[intro music] HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Aloha.

Welcome to HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

I’m Liana Doppmann and I’m an eighth grader at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy.

I go to school on the Big Island of Hawai‘i but I'm excited to be here on O‘ahu at the PBS Hawai‘i studio to be your host.

Thank you for joining us to watch the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

In this episode, I'm excited to share several projects from my class at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy.

This was the first time for many of us to produce HIKI NŌ Student Reflections, which typically cover a personal story from a student's point of view.

I'd like to share with you a collection of student reflections and stories from my school and others.

These videos are an incredible showcase of voices from our generation.

You'll see stories about finding allies and ignoring bullies.

You'll watch a piece about finding the strength to take a risk and play a sport after surviving illness.

You'll see what it takes to compose music for an ensemble, all through the keyboard of a laptop.

There's also a story about how one student made it his personal mission to raise awareness about maintaining native fish populations in our waters.

There's so much to learn, so let's begin the show.

This piece was produced by my classmate Eli O’meara, an eighth grader Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy, who shares a personal story about finding the right support system, and how to be yourself and ignore any hate that may come your way.

When I was younger, I knew I didn't feel much like a girl.

In fifth grade, I realized that I was transgender.

Almost everyone in my school was supportive, except for a parent of a student that I was friends with.

Almost immediately after I came out to my school, the parent took that kid out of school and actually called CPS on my parents.

It was one of the first cases of transphobia I ever experienced.

After graduating elementary school and attending HPA for sixth grade, I noticed how people were treating me differently.

People talked behind my back, made snarky comments at me, and were rude.

I realized that it was because of my gender.

It lowered my self-confidence, and it was harder knowing where to fit in.

I started reaching out to my teachers and my school counselor about how other people were treating me.

I also started standing up for myself.

When people were commenting on my gender, I simply just told them to stop.

Although this wasn't a pleasant experience, it also gave me time to reflect and think about who I am as a person.

I started focusing on things that I love, like drawing and making art.

I felt better because I focused less on my gender and how people treated me.

Whether you are a trans person or not, and you're dealing with something similar to this, it's important to remember that you cannot change what people say or think about you, but you can choose how you respond to it.

There are going to be people in my life, like my former English teacher and my parents, who will always be there to support me and help me.

[ocean wave] As a member of the LGBTQIA community, learning about what Eli experienced and how he dealt with it is not only educating but also inspiring and impressive.

So, thanks Eli.

This next story is from our archives and comes from Moanalua High School students on O‘ahu.

They highlight how the annual Honolulu Pride Parade and Festival helps support and encourage LGBTQ youth who often don't see themselves reflected in their school or local communities.

We want to inspire, to encourage others to know and to feel comfortable, just to be who they are.

That’s it, just to, it's, it’s okay.

On October 22, 2016, people walked hand in hand wearing vibrant outfits through the streets of Waikīkī to celebrate Hawai‘i's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Pride Month.

I think that's fantastic.

And it's even, even more special when we, when we have a Pride Day to celebrate it and everybody gets together and just as themselves.

I think it's excellent.

I think it's a great opportunity not only for people here at pride, but people in our country to celebrate diversity.

About 15,000 people of different races, ages and sexualities gathered to strengthen and support the rights of the LGBTQ community.

Moanalua High School students and couple, Rebekah Garcia and Danielle Warden, stood proudly among the crowd.

It gives us strength because we know that we can always rely on each other, and even though we are all different, that isn't a bad thing.

Because I went to the parade like, wow, like, I'm not, I'm like, accepted.

It just makes me feel happy.

Because like, no one looks at me strange.

We look for people who've gone through the same experiences, have had the same struggles, have had the same rewards.

And it's nice to know that there are other people out there going through the same thing as you.

With over 10,000 LGBTQ identified youth in the nation, there are over 400 youth groups that offer support for students like Rebekah and Danielle, to help them overcome any struggles of being confident in who they are.

Because when you grew up, like all the couples you see, are like, a man and a woman, so like when you find out you're like, gay, you just feel really out of place.

My friends do give me strength, because there's someone to talk to, when you're like, at the low.

