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

Aloha.

Welcome to HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

My name is Emma Forges, and I am an eighth grader at Highlands Intermediate School on O‘ahu.

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

In this episode we’ll explore the difficulties of buying a home in a pricey paradise.

We’ll taste some familiar local flavors at a restaurant located across the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach, California.

We'll learn about why one high school on the Big Island continues to be one of the only public schools on the island with a T-shirt uniform policy.

We’ll meet a driven high school senior and aspiring Political Science major who is determined to bridge political divides.

And we’ll witness moving tributes from two HIKI NŌ student contributors about each of their fathers and their powerful legacies.

Our first story comes from students at Moanalua High School on O‘ahu.

The student reporters take a closer look at the economical factors that weigh into the high cost of living in Hawai‘i and describe the challenges of buying a house when already paying the price of living in paradise.

So, when inflation occurs, the price level is increasing.

And what that means is things, in essence, are more expensive.

Things like food, gas, and electricity are even more expensive in Hawai‘i, where the high cost of living already makes it difficult for people to get by.

This also makes the idea of buying a house seem almost like a dream.

I have three different incomes coming in right now, and it's still a lot of saving has to take place to be able to afford a place.

N'mmah Kanu, a teacher at Red Hill Elementary,   says she would like to purchase a home, but that may be a far-off dream.

But the huge cost of rent and food take so much of that income that I have to pull in other ways of making money in other areas.

The federal government increases interest rates in attempts to lower inflation, making it harder for potential homeowners to borrow since inflation rates for home loans are already so high.

So, while inflation has actually started to ease since 2022, it's still even harder to buy a house in Hawai‘i.

The less supply there is, the more demand will drive up the prices.

And we have limited supply because of our small, relatively small landmass, and if we build a lot of homes and sell them inexpensively, people are going to buy them.

And then they're going to have children, and they're going to want homes, and then more people from the mainland are going to want to move here.

So, it's a continuing cycle.

According to a report in 2015, a typical three-bedroom house like the one behind me was listed for $700,000.

But because of the impacts of inflation, houses now are listed as $1.1 million, making finding a place to live for N’mmah and other residents alike extremely difficult.

If we anticipate it, or if we expect it, we can make adjustments.

So, for example, if we anticipate that next year, prices are going to rise by 2%, what we can do is we can go to our employer, and we can say, “Hey, I want a 2% raise.” And so, using that adjustment in our income, it kind of allows us to buy the same amount of stuff as we did before.

What hurts is when we don't anticipate it or we don't prepare for it.

Our income stays the same, these things get more expensive, and that's where we see a lot of problems for people, is, because they didn't know it was coming and they couldn't prepare for it.

Many residents face the struggle with keeping up with Hawai‘i’s high cost of living.

But that's the price of paradise says N'mmah, who wants to stay on O‘ahu as more and more locals move away due to high costs.

I'm teaching regular third grade, which I absolutely adore.

And I'm going to after school program four days a week, and then I do TikTok, and I actually get money off my views from there.

So, I have three different incomes coming in right now, and it's still a lot of saving has to take place to be able to afford a place.

This is Stephanie Uy from Moanalua High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] This past spring, several Hawai‘i schools competed in the National Student Television Network Conference in California.

Think of it as the Olympics of student media.

I was there, and it was crazy.

The next piece you're about to watch was produced by the team of students from Wai‘anae High School on O‘ahu.

They discovered a restaurant in Long Beach that is inspired by the eclectic cuisine of the Hawaiian Islands.

Here is their report adapted for HIKI NŌ.

With a fusion of Hawaiian and Asian cuisine, Shootz blends it all together.

We're not your traditional Hawaiian local spot.

Hawaiian food is something way, way different than I ever tried before, and I really fell in love with this amazing Hawaiian food.

It’s the best food you can try anywhere else.

In terms of Hawaiian food being in like, the Asian culinary scene, it's very underrated.

You get a lot of Chinese food, a lot of Korean food, a lot of Japanese food, Viet food.

But Hawaiian is sometimes forgotten.

Shootz exposes more people to Hawaiian food and   brings more representation for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Specifically here in Long Beach, I don't see a lot of Asian representation.

A lot of the clientele here are mainly you know, African American or Hispanic, but I think it's important to have diverse foods in areas like this.

But what I saw Shootz did was take Hawaiian food to another level that I've never seen anyone do.

Despite cooking up Hawaiian food, the workers here at Shootz aren't native Hawaiian, but their love for the cuisine unites them together.

When it gets busy, you're going through war together and doing that, you create a bond.

First time working for Hawaiian food.

Normally I work in a Mexican places, but this place, Hawaiian food is so amazing and so good.

The environment at Shootz, it's something different that I never tried in my life.

Shootz is a great example of finding unity in diversity, even in cultures outside of your own.

I definitely have a better appreciation for foods that are not in my ethnicity.

