Aloha and welcome to this week's episode of HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

I'm Cadence Wisniewski, a junior at Kalāheo High School on O‘ahu.

Thanks for joining us.

Last summer, HIKI NŌ invited students from across the state to Moanalua High School on O‘ahu for a special visual storytelling workshop.

Students, including me, got hands-on experience and lessons in video storytelling from Hawai‘i Creative Media, a group of some of the most talented and dedicated teachers you can find.

They had something for everyone, regardless of their experience holding a camera.

Check it out.

[ocean wave] That, yeah.

HCM stands for Hawai‘i Creative Media, and we are a group of teachers who span the islands, and we came together to help each other, uh, learn the different ways to teach, uh, media, and we've kind of grown into helping all teachers across the state.

We're here this week for four days, uh, from 8:30 to 4pm.

And, uh, we have three levels of focus.

Uh, in the first level, we're very focused on basic visual storytelling, basic tech.

Uh, in the second level, we're very focused on storytelling and structure and building out, uh, different styles of stories.

And then in the advanced level, we're very focused in on the nuance of storytelling, the different techniques you can use to help kind of take your stories to the next level.

You want to try again?

Yeah.

The HCM people have made it such a fun and easygoing experience, especially for beginners, like me, and all these kids here.

This will help my, um, media class.

Um, we do a lot of projects there.

We do a lot of videos there.

We sometimes film for, um, a little news broadcast we have there called Colts TV.

With this workshop, it'll help me just be a better leader to my peers and be a better producer as well.

I'm hoping these students can be kind of student ambassadors and teach the other students in my class, the things, uh, that we're, we've learned here.

By being able to attend and participate in this, hopefully, turn this into a HIKI NŌ story, which will then eventually get aired on TV.

I think that's a really big motivation for students.

I can see that the interest is there, and I hope that we can continue to do this, uh, moving forward.

[ocean wave] On this episode of HIKI NŌ, you'll watch what we produced as a result of those workshops.

You'll also get a taste of what students of my generation are thinking and what we're going through.

We have even more stories to share, from cool campus support groups to high school life confessions and reflections, and tips on how to relieve stress.

I'm so proud to share our hard work.

To kick it all off, I hope you enjoy this student reflection I produced this summer.

Here we go.

I’m never going to get a boyfriend.

After a long, 16 years of life, I've come to the conclusion that I'm way too obsessed with what other people are doing on social media.

Having practically grown up on the internet, I've always had the digital world right at my fingertips, just a click away.

And with the constant scrolling came the constant thoughts.

And while sometimes I can be a little dramatic – I’m never going to get a boyfriend!

These thoughts and feelings that came with social media had me critiquing every little thing about myself.

Seeing this one-second snapshot of people living their best life drove me crazy with envy, and I felt like I was stuck in a never-ending cycle of judgment and comparison to the point where everywhere I looked, I thought everyone was judging me, even my dog.

But despite what people and animals may think, there comes a time when I just need to stop stressing about what other people have to say and just do my own thing.

I can't control them.

I can only control myself and how I deal with the hate.

So, whenever I become too overwhelmed with social media, I take a step back and I observe the real world around me.

With the help from my mom and the support from my friends, they were able to remind me of the importance of loving myself.

And every once in a while, I still will have those bad days, but staying true to myself and being proud of who I am, well, there's nothing more real than that.

[ocean wave] Our digital world is such a blessing, but it can also be a hassle.

A lot of us young kids don't even know what it's like to be without the internet because it's just always been around.

This next piece from Kaua‘i's Kapa‘a High School is a reminder of the importance of Internet safety and acknowledging that even though you're safe behind the keyboard, your words still have an effect on people.

It felt like I didn't I really have anyone to talk to, and I kind of was just on my own and no one would really understand.

I was just at my lowest point.

Trying to deal with it alone, 11th grade student Kaila Pia’s conflict escalated.

Well, last year I was in a relationship and things ended pretty badly.