But I think the fact that they're part of the LGBT group as well means that we're like, we have similar problems, or that it's like, easier to talk to them.

I have friends who are pansexual, I have friends who are bisexual, I have friends who are gay, I have friends who are straight.

And I think in particular, my friends who are queer as well, we kind of look for, you know, birds of a feather flock together.

Even though we're all different, we can still, we're still all the same.

And we can still confide in each other.

Even though they have the strong support of each other, they still have to face the harsh realities of society.

We've come so far, but people still want to hate.

I want them to like, just accept us, because like, it’s none of their business because like, our relationship doesn't affect them in any way.

So, I'm hoping that in the future, because, you know, we're kind of spreading more information about it, and we're being more open with it, that it will kind of die off.

With such a diverse LGBTQ community, people like Rebekah and Danielle will continue to find their strength and their differences to be equal, like everyone else.

This is Jocelyn Bonilla from Moanalua High School for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] Our next piece comes from Arlo Spiro, an eighth grader at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy.

For his HIKI NŌ Student Reflection, he decided to talk about what it was like to move homes, not once, but twice.

He talks about finding a fresh start on Hawai‘i Island, his new home.

I'm Arlo Spiro, an eighth grader at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy on the Big Island.

I'm recording this on HPA campus on October 4.

I was born in Texas and lived there until I was seven.

When I was seven, I moved to California.

In California I lived on a houseboat in a cool community with floating homes.

When the weather was warm, I would jump off my friend's houseboat and I would pile aboard in the San Francisco Bay.

I made good friends that I still have today, and everything was going great until I got to middle school.

I felt new, like I didn't fit in, and making one wrong move could result in embarrassment.

I was getting verbally bullied.

Over time, it started to mess with my mental health to a point where I would always be angry.

Dancing helped.

Back at school, the bullying was so bad that I left school and finished the year online.

I began to think about moving to Hawai‘i when my parents gave me the option to go knowing that new places can be for the better.

At first, I didn't want to leave the houseboat.

Life on the water was really special.

Once I made the decision, I could get a fresh start.

I agreed with my parents and decided to make the move.

I had the great opportunity to move to a cool school in Hawai‘i and join a cool robotics club.

There are cool kids in my neighborhood that I can play basketball with.

And well, Hawai‘i is just magical.

The weather conditions are kind of extreme and breathtaking.

I love riding my one wheel at high speeds through the wind and rain.

The light changes faster than the temperature and the weather.

The ocean is so alive.

Sometimes breathing and exhaling is like the ocean.

I fell in love with this island and felt like it was a great choice to move here.

But nowhere is perfect; I've learned that.

Sometimes making hard decisions can be the best of ideas.

[ocean wave] Let's stay on Hawai‘i Island and meet a student at Waiākea High School named Austin.

He talks about how a scary diagnosis he received when he was young has changed his perspective on life, especially as he shoots for his dreams on the school’s soccer team.

Hey, my name is Austin and I play on varsity for Waiākea High School’s soccer team.

I have been playing soccer since I was eight, but there was a point where this could never happen.

At eight months old, I was diagnosed with liver cancer.

I had to undergo countless surgeries, chemo, and radiation therapy.

My parents felt like it was never going to end, until at age 2, we received the best news that I'm cancer-free.

Thanks to all the doctors and nurses that helped me in my journey that I can now play the sport I love.

I saw clips of soccer players, which inspired me to play.

I was scared to try it at first because I had a fear of getting hurt again.

However, the more I played, the more confident I got.

I now play for my school soccer team.

We were the number one seat in the first division, and we were on our way to win the league championships.

On our last game against Hilo, we lost, with three to two.

Losing that game left me feeling frustrated and defeated.

For my last year in high school, my goal is for my team to win first place.

In the end, even if I didn't meet my goal for this year, it did not compare to what I could have lost.

[ocean wave] The students of Waimea High School on Kaua‘i produced the next story in 2018, a profile on a classmate who managed to survive through a tough medical situation whose story is sure to inspire.

Rhona Lei is fun to be with.

She's really funny.