I learned to appreciate all types of foods.

This is Tristen Kody Guerrero from Wai‘anae High School for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] On Hawai‘i Island, there is a student at Konawaena High School who has a lesson she wants to share about finding ways to speak to people who have different political views.

She's discovered how to reach across the aisle and engage in tough conversations.

Check it out.

When I was in middle school, I experienced firsthand just how divisive politics could be.

Speaking with a friend about the appointment of pro-life Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the conversation turned sour when I said I agreed with his views.

My friend said that hopefully one day Iʻd change my mind and never spoke to me again.

Since the ending of that friendship, I have changed my opinion on that issue.

But I can't have that conversation with her since she's blocked me on all social media platforms.

Lately, I admit that I've been in more heated discussions with topics ranging from reproductive rights to universal health care.

I was frustrated because I couldn't figure out why my peers wouldn't hear me out.

Why should I listen to what they had to say if they weren't planning on listening to me?

Then I got involved in Student Council and my perspective changed entirely.

After serving in various leadership positions at Konawaena High School and at the state level, I got to represent Hawai‘i at the United States Senate Youth Program in Washington DC.

In March of 2024, I joined 103 other student delegates from every state, the District of Columbia, and two military bases.

Before my trip, I admit, I was apprehensive.

I held preconceived notions about people across the political aisle, and I didn't want them to tear apart or ridicule my beliefs.

Then on the second day of the weeklong program, I found myself standing in front of the portraits of former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama.

There I engaged in a conversation with gun violence with students who opposed gun control.

Turns out they were just as nervous as I was.

They were scared I was going to attack the belief system they grew up with.

As we talked, we found out that both of our families owned guns, and that we both prioritize safety.

I learned that they valued guns for their livelihoods, and they saw it as a method of defense.

We ended up coming to a middle ground where we agree that our government should revisit gun regulations, and our culture should establish more respect around handling guns.

I will never forget the moment that we all shook hands and my new friend said, “You are the first person I've met from your side of the political spectrum that's been willing to hear me out.” It reminded me of something my Student Activities Coordinator, Mrs. Hayashida, always said, to attack the idea, not the person.

That's when I realized that I was part of the problem, blaming everyone else for what was going wrong in our country.

How can I help solve this problem if I'm not even willing to talk about it?

Leaving high school and entering university as a Political Science major, I will be collaborating with peers of different political ideologies.

My trip to D.C. has taught me what I need to do to overcome my own prejudices.

As an aspiring leader.

My goal is to unite us all and to share the values that I've learned growing up in Hawai‘i.

But in order to do that, I need to take the first step.

This is Lehua Norris from Konawaena High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

The next piece that I'd like to share with you is from the HIKI NŌ archives and it's one of our own produced at Highlands Intermediate School on O‘ahu.

We started this project during a HIKI NŌ challenge competition and continued to work on it for weeks.

It's a closer look at how the advances in science can change the fate of people who have been wrongly incarcerated.

No one wants to see anybody in prison for a crime they didn't do.

When you think of prisons, the justice system as a whole, even, you think of the fairness of the law.

[gavel clacks] But nothing is perfect, and the justice system is no exception.

My name is Kenneth Lawson, I'm the Co-Director of the Hawai‘i Innocence Project.

Getting our, our case with Ian Schweitzer.

He spent 25 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

We freed him because of the DNA.

Ian Schweitzer was serving a life sentence when he was proven innocent and released in January of 2023.

His freedom was thanks to the new advancements in forensic science.

These advancements are changing many lives, not just Schweitzer’s.

Very small amounts of material can make a huge difference.

Like now, recovering a single hair at a crime scene can be a critical item of evidence to, to be studied, used, or analyzed using forensic methods.

Since 1993, since the Innocence Project started throughout the United States, uh, over 300 people that had been locked up, have been freed through DNA testing.

I think it's absolutely exciting and wonderful that they're exonerated.

When these things happen, my, my only frustration is how long this process takes because we knew, we knew for years that they were innocent, but it has to work its way through the whole criminal justice system.

Exonerees of wrongful convictions, even after gaining their freedom, face new challenges reentering society.

When the judge said, “Uncuff that man, he's free.” And they saw it on TV, and they saw him hugging his parents.

Everybody thinks that you know what, now he lives happily ever after.

But when you think about it, um, like I said, he's 51 years old, who's gonna hire him?

You know, is he trained to do, uh, jobs out there now that he's been in prison for 24, 25 years?

Besides Schweitzer, the Hawai‘i Innocence Project has successfully exonerated three other people in Hawai‘i since the nonprofit clinic began in 2005.

They continue to work on the cases of those who believe they've been wrongly convicted.

You know, I think that all of us are here on Earth, that our primary purpose and we're here to be of help to one another, right.

And if we can't help somebody, just don't hurt him.