So then, it kind of turned into a situation where people were spreading hateful comments on Instagram.

So, it was really easy for them to just come in and put me down like that.

Feeling like there's nowhere to turn is exactly the point to reach out and seek help.

Just knowing that you're not alone, um, and there's always something you can do about it.

There's never a situation where you're just stuck and you have no options to get out.

A lot of the staff at the school and a lot of teachers ended up being there for me and talking to me and being able to work through the situation.

I talked to the student that's having the problem and together we figured out how we're going to move forward.

What worked for Kaila might not work for someone else.

Different students handling unique situations require different methods.

But regarding social media – Two things that students need to know: number one, once it's out there, you have no control over it.

If you think it's gone, it's not.

And think before you do stuff.

See, is it true?

H, is it helpful?

I, is it inspiring, and is it necessary?

And k, is it kind?

Having the right people on her side, Kaila gained the tools and support necessary to put it behind her.

What will make people stop the fastest is to not engage with them.

When you're being bugged by somebody on social media, block them.

I think the main thing to remember is that there's always someone to help.

There's always someone you can go to for help even if you feel alone.

I overcame this by talking to teachers and telling them the truth of how I really felt about the situation.

When you're ready to open up, open up.

If you are a victim of bullying, or you know someone struggling to deal with their conflict – There's a lot of help on campus.

We want to see you guys be successful, whether it's in school, whether it's your emotional health or feeling safe on campus, and so, just don't be afraid to reach out to someone for help.

Our goal is to make this bullying stop, and we'll keep going until it does.

We're dedicated adults here to help, you can get through anything.

This is Kamalei Pascual from Kapa‘a High School for HIKI NŌ.

If you are a victim of online bullying at your school, reach out to your school counselor for help.

[ocean wave] And may that be a reminder to all of us: always be kind, both in person and behind the screen.

Speaking of kindness, there's a new club on campus at Sacred Hearts Academy and being kind is its number one mission.

Let's meet the B.I.O.N.I.C.

Lancers in this story produced by students at Sacred Hearts Academy on O‘ahu.

Freshman Carlee Lomavita is new to Sacred Hearts Academy.

Going from a co-ed to all girl school was definitely different.

I felt kind of stressed because I didn't know if I was going to fit in, and I didn't know if I was going to make more friends.

So, how's your school year?

It's been pretty good so far.

A new student group called the B.I.O.N.I.C.

Lancers quickly put her fears to rest.

B.I.O.N.I.C.

has really helped me have people to rely on and kind of trust while moving to a new school, and they kind of gave me people to really communicate with and just made me feel comfortable.

Alright ladies, we have so much to plan for the month of September.

B.I.O.N.I.C., which stands for Believe It Or Not I Care, started this school year to support students during challenging times.

Our mission is to make everyone feel welcomed here and to build relationships and community, and who doesn't like to belong to a school community?

Uh, right now our focus is new students to the academy, um, and first year students, uh, that we you know, we can kind of like see where they're at as far as their transition.

The student-led team welcomes new Lancers with the fall social.

I think it was important for the new students to have the social because when new students come it's kind of stressful for them because they never know, "Oh, what if I'm the only one here?

Or what if I'm the only new student?"

So, it gives them a chance to relate to other new students coming.

B.I.O.N.I.C.

member Miki Cheung knows what it's like to be new.

She transferred last year from Macau and had to navigate a new country, a new school, and even a new primary language.

I'm like, insecure, and I don't really like to ask questions, especially during class.

During breaks, Miki and other B.I.O.N.I.C.

members chat with students around campus.

Actually, we often see students like, eating alone, and, um, especially for those new students, they are unfamiliar with the school, and they probably feel insecure.

They also support students like senior Rory Redila, who recently experienced the loss of a loved one.

It kind of helped me and my sister because we got a card and like, flowers, and it kind of like, just brightened the day.

It also feels good too, because then I know that my own classmates are there for me, even though they might not know what happened.

Just being there like, as support is enough.