Then, when you're with her, you just feel relaxed.

Waimea High School student Rhona Lei Batacan is truly that typical teenager, hanging out with friends, doing homework, and of course, always on Snapchat.

My personality in general is always like, very optimistic, very like, I can do this.

But like, yeah, throughout the time, throughout that experience, I had some downfalls.

Life took a dramatic downfall when Rhona Lei was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer which damages the immune system.

She was only 15.

My initial thought was, “I'm gonna die.” But then my mom explained that it was treatable, that there's a chance, and that I will be okay.

And then so yeah, we went from there, did treatment.

During her four months in chemotherapy, Rhona Lei struggled in finding balance between fighting and also living a normal life.

The main struggle was with chemo because it like, make you feel so disgusting, and like groggy and tired and sore.

And like not being at school, and like get being able to learn the lesson, it was hard because like, I'd like go to school, and they're starting a lesson and then like I’d leave, and then I come back and they're on something totally different.

Despite her struggles, Rhona Lei’s optimism allowed her to persevere and be positive throughout her experience.

She totally surprised everybody.

When the doctors ask her, you know, how did you, how do you feel?

Or, you know, and she just, when she said, “It is what it is,” and she just smiled.

I just, you know, gotta go do it.

It just shocked everybody.

We just didn't know what to say after that.

But, this is like, too much.

I don't want to do it.

But then, I don’t know, just like, thinking about my family and my friends, and like, my future like, I don't want to give that up.

So, that kind of, that was like, my main motivation.

Now after a year from her diagnosis, Rhona Lei is currently in remission.

Her positivity has helped her to persist in her experience and in life.

You would never expect to get cancer.

Like, it was just something just, like, out of all the people, I got it.

So like, yeah, anything can happen.

But yes, have to persevere, be optimistic, be positive, have hope that if like, life throws all these obstacles at you, these trials, that you can get through it.

It's just a matter of if you want to do it.

This is Kallen Wachi from Waimea High School for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] Sometimes our hobbies can turn into more important missions.

This next Student Reflection was produced by my classmate at HPA, Luke Vincent.

This piece provides a cool peek into the world of a fisherman on the Big Island and underlines the importance of native fish in our waters.

Hi, my name is Luke Vincent.

I'm an eighth grader at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy on the Big Island of Hawai‘i.

I'm recording this at H.P.A.

on November 30th of 2023.

My family and I are water men.

I had a natural love for the ocean because I spent so much time in and on the water.

A few weeks ago, I was fishing off the rocks at Kauna‘oa Bay, when I was reeling in a moana, two rois came and ate my catch right off the line.

I was shocked and I was disappointed because I lost my catch.

But I also realized how big of a problem these invasive fish are to our native populations.

I love the ocean and want to help, but what is one person trying to make a difference to our ocean’s ecosystem?

These invasive fish are depleting our native fish populations.

As I set out to think about my eighth-grade capstone, I decided to take charge of helping our islands’ fisheries, our fishermen, and our ocean’s ecosystem.

I'm hoping to host a roi round up tournament to decrease the amount of invasive fish so that native fish can thrive.

Realizing the damage caused by these invasive fish made me worry about our native fish and how harmful they are to our native populations.

More than anything, I want our ocean to sustain itself for future generations for fishermen like me and our families.

When I'm in the ocean, I feel at home.

I zone out and love being in the moment.

Whether I'm fishing, riding a wave, or in the water, I feel like I belong.

Watching the moment the ocean made me realize how much I can help the ocean thrive.

I feel like it's my responsibility to help the community so they have a sustainable ocean fishery.

[ocean wave] Kaua‘i High School student Haven Luper-Jasso produced this next piece in 2017.

It's a thoughtful reflection on being true to oneself that we felt was worth revisiting.

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 product 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.

[ocean wave] This next Student Reflection covers a musical journey from playing the flute to diving into what it takes to compose sheet music.

This piece comes from Chase Matsumoto, a student at Pearl City High School on O‘ahu, who shares his dreams of becoming a composer.

Hi, my name is Chase Matsumoto and I'm a senior at Pearl City High School on O‘ahu.

