[Theme song] HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i’s New Wave of Storytellers.

Aloha welcome to this episode of HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

My name is Nikko Roy, and I'm an eighth grader at ʻĪao School on Maui.

Thank you for joining me for this special edition of HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i for our annual Student Voice Award show.

At PBS Hawai‘i, we've always been struck by the talent and moving stories our students share.

But the benefits of telling and sharing these stories truly became so evident that in 2020, PBS Hawai'i and Mental Health America of Hawai‘i decided to partner up to recognize and celebrate the power of storytelling for youth.

And thus, the Student Voice Awards were born.

For the past four years PBS Hawai‘i and Mental Health America of Hawai‘i have awarded and honored young HIKI NŌ Storytellers for their courage and creativity and raising their voices to share personal stories, and for their outstanding coverage of youth mental health in the community.

And this year was no different.

On May 21, 2024, we gathered at Ala Moana Hotel on O‘ahu to applaud students for their courage and bravery and sharing their stories.

But don't take our word for it.

Here's some of what they had to say.

[ocean wave] I think the award ceremony is super important.

It's great to recognize people who shared their stories, recognize people who have done so much for the community.

And I think it's important for them to be recognized and to spread awareness about it.

I was very surprised that even, I don't know, like, I just wanted to share my passion.

But I didn't think that it would impact a lot of people in so many ways like this.

So I'm very glad to be here.

When I found out I was getting a mental health award, I was a little shocked because my idea of mental health — I didn't think that I fit into the category and let alone did I think that I would be getting an award for mental health.

But the more I talked through it with my mom and uncle Donn Yamamoto, the more I realized that mental health isn't just about being mentally ill.

It's about, like, a motivation to get up every day and go to work or just being able to see a better tomorrow.

I always told her it was a good story.

She didn't feel it was a good story, and I told her.

No, it is a good story because it came from the heart.

It's what you experienced, I think, yeah, it was scary to share, share a story about myself, especially something like this.

Especially through video and media — it's very powerful.

And it's able to portray the emotion that people feel and it, um, it helps.

It helps get the message out there.

So I think people can feel the audience can feel something from the message too.

So I think mental health is, especially nowadays it's becoming more known and it's becoming more seen.

And I think it's still very important to talk about it.

I realized that the more I put myself out there, the more other people were inspired by what I had to say, We've seen many of the students tell their own personal story through HIKI NO, and are willing to share their personal triumphs and tribulations, and that in itself is impactful to the community as well as to their other peers and what that brings for them.

When people see stories like mine, or other people's stories, I think it's good to see them, so you know that you're not alone.

[ocean wave] In a little while you'll meet the recipients of this yearʻs Student Voice Awards and watch the award winning pieces.

But first, let's hear what some of these students are doing to help the issue of mental health.

In this next story produced by Rafael Stark, a homeschooled student on O‘ahu, we’ll visit a special cafe that offers licensed therapy to teens.

What do you get when you cross a cafe with a therapy clinic?

You get a nonprofit organization called Spill the Tea Cafe.

This team therapy clinic is located in Honolulu and is co-founded by local teen Mat Strombach.

We give single therapy, group therapy and it's just also a place to hang out and we have like video games.

We have board games and a foosball table and like snacks, drinks, boba.

Maty had this idea actually in the fifth grade to have a Spill the Tea Cafe which was a mental health clinic you know, for people in general, but just I think Maty wanted to integrate like the cafe vibe with the clinical vibe because it's not something that we are used to, and I think for Maty, and for myself as well, like sometimes therapy can be scary or it can feel very sterile.

A difficult time in Mat's life helped to reveal a new passion.

I went to therapy because my parents got divorced.

And so that's when I learned about the five stages of grief.

And then that's what got me interested in psychology.

Spill the Tea Cafe’s licensed therapists offer professional group and individual sessions by appointment on their website, but walk-ins to talk, enjoy boba, or play games are always welcome as well.

It doesn't just feel safe, it is safe, it's somewhere where you want to go, right?

And so if we have all these things, not only are they already going to have a positive connection with the therapy without feeling uncomfortable, they're also going to have the positive connection of being able to come here with their friends anytime.

A lot of people don't realize that suicide is the number one, like, cause of death for kids in Hawaii, ages 15 to 24, and so I really just felt like this was a really good time to take action and really, you know, bring Maty's vision to life.

I really like the people here and the environment.

It's very calming, and everyone's really nice.

It's very accepting.

It just gives me hope to see Maty and other kids thriving here.

And it also gives me the motivation to continue this because nonprofit work is pretty difficult.

[laughs] But it's definitely worth it.

This is Rafael Stark, a homeschooled sophomore for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawaii.

[ocean wave] We have another memorable piece from a young HIKI NŌ contributor, Summit Chun-Hoon.