The B.I.O.N.I.C.

Lancers are making a difference at school and getting more requests for help and support.

We're getting our name out there, and we just hope that people will, um, use us to, to help support students here at the academy.

They run to you and then like, greet you like, wave at you like, smile at you.

Like, these moments are the moments that I really know that "Oh, I made a difference and I, like, I helped them."

This is Keira Wheeler from Sacred Hearts Academy for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Okay, I think every school needs a B.I.O.N.I.C.

Club.

Spreading aloha is what Hawai‘i is all about.

I felt that strong sense of aloha at our summer workshop where a lot of us had to practice patience and grace as we tried and tried again to put our videos together.

In this next student reflection, Waikīkī Elementary School fourth grader Brady Ragasa on O‘ahu shares this experience.

I needed to listen to the advice and feedback from the teachers and the older kids.

[ocean wave] Aloha, my name is Brady Ragasa.

I am a fourth-grade student at Waikīkī Elementary School.

This past summer, I went to a workshop taught by Hawai‘i Creative Media at Moanalua High School.

Before this experience, I did not know what visual storytelling was.

During the workshop I learned how to use iMovie software about sequencing, action, reaction, and emotion and how to frame and shoot different kinds of footage, like an extreme close up.

I learned so much, and I got to try a lot of new things with my friends and teachers.

It was so cool to watch the older kids.

But filming could sometimes be frustrating because of all the things you need to remember.

You have to do things more than once to learn from your mistakes.

I needed to listen to the advice and feedback from the teachers and the older kids.

An important part of creating things successfully is to plan how you are going to do it differently and improve from the first time.

To be successful, I have to be brave in front of people from different schools, find inspiration and stay motivated.

I'm looking forward to using what I learned at the workshop to help me make more videos this year.

Practice makes perfect.

Never give up.

[ocean wave] I was there too, and being one of those big kids myself, I can tell you right now that we were there learning and struggling just as much.

At times, the younger ones were the ones teaching me!

This next piece is from Noelle Lo, a Maui High School graduate who successfully ran for Miss Valley Isle Teen USA.

For me, her story is a nice reminder that I'm not alone in how I feel about high school, and what's happening to you is probably also happening to others.

High school, some of the worst and best memories of my life.

[ocean wave] [cheers] Everyone always says how fast high school will be.

We never believe it, but honestly, it's true.

These last four years are filled with laughter, anger, sadness, realization.

Well, now I'm just scared.

And hope.

High school was never the teenage fantasy I thought it would be in middle school.

There were moments I thought I lost everything.

I hated looking in the mirror.

I had fears of being a disappointment to my friends, my family, myself, and I was worried that no one would love or like a weirdo like me.

My freshman year was like entering an unknown realm, a realm I didn't fully understand.

It was nerve wracking to say the least.

I didn't know what to expect.

Now, as I leave my senior year, I look back at those fears, those worries, and the hopeless moments.

I learned to do things for me and only me.

I learned to be fearless.

I liked me, and that's all that mattered.

Reality can be hard, but with a little bravery and hope, the world's our oyster.

High school, you have been officially conquered.

[music fades] [ocean wave] Next, let's dig back into those HIKI NŌ archives for another story from Maui High School.

This one's about a young woman who was once a part of the foster care system and is now paying it forward by helping children going through hard times.

Oh, nice.

I'm honestly just overall grateful for everything that I've eventually been through and where I am now because the fact that I can take that and I can help others, it warms my heart.

It makes me feel happy.

You got this.

But 17-year-old Maui High School senior Nadia Onishi remembers a time when life wasn't so cheerful.

At five I was just put into the foster care system and didn't really know where I was going, didn't really know who I was going to be with.

CPS came over and knocked on the door and had been like, "Hey, we heard the report.

You have like, 15 minutes, like, pack up your stuff, like, you gotta go."

It was just a feeling of confusion and just fear and like, the feeling of not knowing when you're going to see your mom next or when you're going to be around your family is just a scary and like, a sad kind of like, sense mix together.