My journey started back in the seventh grade when I took a summer school band class at Highlands Intermediate School and picked up the flute for the first time.

There, we learned the basic music theory and how to read and understand sheet music.

With that, it opened a whole new world and another realm of creativity to me.

And hearing music digitally is fine, but hearing it within an ensemble is grander.

I was now passionate about playing music and making music.

And I wondered, what would it be like for others to play a score that I can pose for them?

So, I started to look for music-making software, and I eventually found MuseScore 3.

I watched tutorials about composing for certain instruments and analyzed scores written by other composers.

But it was difficult.

It was a process of trial and error.

There were many ideas I had tried, but I just lacked the skill and the knowledge.

But I still kept going because I loved it.

However, I still want to compose a piece for a full concert band.

And with that, an opportunity arose in my junior year of high school, a competition with the category of music composition.

Deadline itself came close, and on the day it was due, I finished it and submitted it.

I was very proud of the piece, and it was one of my best works.

The next day, I had gotten confirmation that my entry had been seen.

But after that, there was no other word.

For months, there had been no other email.

I was left to assume that it didn't win.

It left me disappointed, and once in a while, the thought would appear in the back of my mind.

But that all left one day, when I opened my email, and to my complete shock, I had saw that I had won for the state of Hawai‘i.

I was so ecstatic that I couldn't stop smiling for the whole night.

And about a month later, I had also won an Award of Excellence for Nationals.

It was with this, I knew composition was something I could do, and I couldn't be happier.

And with that, the music you’ve been listening to was composed by me.

[ocean wave] Now, I want to share my own experience of producing a HIKI NŌ Student Reflection.

My story about preparing for my bat mitzvah aired last week.

Now I'd like to tell you more about what it takes to put together video stories like these.

[ocean wave] Knowing that the Jewish community on Hawai‘i island is very small, and being able to share like, oh, I'm here, I went through this on a small island.

A bat mitzvah is a cultural experience that a young Jewish person can complete in order to become an adult.

My name is Liana Doppmann.

I'm an eighth grader at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy.

I knew it from the beginning; I knew that I wanted to share my story, and I knew that I wanted to be on screen and I wanted to be the one talking.

I was really excited because I was like, oh, I get to, I actually get to do this.

I get to show people who I am.

I understood it would be a lot of work, but I agreed jumping right into the process of having to learn a whole new language, Hebrew, which is the commonly spoken Jewish language.

They had us make boards of everything in our life, and I knew that my bat mitzvah was most freshly in my head, and it was something that was very important to me, culturally.

Standing in front of my family and my friends, I started to realize that all my hard work was finally paying off.

So, at first we had to write our script and we went between three classes, our tech, Hawaiian, and English classes, all to make those scripts, and even took time after school to do it.

And then we would film and then edit and then go through the peer revision process.

In all, it was very much a very large project, even for a two-minute film.

And I definitely couldn't have done it without my partner, and me and my partner being focused most of the time.

Even just making a two-minute video took us what, three months.

And it's definitely more, there's so much more that goes behind it than just being on screen.

The editing was very tedious, and then we were like, oh, we just missed like this off by .5, .5 seconds.

And then we have to redo, and we have to go back into editing it and change it again.

I think for most people, it definitely is a value project, especially for me, who wants to go into film acting and anything really on the film and television, because it gives you a taste of what it's like.

Because I want to go into the film industry, it's very much behind the scenes and understanding what it's all about and everything that goes into it.

It was exciting and nerve wracking, but I was relieved the entire time.

Standing in front of my family and my friends, I started to realize that all my hard work was finally paying off.

I think that it's a good thing to have my story out in the world, yes, and because one, for Hawai‘i Island especially, it lets other Jewish people know that there is a Jewish community that they can be a part of.

We've come to the end of our show.

I hope you enjoyed our stories and I hope to see you one day on the big screen.

You can keep up with Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers by subscribing to PBS Hawai‘i on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Find this HIKI NŌ episode and more at pbshawaii.org.

And then of course, please tune in next week for more proof that Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ, can do.

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