Current Conservation Interns
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Mariah Gaoiran, Kupu Stewardship and Outreach Assistant
Mariah became a member of MLC in the fall of 2020 as a part of Kupu Hawaiʻiʻs Conservation Leadership Development Program. Born and raised in ʻEwa Beach, Oʻahu, she participated heavily in robotics and orchestra at Moanalua High School before continuing to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to receive her B.S. in Computer Science. Inspired during her work as IT support for the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology, she decided to switch to conservation to follow her love for plants and passion for service. She hopes that her service with MLC will bring her closer to the land and culture in which she lives. As a fan of the outdoors, she enjoys gardening, hiking, and going to the beach, but also enjoys indoor activities like drawing, practicing her cello, and video games. |
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Kawika Frederick, Kupu 'Āina Corps Member, Stewardship Technician
We're happy to welcome Kawika to our MLC team as a Kupu 'Āina Corps member! He is very familiar with our MLC programs as he was an active participant in our Ola Nā Kini restoration activities throughout high school as as student in the Ho'ōla Leadership Academy at Kapolei High School. Although his time with us is short (two months), Kawika is a hard worker, makes the most of new learning opportunities, and is very passionate about working in his community! Kawika loves all things related to the ocean such as fishing, diving, and surfing. He makes a mean tako poke! |
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Jessica Aquino, Kupu 'Āina Corps Member, Stewardship Technician
Jessica is another former student of ours and we couldn't be more excited to have her working with us as a Kupu 'Āina Corps member! Jessica is a graduate of the Academy of Natural Resources at Waipahu High School and is now attending Leeward Community College. Jessica is eager to learn new things related to the environment, has a strong work ethic, and always comes to work with a positive attitude ready for anything! We love working with past students in new capacities helping them to grow their love for 'āina! |
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Phillip Belon, Kupu 'Āina Corps Member, Stewardship Technician
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Kyler Yomes, Economic Development Alliance of Hawai'i, Stewardship Technician
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past interns
(We keep them in our hearts because we know they'll be our future leaders!)
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Karlee Eugenio, KUPU Stewardship and Outreach Assistant
Karlee Eugenio joined Mālama Learning Center as a 2nd year KUPU member in its Conservation Leadership Development Program. Karlee is a lifelong resident of Mililani and graduate of Assets High School and the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, receiving her B.S. in Environmental Science and a Minor in Geography. Karlee enjoys spending time with friends and family, especially playing with and teaching her nieces and nephews about the importance to mālama 'āina. Upon completion of her CLDP experience, Karlee will be a new teacher at Assets School in Honolulu. You go girl!! Mahalo nui loa to KUPU, AmeriCorps, Hauʻoli Mauloa Foundation, and other supporters for their financial assistance to make this position possible. |
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Kaumakaonalani Medeiros, Ola Nā Kini Summer Intern
Kaumaka Medeiros is no stranger to our organization! She participated in our Ola Nā Kini program as a student at Wai'anae High School and graduated in 2019. She's a current student at Leeward Community College and we're happy she could join our staff this summer (2020) as an intern so that she could expand her knowledge on native Hawaiian plants and ecosystems. Her future goals are to graduate with her Associates degree this year and then attend UH Hilo for their BS in Agriculture: Animal Health and Management Specialization. We're always so happy when former students in our programs choose to intern with us and grow their capacity in conservation! |
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Nevin Sakai, KUPU Summer Stewardship & Outreach intern
Nevin Sakai is a proud 'Ewa Beach resident and 2020 graduate of Kamehameha Schools! His interests include native plants, healthy watersheds, native bird conservation, and fishing. Nevin plans to attend Windward Community College in Fall 2020 to learn more about what the conservation field has to offer and pursue a higher education from there. We're thankful that he could intern with our staff over the summer through the Kupu Hawai'i Youth Conservation Corps program! |
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Marlon Velasco, KUPU Summer Stewardship & Outreach Intern
Marlon Velasco is an avid waterman, surfer, and all around lover of nature! He comes to MLC from 'Ewa Beach through the Kupu Hawai'i Youth Conservation Corps program this summer and will be a senior in high school in Fall 2020. Although he is still only a high school student, he has already taken multiple classes from Leeward Community College. He would like to transfer to UH Mānoa to major in Atmospheric Sciences to better understand climate systems and how to potentially mitigate the harmful impacts of climate change. So cool! |
Jesse Mikasobe-Keali'inohomoku, Ola Nā Kini Intern
Jesse began working with Mālama Learning Center in the summer of 2019 as a full-time Ola Nā Kini intern, supported by Kamehameha Schools' Ka Pili 'Oihana program. He is currently continuing as a part-time intern as he goes to college. Jesse is a graduate of Wai`anae High School and Leeward Community College. He worked at MA'O Organic Farms as an agricultural and horticulture supervisor while earning his Associates degree. He is attending the University of Hawai`i West O`ahu, pursuing a Bachelors degree in Applied Science in Sustainable Food and Community Systems. Always polite and uplifting, Jesse is "Mr. Aloha" for the Mālama Learning Center, for sure!
