because when I look around, I see a world that, in the midst of being busy fact checking data, has fallen into accepting the false lies that society has force-fed to us since the moment we were born: that we have to be perfect and have it all together, that we can't be different, that appearances are everything.

A lot of us are living small.

We hide our imperfections, and we pretend to be like others so that we will be better liked.

We say things and do things because that's what everybody else does.

Because that's what's expected, what's easy, what's safe.

But what they don't tell you about the safe zone is that it's shallow, and in the safe zone, you will never be able to dive into the great depths of meaning and purpose that you were created to explore.

Yes, you were created to dive deeper than the shallow depths of conformity, and you were created to be yourself; not her, or him, or them, but you.

Because the fact and the truth is that you are enough, just as you are.

Come broken and bruised, come scarred and imperfect.

You are loved, you are important, you matter.

And if you can tap into this truth and let these facts transform you and set you free from the chains of conformity, then you can be a production of truth and freedom.

Your life is the greatest masterpiece that you will ever produce, more important than any report, essay, or presentation.

So, hold it to the same standards of accuracy and truth.

And let it be messy.

Let it be chaotic and imperfect.

But most of all, let it be genuine, true to who you are.

Because that is who you were created to be, and that is a fact I can guarantee with 100% certainty.

This is Haven Luper-Jasso from Kaua‘i High School for HIKI NŌ.

[sound of ocean waves] This is Olivia Faiola, a senior at Pearl City High School on O‘ahu, and I'm currently recording at home on November 1, 2021.

When Hawai‘i first went into lockdown because of the pandemic, I wasn't sure what to do with myself.

Things like reading, journaling, and drawing start to feel like a chore.

Was it from the lack of creativity, or was I burned out?

And then it hit me: why don't I just try something new?

Maybe the reason why I was feeling so down was that my hobbies didn't excite me anymore.

Looking for activities to do online, I decided that I want to learn how to crochet.

After receiving a crochet kit from my stepmom, in a short amount of time, I made myself a whole new wardrobe consisting of bandanas, bags, and tops.

I also stumbled across a cooking YouTube channel and noticed that I had the ingredients and decided to experiment in the kitchen, where I had taught myself how to make homemade pasta from scratch and made lunch for my mom.

I also changed the style of video games that I play.

Building virtual worlds allows me to be creative and relaxes me whenever I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

While this pandemic has had its ups and downs, it has given me the opportunity to explore new interests that I never saw myself doing and has helped me deal with the pandemic.

Now with things slowly getting back to normal, I enjoy incorporating my new hobbies into my routine and exploring even more in the future.

[sound of ocean waves] I bet the shots of fresh pasta made you hungry.

Let's take a break and learn how to prepare an all-time favorite Filipino recipe shared by Kaua‘i High School students.

Hello, I'm Mikayla Pacheco-Villanueva and I'll be showing you how to make lumpia with the recipe that was passed down from my grandmother.

The ingredients that you'll need are lumpia wrap, ground pork, pepper and salt, oyster sauce and vegetables.

[frying pan sizzles] Next, add in your grated carrots, cabbage, and beansprouts with the ground pork to mix for about five minutes before you drain it in a colander and set it aside to cool.

Lastly, carefully peel your lumpia wrap, place the mixture near the bottom as shown, wrap it tight, and fold in the sides before sealing it with water to do your final fold over.

[music continues] Repeat this process for the amount of lumpia you would like to make.

We're nearing the finish line of this delicious cultural dish.

Be sure to deep fry with oil, and you're done.

[sound of ocean waves] Hi, I'm Christian Arellano, a senior Pearl City High School on O‘ahu.

I am recording this at my home at Waipahu on October 12, 2021.

During the pandemic, I made the decision to cut ties with my friends.

I thought I really had wonderful friends.

We would hang out each weekend, go to parties, malls, and skateboard together.

They’re my homies ever since middle school.

Then the virus hit us.

At first, the school said lockdown would only last two weeks.

Then months pass, and eventually a year.

Within those long days of not doing anything, I would check up on my so-called friend.

But to my surprise, they never answered or reached out to me.

That got me thinking, “Are they really even my friends?” I spent endless nights trying to figure out what I did wrong.

Then one day, I decided to move on.

So I started to focus on things I like to do the most, which was playing video games and filming.

It opened my eyes to new people who have the same interests as me.

It made me realize I don't need to be popular or perfect for anyone.

Over time, my shyness faded away, and now I'm really happy with my new friends.