This is Emma Forges from Highlands Intermediate for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Many students take pride in what they wear to school, but if there's a dress code or uniform required, that is sure to cause a stir.

Our next feature story comes from students at Kea‘au High School on Hawai‘i Island who explore the origins of their schools uniform policy and the sentiment surrounding it.

[school bell rings] Kea‘au High School is currently the only public high school on the Island of Hawai‘i that still requires a uniform.

Even so, many Keaʻau students feel that the policy is restrictive and makes students feel less like themselves.

Like, I don't feel very confident in it.

I don't feel like my best self.

Just, it's constricting, the shirts itself and, you know, the designs that it falls under, and just being forced to wear something.

I feel like it's doing a grave injustice on the culture of our youth.

But why do we have the uniform policy in the first place?

We interviewed both Principal Dean Cevallos and Vice Principal Ronald   Jarvis who were both present during the initiation of the uniform policy.

We did it because there was a huge need to increase safety for Kea‘au because of the reputation Kea‘au had.

So, we really wanted to start with identifying who belonged so that we can keep those that don't belong off the campus.

A lot of the reasons why they have the uniform in place are due to reasons that were caused years ago, compared to present day, where we don't have a lot of the issues that they had back then.

Over the years, the safety focus has been a bit   less because we don't have the same issues that we had before.

In 2023, Kea‘au updated its dress code policy   to allow more school colors and options to its required T-shirt.

So, at first it was that we were the supplier.

You could only get them through the school.

And then we started going with as long as they were one of the sports things we could do it, and then we went with if you were going to get a shirt that was our school color, gray, red, blue or white.

And then the letters would have to have Kea‘au High on up to identify as a student here that that was what you could then create or any of our sports shirts.

Despite the T-shirt uniform, many Kea‘au students still find ways to express themselves.

I like to wear cardigans.

Wear my favorite pants, shoes.

I’ll wear jewelry.

I also sometimes alter the uniform myself by cutting the uniform into a crop shape or I'll tie it behind to make my figure a bit more shaped.

You’ve got hats, you've got the zip up coats,   you've got whatever they want to wear as far as pants or shorts or shoes or hair color.

It is a step in the right direction, but it's a very small step.

A lot more needs to be done to rectify the issue.

People won't be happy until it's gone.

Although students don't really agree and enjoy the uniform policy, Principal Cevallo says it's crucial to understand the reasoning behind it, and it's important to recognize how far the policy has gone and how pivotal it is for the safety of our school.

This is Sophia Leutticke-Archbell from Kea‘au High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Did you know that for the past four decades and counting the Hawaiian language has been undergoing serious revitalization efforts?

In the next special HIKI NŌ commentary piece from Charlotte Pang at Roosevelt High School on O‘ahu, she shows her experience of growing up speaking Hawaiian with her father and tells us why she believes it is so important to learn and speak ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.

[speaks   Hawaiian] [ocean wave] Mahalo for sharing your story, Charlotte.

The final piece I would like to share with you also showcases a one-of-a-kind father son relationship.

This cinematic HIKI NŌ personal narrative comes from a student at H.P.

Baldwin High School on Maui who shares a touching letter and tribute to his late father, which is sure to tug at your heartstrings.

Dear Dad, I wish I could talk to you in person, but I wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me.

You've taught me many things, and you were the best role model for me.

A lot has happened while you were gone.

You got me into soccer from when I was five, and it's still a big part of my life.

Oh yeah, I also wear a number for Baldwin.

I made a pass to Tsubasa and we scored in the last minute.

Pretty cool, right?

Both of your sons making goals on the same team.

But a couple of weeks later, I fell off a cliff doing dumb stuff with my friends, like you always used to do.

But the friends I have are the best friends I could ever ask for.

I can really consider them my brothers.

I can be myself when I'm with them, and I don't need drugs or alcohol to have fun with them.

Of course I love spending time with the family as well.

It's really fun, especially when Tsubasa and Sakura don't argue all the time.

Me and Tsubasa have been going to the gym together, which is good.

We push each other to become stronger, and overall, it's just really fun.

Kahili has been looking cute as always.

I   love taking him on walks or the valley like you used to.

We miss you a lot, and I know Kahili does as well.

I have a girlfriend now who I wish you could meet.

She's really amazing, and I love spending time with her.

The truck looks the same as always.

I've been taking care of it as best as I can.

Once in a while I'll have fun with it, of course.

I'm about to graduate high school soon, and I'm planning to go to college to play soccer.

I have many goals for my future.

One of the big ones being that I want to be as good as a father, husband, friend, coworker, and person as you were.

There's many more things I want to tell you, but I'll just tell you when I see you.

Thank you.

I love you.

And I miss you.

[ocean wave] Thank you for watching the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Don't forget to follow HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i, on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

You can find this HIKI NŌ episode and more at pbshawaii.org.

Tune in next week for more proof that Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ, can do.

[outro music]