Jesse began working with Mālama Learning Center in the summer of 2019 as a full-time Ola Nā Kini intern, supported by Kamehameha Schools' Ka Pili 'Oihana program. He is currently continuing as a part-time intern as he goes to college. Jesse is a graduate of Wai`anae High School and Leeward Community College. He worked at MA'O Organic Farms as an agricultural and horticulture supervisor while earning his Associates degree. He is attending the University of Hawai`i West O`ahu, pursuing a Bachelors degree in Applied Science in Sustainable Food and Community Systems. Always polite and uplifting, Jesse is "Mr. Aloha" for the Mālama Learning Center, for sure!
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Kalani Ruiz, Mālama 'Aina Field School intern
Kalani first encountered Mālama Learning Center as a student at Leeward Community College. He served as the Mālama 'Āina Field School intern in summer 2019, facilitating learning primarily with the Wai`anae High School class. His background as a military veteran and auto mechanic clearly impressed the students! Kalani is considering becoming a teacher so his experience with the Field School was definitely jumping in with both feet! |
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Mohala Gonsalves, Ka Pili 'Oihana Ola Nā Kini intern
Mohala joined us in the summer of 2019 as a full-time Ola Nā Kini intern, supported by Kamehameha Schools' Ka Pili 'Oihana program. Mohala is a graduate of Campbell High School and is currently a student at the University of Hawai`i at Hilo pursuing a degree in Geography and Environmental Studies. Mohala is passionate about caring for Hawaii's native plants and animals and enjoys studying ethnobotany to make stronger connections between natural resources conservation and culture. She was an absolute joy to have in our program! |
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Jahnna-Marie Kahele-Madali, KUPU Stewardship and Education Assistant
We’ve known Jahnna since she was a sophomore at Nānākuli High & Intermediate School. She attended our Hawaiʻi Green Collar Institute program in 2014 and demonstrated potential as a leader. After graduating from high school, she attended Highline College in Washington state and earned an Associate of Arts degree with an emphasis on Environmental Studies. She recently served as the Mālama ʻĀina Field School intern, and then was selected to be a Conservation Leadership Development program member of Kupu assigned to MLC as a host organization. We got to know Jahnna even better and helped her grow to be the leader she aspires to be. Mahalo nui loa to Kupu, AmeriCorps, Hauʻoli Mauloa Foundation, and other supporters for their financial assistance to make this position possible. |
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Mahinalani Cavalieri, Outreach and Education Intern
Mahina impressed us with her background and initiative. She is a graduate of Sacred Hearts Academy and Oregon Culinary Institute; she interned at Chef Mavro restaurant and at the Hui Kāpehe program sponsored by the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission, Alu Like, and UH Maui College; and she is a volunteer at Bishop Museum and PBS Hawaiʻi. Her interests are broad and strengths diverse, and we enjoyed a fantastic year with Mahina as she served as an Outreach and Education intern focusing on the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle project. |
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Flame K. Porter, Ola Nā Kini intern
Flame Porter was a 2017 PIPES (University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science) intern working with Mālama Learning Center. Flame graduated from James Campbell High School in 2012. In 2016, he obtained an AS degree in Music Business & Production from Honolulu Community College. Currently, Flame is attending the University of Hawai‘i, West O‘ahu, working toward a BAS in Sustainable Community Food Systems. Flame interned with Hui Kapehe (Kaho’olawe Island Reserve Commission) in 2015, and with the O`ahu Army Natural Resource Program (through PIPES) in 2016. Flame loves to play music and is dedicated to his belief in aloha ’āina. |
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Christie Gora, Invasive Species Outreach intern
Christie Gora was born in Honolulu and raised on O’ahu. While growing up, she was home-schooled and gained her GED. In May 2017, she graduated from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa with her Environmental Studies degree. Currently, she is pursuing a Master’s of Science in Environmental Management at the University of Maryland. In the future, she plans to further her education eventually with a PhD in the environmental science field. She served as our Invasive Species Outreach intern in 2017-2018. |
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Destanie Alayon, Mālama 'Aina Field School intern