He's in fourth grade at E.B.

deSilva Elementary School on the Big Island, and divulges what it was like to juggle anxiety, fears about the unknown, and conquering performance jitters.

I’m Summit Chun-Hoon, a fourth grader at Ernest Bowen deSilva Elementary School, and sometimes I feel nervous because I think something bad is going to happen.

I do not like feeling uncomfortable.

My hands get sweaty.

My thoughts start taking over and I feel like I'm about to throw up, and sometimes I do.

Big crowds also make me feel nervous.

Last year, I had my first Ho‘olaule‘a and I needed to perform in front of the whole school and their families.

I was right there in the first row, and so afraid of messing up.

I kept thinking about how everyone would be looking at me.

I did not like that.

During one of our practices, I had to hurry to the restroom, and bleh.

And no one knew I needed to go to the restroom.

So one day, I finally opened up and told my mom what was going on.

I learned some things that I needed to know to calm myself down.

Like I started to go to the restroom before practices.

This helped me to worry less.

On the day of Ho‘olaule‘a, I was nervous about performing, but I knew that other people were probably nervous too.

After Ho‘olaule‘a, I felt like I climbed a mountain.

I still get nervous sometimes, but at least I managed to reach the summit that day without losing my breakfast.

[ocean wave] There are many memorable stories that touch upon the mental battles we can all feel.

But growing up is hard.

This next story is a personal one from a young student at Honowai Elementary School on O‘ahu, who tells us how he dealt with frustrations about growing taller.

Hi, my name is Angelo Repuya and I'm in the third grade at Honowai Elementary School at the island of Oahu.

I am worried because I'm not growing.

I'm only 30 pounds, three feet and nine inches tall.

I am the shortest in second grade and in third grade.

I know I am the shortest because on picture day, I'm always at the front of the line.

They all seem to be growing, and I'm not really.

I feel that I eat healthy foods and exercise, but I am still not really growing.

I went to the doctor and she told me that I was not the right weight and height for my age.

She said that I need to drink a lot of my nutrition drink and it will make me gain weight and grow.

My nutritious drink is a shake that has protein, vitamins and minerals that helps kids grow.

And a couple of months ago I followed what my doctor said.

I drank the nutrition drink.

I drink a total of 120 milliliters for breakfast and before bed.

I noticed I started to work and I got taller and gained a little weight when I started.

I was 38 pounds.

And now I am 41 pounds.

I also grew one inch.

I hope to keep drinking my nutrition drink and keep growing and gaining weight.

I feel great about the progress I made and I'm thankful for my mom and doctor for helping me.

I feel comfortable that the size I am and in the future I hope to be six feet tall.

[ocean wave] Now I want to revisit a HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Student Reflection from Nyori Noelle Soriano, a junior at Ka‘u High School, who tells the story of how she became more confident in her own skin.

Hi, my name is Nyori Noelle Soriano, and I'm a junior from Ka‘u High School on the big island of Hawai‘i.

I struggle with a skin condition called psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a skin condition under the umbrella of eczema types.

This caused my skin to flare out very badly and left patches on my skin.

I looked at myself like I was a monster and this eventually caused my self esteem to plummet.

I didn't look at myself like my peers looked at themselves.

During the COVID-19 outbreak when I saw other people wearing their masks to protect themselves and others from the virus, I was wearing mine to hide myself from embarrassment.

But somewhere in the summer of 2023 I realized that other people struggle with self confidence too.

When my friends were telling me about their own insecurities that I never noticed in them, like the way they laughed or the way they looked.

I looked at myself from the point of view of others.

It didn't matter what I looked like at all.

If I didn't care what people look like, I shouldn't care about how I look like myself.

So I took off the mask and gained confidence in my own body.

What I learned from this is that it doesn't matter how someone looks to you because on the inside, we're all human beings with our own insecurities.

It doesn't matter if you're different from someone else.

What matters is that you let others see your inner beauty.

If you're lacking confidence in yourself.

Just remember, a person's beauty is the quality of their own character, not their appearance.

[ocean wave] Now for this year's 2024 Student Voice Awardees.

The first student voice awardee is Arlo Spiro, an eighth grader at Hawaii Preparatory Academy for his HIKI NŌ Student Reflection.

He decided to talk about what it was like to be uprooted from his home not once, but twice.

He has some sage advice about finding purpose when you need to make a fresh start.

I'm Arlo Spiro, an eighth grader at Hawaii 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 and a cool community with floating homes.

When the weather was warm, I would jump off my friend's house boat and I would paddle board 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 Hawaii 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 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] This next Student Voice Awardee explores the power and connection of dancing in a hula halau.

In her Student Reflection, and her Student Reflection Jadynn-Kalena Young, at Pearl City High School on O‘ahu, tells us how hula and her kumu and hula sisters have influenced her life forever.

Hula is the language of the heart and therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people.

I can’t describe the aloha I feel for it.