Nadia spent the next several years coping with custody battles, court dates and multiple foster families.

I didn't want to be in another home where I felt like I was mistreated, or I just didn't feel like I belonged to a family.

Like my whole life, I just wanted to be in a house with like, a loving family.

At the time, Nadia's wish seemed improbable.

Until one fateful morning in 2014, Nadia and her mother visited Movement Church in Wailuku where Pastors Kris and Stacey Miyake opened their arms, hearts, and eventually their home.

They have like, four kids and like, their house is so tiny, like, that'd be an insane thing for them to just take me in and like, make me part of their family.

Like, that's just crazy.

But after only four months, the Miyakes officially became the legal guardians of Nadia.

I think it's one of the turning points in my life, because no longer was it just a family where you stay in their house and then when you're 18, you can move out.

The dad, or who I call my dad now, he told me about like a month in, he was like, “You are allowed to call us mom and dad.

We want you to call us mom and dad.

Like, you are our daughter now.” And to just hear that I was fully accepted and was part of a family that just took me in, I'm very grateful, and I'm very just in awe of what my life has turned out to be so far.

Finally, Nadia is home.

With her prayers answered, Nadia wants to pay it forward by helping others in need.

I just like to be that person that empathizes with them and lets them know that I understand how it feels to like, be in that place.

And when you have struggles that you don't think you're gonna get through, just knowing that if you've gotten through what you have so far that you can do it again.

You know that there's nothing that you can't overcome.

Sometimes role models are not only defined by their own success, but by how they overcome their challenges.

This is Hannah Okimoto from Maui High School for HIKI NŌ.

Hi guys.

Hi!

[ocean wave] This next student reflection is from one busy bee.

McKenzie Tomimoto, a sixth grader at Pearl City Highlands Elementary on O‘ahu who shares how she learned to juggle multiple sports and school.

Let's watch.

I had to juggle my three sports, schoolwork, and media class.

I felt like I couldn't keep up.

This caused me to become very sleepy throughout the day.

[ocean wave] Hi, my name is McKenzie Tomimoto and I am a sixth grade student at Pearl City Highlands Elementary School.

Over the last year I've been balancing schoolwork, media class, and three sports: soccer, softball and basketball.

Sometimes I had to go straight from school to soccer practice and then to a basketball game.

Other times I had to go from a soccer practice straight to a softball game.

I had to juggle my three sports, schoolwork, and media class.

I felt like I couldn't keep up.

In the beginning of the school year, I had a horrible problem with time management.

We had to complete a new segment in two weeks.

I was not always able to finish my segment in school.

Sometimes I ended up having to take it home.

Because of my sports and homework, I had to stay up late at night to get my video done on time.

This caused me to become very sleepy throughout the day, but I found ways to manage.

I would pack my sports bag with all my uniforms and gear, so I could go straight from one sport to another.

To help with my schoolwork problem, I started my work earlier and tried to get homework done during the school day.

To help with my media work problem, I skipped recess when I needed to get something done, or I left lunch early.

Because I was able to get my media work done on time, I didn't need to work on my videos till late at night.

I was less sleepy during the day so I could get more work done.

In the end, I was happy I was able to continue everything I love, and I didn't have to give anything up.

[ocean wave] I can totally relate to struggling with time management.

I'm 17 and I still can't seem to get to school on time.

I need to take a page out of McKenzie Tomimoto's time management book.

For now, I have just the right antidote: this how-to video from the HIKI NŌ archives from Hilo Intermediate School on Hawai‘i Island.

We all need some tips on how to defeat stress.

According to the American Psychological Association, 77% of Americans experience physical symptoms of stress, while 73% show psychological symptoms.

Here are three tips to de-stress your life.

Exercising is a great way to de-stress your life.

Running is a form of exercise that boosts endorphins, which are linked to reducing stress.

Yoga is linked to one of the oldest forms of exercise dating all the way back to 3000 BC.