Destanie Alayon was a 2017 intern of Kamehameha Schools Kāpili ʻOihana Internship Program (KOIP) for the Mālama ʻĀina Field School Program. Destanie graduated in 2015 from Pearl City High School. During high school, she found her love for the Hawaiian culture and from there it grew. She is currently attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo majoring in Hawaiian Studies. She hopes to be able to educate the keiki of the program about their home and the Hawaiian culture and help them learn and excel not only in school but also in life. |
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Kawainohiaakalani N. Navares, Ola Nā Kini intern
Kawai Navares was a 2017 intern of Kamehameha School’s Kapili ‘Oihana Internship Program (KOIP). Kawai is also a student at Humboldt State University, majoring in forestry with an emphasis on soil science. As a former Mālama Learning Center and Future Farmers of America volunteer, Kawai set up an aquaponics system for Mililani High School’s agriculture department. As a KUPU intern, she spent her 2015 summer helping to restore native Hawaiian plant populations with the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Kawai is dedicated to her Hawaiian culture, the ‘aina, and its preservation for the next generation. |
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Casey Kahawaianuhea Robins, Ola Nā Kini intern
Anuhea Robins joined Mālama Learning Center as a KOIP (Kapili ‘Oihana Internship Program) 2017 intern, working under the Olā Na Kini initiative. Anuhea graduated from Kamehameha Schools Kapalama in 2016 and currently attends Washington State University. At Kamehameha, Anu was the primary editor and graphic design editor for the 2015-16 publication of Ho‘okumu, Kamehameha Schools’ student literary journal. As a 2015 KUPU intern, she spent over 400 hours working with natural resource managers and technicians of the O‘ahu Natural Area Reserve System, Wa‘ianae Mountains Watershed Partnership, and O‘ahu Army Natural Resources Program. Anuhea is extremely passionate about her Hawaiian culture and writing. |
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Bernice Ching, Invasive Species Outreach Intern
Bernice Ching was an intern during the 2016-2017 school year. She was born and raised in Hawai‘i and grew up in Kapolei. She is a graduate from Kapolei High School and took courses at UH West O'ahu. She is attending UH Mānoa in fall 2017. One of the things she's interested in is natural resources and environmental management, anything dealing with our aina (land) and her native Hawaiian culture. She states, "I'm truly excited to learn more ways of helping my moku and also to pass on the knowledge I have to the next generation". |
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Francesca Diaz, Invasive Species Outreach Intern
Francesca Diaz, was an intern during the 2016-2017 school year. She is also a Kapolei High School graduate and is earning her Associates in science degree. She plans to further her knowledge at UH West O‘ahu. She strives to be a real life Pocahontas and teach others to see the beauty that surrounds them and what we can all do to perpetuate it. She plans to open an organic nursery that doubles as an education center. |
Stone San Nicolas, Marine Debris Intern
Katie Papacek, Kalaeloa Hawaiian Coastal Habitat Conservation and Education Intern
Evelyn "Evy" Braum, E2U Leader (Kupu)
Evy Braum came to us from the Kupu program as the Environmental Education to you (E2U) leader dedicated for one year to help promote sustainability and natural resource management in the DOE system. Evy is from Makakilo and graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM) in hopes to continue on into a field of environmental education. With her education background and position with E2U, she helped promote the next generation to pursuing in an environmental career. She did so well at Kapolei High while working with Jeremy Soriano that she was offered a biology teaching position in school year 2016-2017, which she accepted! Congratulations, Evy!
Evy Braum came to us from the Kupu program as the Environmental Education to you (E2U) leader dedicated for one year to help promote sustainability and natural resource management in the DOE system. Evy is from Makakilo and graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM) in hopes to continue on into a field of environmental education. With her education background and position with E2U, she helped promote the next generation to pursuing in an environmental career. She did so well at Kapolei High while working with Jeremy Soriano that she was offered a biology teaching position in school year 2016-2017, which she accepted! Congratulations, Evy!
Summer 2016
Kanoelani Ackerman, Ka Pili 'Oihana Intern, was raised in Mililani, O'ahu, and is attending school at Arizona State University, majoring in Business Sustainability. She is very passionate about Aloha Aina and conservation.