Pandemic showed me that people in your life will come and go, and my advice to you is to focus on yourself, and don't waste your time on people who won't be there for you.

[Sound of an ocean wave] Now, let’s watch a how-to video from Kaua‘i High School students who have a craft to share that will keep friends together.

Hello, my name is Stella, and today we are going to be showing you how to make friendship bracelets.

There's so many combinations and designs you can create, but today we are going to be showing you how to make the Chinese staircase.

To start, you are going to need string, scissors, and tape.

First, pick out at least three colors.

Then cut your strings to the length of half your wingspan.

Next, tie your strings together leaving one and a half inches at the top.

Then tape your strings to a hard surface.

Now you're going to make your first knot.

To begin, make a backwards four with your first string.

Then pull the string through the middle of your backwards four.

Finally, pull the string up towards the top of your bracelet.

That's all.

Now you have your first knot.

Continue doing this until you want to switch colors.

To switch colors, all you have to do is create the backwards four using your second string.

Continue making your knots until you’ve reached your desired length.

To finish your bracelet, tie all the strings together and trim the end to one and a half inches.

Now you can make as many bracelets as you want.

These friendship bracelets may look like a small piece of string, but to the people who make them, they can mean the world.

No matter how far, what they go through, or challenges that come their way, these bracelets keep friends connected forever.

Friends who tie knots together stay together.

[sound of an ocean wave] As we grow up, relationships are more important than ever, especially when you go through major life changes.

This next story from the archives is from students at Maui High School who captured what it's like to walk in the shoes of a teen transitioning to a new gender.

[sound of cheering] Kyle is now dead.

Now it's Kylee.

Kylee, did you complete your assignment?

Yeah.

Great.

Um, to me, transgender is changing into something you are, but you didn't realize it until you changed.

Maui High School junior varsity cheerleader Kylee Valdez started her transition soon after entering high school.

I realized this when I was in the ninth grade.

I wanted to wear girl clothes for like, no reason.

Because then when I was younger, I hated the clothes that I wore.

Although dressing as a male proved difficult for her, Kylee had to face another challenge: her mother's acceptance.

I had to wake up early in the morning to like, change, so they don't wake up and see me, because then they would stop me and like, say change into your boy clothes and stuff.

So, my sister and my mom didn't accept it because they wanted me to be something I didn't want to be.

They always bought me like, boy clothes.

And then they saw an ad.

The conflict wasn't only about clothes.

Kylee was also searching for support.

[inaudible] While overcoming her emotional void, Kylee explains: I felt so irritated and mad because I wanted, I wanted them to love me for who I am.

But then, I would, I didn't tell them or confront them because I knew they wouldn't, like, they won't care.

Kylee decided to confront her mother.

I accept you.

A big part of this understanding is using the correct vocabulary and name.

She uses the right pronouns, but sometimes she forgot, she forgets to call me Kylee.

But like, it's like a sign that she's showing acceptance.

Now, free to dress however she wants, Kyle can finally step away from her past.

Kyle, the old me who was bullied and who didn't know who he was now walked into Kylee’s shoes, who was me, and no one can ever change that.

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

[sound of ocean waves] This is Karina Park, a senior at Roosevelt High School.

I'm recording this at my school on November 1, 2021.

My first few years of high school, I tried to fit in with friends.

I was heavily influenced by them.

I felt like I needed to change myself to be able to relate to them more.

No one was telling me to.

That's just what I thought I had to do.

The toughest thing for me was growing out the mindset of needing their approval to fit in.

I felt like I couldn't change for myself, but I could change for them.

I spent my time fixated on their interests so I could relate more to them.

Although the pandemic is scary and devastating for the world to go through, lockdown gave me space from others to learn more about myself.

I spent more time on my interests and felt like I was able to freely think about what I wanted.

I found my own music interests and wore clothes that felt more inspired by me.

Through that time, I gained the confidence that I can do what I want to and realized I don't have to change based on what others might think.

Now that we're back in school, I feel more confident in myself and know more of who I am.

[sound of an ocean wave] Now, let's watch another story from the archives by a Maui High School student who tells a story of how school from home brought her closer to her parents.

Noelle Lo is a busy sophomore, dancer, and media student from Wailuku, Hawai‘i.

But with quarantine, her life came to a halt to care for her family and herself.

Well, I have so many extracurriculars and I, I have so much activities and things I'm involved with.

It, it did definitely take a toll on my relationship with my family.

We're all so busy, we don't have the time to settle down and be able to really get to know each other.