Ever since I was five, making this now almost ten years dancing, my passion for hula instantly became a lifestyle rather than a hobby for me.

When I was five, I grew up watching my mom dance in our small bedroom trying to copy her.

I was too young to comprehend the love I felt for hula, but I always knew it was a way of expressing myself.

I started dancing for Hālau Nā Maka o ka Laua‘e with my Kumu Hula Laua‘e Yamasaki, and it's basically where I grew up.

It's my second family.

My journey through life was all through there, through victories, hardships, blood, sweat, and tears, all of it.

Speaking of, let's talk about hardships.

We have competed in competitions like the Hula ‘Oni E hula festival and the Queen Liliuokalani keiki hula competition.

Training for competition is no time for nonsense, and you need to put in your everything.

You need to know what you're dancing about.

You need to work hard physically.

You need to show up ready for practice on time and prepared.

Practice lasts for hours almost every day of the week, and the yelling gets intense.

“Sway your hips, bend your knees, chant louder.” This is what people misunderstand.

Hula is more than just dancing.

But the best part is I get to bond with people I love most, where we can understand each other's happiness and pain throughout labor.

It’s a place where I can embrace my storytelling.

A place where I can develop as a person, and so much more.

Hula will always be a reminder for me to be myself.

It may be intense, but my love is unconditional for it.

If I had one place to be I would always choose to dance with my hālau over anything.

[ocean wave] The next awardee provided a raw and honest account of what it is like to battle anxiety.

You'll be touched by the heartfelt Reflection produced by Kamamalu Kauwe, who attends Ka‘u High and Pahala Elementary School on Hawai‘i Island.

Hello, my name is Kamamalu Kauwe.

I'm a senior at Ka‘u High School and today I'm going to talk about my anxiety.

I think of it like a shadow monster.

I started to feel anxious in ninth grade, when I had to stay home during the pandemic.

The shadow monster was a small cloud under conditions kept changing and I got more anxious and worried.

When I went back to school in tenth grade, I was scared of getting sick.

When I was in big crowds, I would wear my earbuds and ignore people.

My friends and teachers helped me feel better.

I didn't wear my earbuds as often with them.

But my anxiety kept growing.

The monster now has three heads.

It affected me a lot and made it hard to talk to people.

I meet with my counselor, and she helped me with understanding what I was feeling.

And I liked that she had coloring books.

She also shared different exercises to minimize my anxiety.

Now, when the shadow monster visits me, I close my eyes, count to ten, take a deep breaths, and I will think of good memories and positive thoughts.

Doing things I enjoy also helps, like reading, cooking, drawing and listening to music.

I got used to it now and I know how to deal with it.

I no longer think of my anxiety as a bad thing.

With help, I can manage it, and it made me a stronger person.

[ocean wave] Mari Iwata, a senior at Waiakea High School on Hawai‘i Island also received a Student Voice Award for the student reflection about her personal journey with the sport of tennis.

Check it out.

Hi, my name is Mari Iwata.

I'm a senior at Waiākea High School on the Big Island of Hilo, Hawai‘i.

Today is August 27, 2023.

And I'm currently filming at my school.

This is my third year playing for my high school tennis team, and it will be my sixth year practicing.

I first started out playing tennis for fun, but then I grew to really enjoy it.

My goal was to make it on the high school tennis team and be a part of something.

When I showed up, I felt nervous because my peers were a lot better than me.

However, I sucked it up, and luckily, I made it on the team.

One day, I, along with a few others, were pulled aside to have a talk with our coach.

He told us we would not play for the league championships; we did not have to go to practice, and we could get a refund on our uniforms.

[Sighs] Although I was on the team, I was not a part of it.

Despite that, I never gave up and still attended practices.

As the season went on, my coach pulled me aside one last time.

With a heavy heart, I prepared for the worst.

To my surprise, he told me I would be playing in the championships after all.

I was shocked, to say the least, but overwhelmed with joy.

While I didn't win, I was grateful for the opportunity.

I'm glad I never gave up and gave myself a chance.

For my final year in high school, I will be the one to serve the winning shot.

Hopefully.

[ocean wave] The final 2024 Student Voice Award went to Eli O’Meara, an eighth grader at Hawaii Preparatory Academy on Hawai‘i Island, who shared a thoughtful Student Reflection about how to be yourself and ignore hate.

It's a strong message.

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] Congratulations to all of the 2024 Student Voice Award recipients.

Thank you for your courage and telling your stories and your generosity in sharing them with others.

By revealing your own experiences you let others facing similar challenges know that they are not alone and that there is hope.

We’d also like to thank Mental Health America of Hawai‘i for all they do and for the partnership with HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawaiʻi to promote the healing power of storytelling.

You can find this HIKI NŌ episode on more PBSHawaii.org.

Keep up with PBS Hawai‘i on YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok.

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

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