It is extremely effective for reducing stress and promotes circulation and blood flow.

Letting your creativity flow can help you calm down and can help you relax.

Reading, writing, drawing, and painting all can help you express your creativity and can give you a different perspective on life.

Socializing and laughing with friends can increase the hormone that lowers anxiety levels, and it can make you feel more confident in your ability to cope with stress.

In today's ever so stressful world, we hope that these simple tips can help you put your stress to rest.

This is Dylan Yanazaki from Hilo Intermediate School for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] The final story we'll share with you comes from Tiffany Golden, a student at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy on Hawai‘i Island, who shares her deeply personal story of striving for perfection.

It's hard to believe that sometimes these beautiful, fit, thin, amazing people can also be fake.

[ocean wave] My name is Tiffany Golden, and I go to Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy.

I recorded this student reflection in May of 2022.

[birds chirp] I have a question for you that I think will never have an answer.

And that is how do I be perfect?

I and other teens struggle with the idea of always improving and becoming better.

I believe that as a human being, you should always strive to be the best you can.

One way in which I’ve tried to improve myself are habits such as running every morning, reading more books, and finding a new hobby.

These things all help, but they don't always fix the underlying problem.

Another habit that I've developed is being critical of myself in how I act, which can feel like you are more self-aware and in control of how you act, but this can turn into over analyzing everything, or even social anxiety.

The idea of never making a mistake is so stressful, and it can be a lot sometimes.

And paired with the fear of not being good enough, like I have, it's easy to develop mental disorders, such as anxiety, when you are always so aware of every movement you make.

There is a state of mind, but there's a point of well-being you must reach, and once you get there, everything will be alright.

But that point never comes and you can feel insufficient.

If I keep becoming better, I feel like I will get to a point where I am secure and confident in myself.

It turns out to be a delicate balance between being too critical and hurting yourself or actually improving.

Social media can also promote this, where people showcase the best of themselves, their best bodies, daily routines, perfect lifestyle, and lots of trends can help with this.

It's hard to believe that sometimes these beautiful, fit, thin, amazing people can also be fake.

It's hard to accept that you can never be perfect.

Academic achievements and praise are one thing but loving yourself and being content with where you are provides lasting satisfaction.

[birds chirp] I've learned that thereʻs no such thing as being perfect, and there's no pressure to constantly improve.

Things take time, and it's being human enjoying life that really matters.

[ocean wave] And that concludes our show.

We hope you've enjoyed the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Don't forget to subscribe to PBS Hawai‘i on YouTube and follow HIKI NŌ on Instagram and TikTok to enjoy the best stories from Hawai‘i youth.

I'll see you next week for more proof that Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ, can do.

Stay tuned after the credits and get to know more about our host.

[outro music] [upbeat music] People call me Cader or Cades.

Oh my gosh, I'm such a sucker for pasta, anything like Cajun alfredo, fettuccine alfredo, anything.

Like, my love language is food, so just, boys, keep that in mind.

I loved PBS, like Sesame Street and all that, like, that was my favorite.

I love Ted's bakery.

They have the best pies there, the best chocolate cream - oh my gosh, it’s so, it’s my favorite.

I might be biased, okay, but I definitely believe that Kalāheo has the best school views on the whole island.

Like, everywhere you look it's just, you're surrounded by mountains and it's just so beautiful.

Definitely just like, learning about all of this, you know, you showed me around the studio and, you know, this is something I want to do when I'm older.

I want to go into cinematography, or I want to work with cameras.

I want to win Oscars, and so hopefully I'm really rich and famous and I have 100 Oscars hanging on my trophy case.

Um, no, I, I, I really just hope to be, you know, working on a movie set.

Hopefully.

I just love creating, like the HCM workshop that I did this summer, I definitely found my like, a newfound passion.

That workshop opened up a whole new world to me that I fell in love with.

When I heard that you guys wanted me on your guys’ studio and hosting, I thought it was like the most amazing opportunity ever, literally a childhood dream come true.