[Ordering out -] As the COVID-19 pandemic struck Maui, Noelle was able to slow down and take initiative for her family.

Now that we're slowing down and everything is kind of just on hold, I realize that I have responsibilities in this household.

[sound of water pouring and stove clicks on] She's actually cooking lunch now, and, uh, that's really been nice, you know, to actually, uh, spend time with her and, and really get to know her.

The moments that mean the most to me during this time with my daughter is the times that we laugh.

We've been, um, baking and, um, watching movies and one day we had to do, I had to do a TikTok and, um, she helped me, and we laughed so hard that I was crying.

So, I just, bringing humor to the situation.

Even when facing social distancing, Noelle’s personal growth is essential to holding her family closer during quarantine.

Well, now that I realize I'm kind of like the glue that holds my family together in a sense, or the anchor, with even the little things I do with just making a small, stupid joke and my dad cracking up or me my and mom doing a TikTok.

The fact that the little things I do matter makes not only me feel important, it makes myself feel like I matter and makes me feel loved.

It also makes them happy.

And all I want is their happiness.

Because of quarantine, Noelle was able to find purpose in her family, and a purpose in herself.

This is Hie Luna-Beamer from Maui High School for HIKI NŌ.

[sound of ocean waves] Hi, I'm Gabrielle Kia, an eighth grader at Highlands Intermediate on O‘ahu.

I am recording this at my home on October 3, 2021.

Before the pandemic hit, you know, life was normal.

My brother was in golf, my other brother, he was in baseball, my sister was doing hula, my other brother had a job at a hotel to pay for himself.

My parents were working and I went to school like any other kid.

We were all just a typical family.

All is going well until the pandemic hit.

Schools, sports and activities shut down.

And for school, we do classes online and sometimes, you know, the connection will lag, and it would be hard for us to hear or communicate with the teachers.

And because school was online, it was also very hard for us to see our friends in person, and honestly made me feel really down and very lonely and sad.

But now, life is slowly getting back to normal.

My brother is now back at his job at the hotel, sports and activities has started back up again, and now my parents don't work from home anymore.

School has started up again and I'm really happy because now I can see my friends more.

And learning is easier, so, because I get to see my teachers in person.

[sound of an ocean wave] So much goes into the development and editing of these stories.

To share more about the process, let's meet the HIKI NŌ mentor Terri Inefuku.

[piano music and ocean waves] My primary background, um, coming into HIKI NŌ was working in news, and primarily TV news.

A HIKI NŌ mentor really just comes into the process of trying to guide the student and their teachers through telling a story from start to finish.

So usually when we come into the process is when they've developed the pitch on what they want their story to look like.

And then what I like to do is to talk with the student and the teacher together about what exactly is the story that they want to tell so that I can help tell the best story, their story, as true to them as possible, but in a way that's expressive and really fleshes out that story for the viewer.

For example, um, Christian, who was a student from Pearl City High School, he came up with a reflection that, in my opinion, had a lot of personality.

He was trying to tell a story about how he went through the pandemic, and he started off with a certain group of friends.

And then in the middle, he decided he didn't want his group of friends anymore and so he shifted and made new friends.

And that concept to me was just really intriguing, especially for someone who is in high school.

And so, while the personality was there, and the story was there, I really wanted him to lay out exactly how the process happened, because as a viewer, when you're coming into the story, um, I don't know his background, I don't know who his friends are, I don't know what led him to this decision.

So, when I was speaking with him, I really wanted to understand that and wanted to make sure that his reflection, when he was explaining the process of what happened, the viewer could kind of understand, okay, this is a very major life decision that he made.

What led him to this, what prompted him to do this, and what made him better coming out of it on the other side?

One thing I always tell my teachers and students in any story that I'm working on is there's no one way to tell a story.

There's no perfect way to tell a story.

It's really about telling their story, and their way will be the right way to tell the story.

So, when I offer suggestions, and when I offer, um, ideas for things that they can do, it's never meant to come from a place of oh, I am the expert, and I think you must do this.

It's more of, given my experience, here's why I think this change might be better for your story.

And they can choose to take that change, or they can choose to go another route.

But I think what's really nice is that oftentimes we have a discussion, and when I can better understand what they want and how they want to tell their story, I can help think of ways to help them achieve that successfully.

[sound of ocean waves] Thank you for watching this week's episode of HIKI NŌ.

We hope you enjoyed watching the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers just as much as we've enjoyed sharing it with you.

Be sure to tune in next week for more proof that Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ -- can do!

[outro music plays]