Meleana Adams, PIPES (Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Sciences) 2016 intern, was born and raised in Keolu, on the east side of Oʻahu. She has been living in Hilo since 2011 attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo studying Psychology and Hawaiian Studies. After graduation, she wants to continue teaching the importance of stewardship to local communities.
Kanoelani Ackerman, Ka Pili 'Oihana Intern, was raised in Mililani, O'ahu, and is attending school at Arizona State University, majoring in Business Sustainability. She is very passionate about Aloha Aina and conservation.
Meleana Adams, PIPES (Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Sciences) 2016 intern, was born and raised in Keolu, on the east side of Oʻahu. She has been living in Hilo since 2011 attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo studying Psychology and Hawaiian Studies. After graduation, she wants to continue teaching the importance of stewardship to local communities.
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Kaulana Stanley, Marine Debris Intern
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Ku`upua Kiyuna was our summer 2015 PIPES intern. Hailing from Aiea, Oʻahu , Ku'upua was a student at UH Hilo pursuing degrees in Environmental Studies and Hawaiian Studies. During the summer , she honed her plant identification skills and developed a plant propagation manual. She also worked in the Kapolei High nursery and participated in many restoration projects.
David Hoppe-Cruz spent the 2014-2015 school year with us to improve and ramp up productivity in the Kapolei High nursery. No stranger to plants or nurseries, Dave shared his love for propagating and conserving native Hawaiian plants with our staff and interns, utilizing skills he gained from an internship at Leeward Community College's native plant shadehouse and his knowledge from many years of hiking in the Wai'anae Mountains. David is a graduate of Wai'anae High and is completing his BA in Hawai'i and Pacific Island Studies at the University of Hawai'i, West O'ahu. Mahalo to the Cultural Learning Center at Ka'ala, KUPU, and the AmeriCorps program for making it possible to have Dave help us!
Pakela Olanolan was born and raised in the heart of Kapolei and graduated from Saint Louis High School. at the time, Pakela was a student at the University of Hawaiʻi, West Oʻahu and Leeward Community College and intended to transfer to the Mānoa campus, majoring in Kinesiology. Pakela calls himself a “big fitness junkie” and aims to become one of the youngest crossfit coaches on the island. After his Mākeke Kapolei internship with Mālama Learning Center, he was hired by After School All Stars to work with youth at Nānākuli High & Intermediate School. Good going, Pakela!
SCHOOL NURSERY STEWARDS
As a continuation of our Honouliuli Ahupuaʻa project and with support from the NOAA B-WET program, we hired four School Nursery Stewards at Kapolei High School (KHS) and Nānākuli High & Intermediate School (NHIS). All four interns were involved in our school programs and continued to learn about conservation and sustainability. Throughout the 2014-2015 school year, they worked at their schools’ nurseries to grow native Hawaiian plants to be outplanted by their classmates at natural areas within the ahupuaʻa of Honouliuli and in Nānākuli. The students are: (L-R) Richelle Cabatic (KHS senior), Amber McKay (KHS senior), Nerilyn Peahi-Ayau (NHIS junior) and Kanani Woods(NHIS senior).
Our team was energized by the presence of two “go-gettum’”type interns, Pakela Olanolan and Mika Wong. Students at UH West Oʻahu and UH Hilo, respectively, they worked full-time for in the summer of 2014 thanks to the financial support of the UH PIPES program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Kupu. They worked in the Kapolei High nursery to increase our planting capacity and also went out in the field with the Waiʻanae Mountains Watershed Partnership. They also worked at Piliokahe, Palehua, and Kaʻonohi. Every Thursday, they represented MLC at Makeke Kapolei, practicing their outreach and education skills.
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Cassandra Ohelo, Mākeke Kapolei intern
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Tiana Bolosan started volunteering for the Mālama Learning Center in October of 2012 and became an official intern in February 2013. Thanks to support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science, she helped us with the Hawai'i Green Collar Institute, Mākeke Kapolei, and the Kapolei High nursery. She also assisted on restoration projects in Wai'anae through partners. She heard about us from her boss at the City and County of Honolulu and has become a part of our 'ohana. She is a graduate from Pearl City High and Chaminade University of Honolulu with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies.
Brianna Magbual worked with Mālama Learning Center in the summer of 2013 through the Kupu Frontiers Program, which gives interns an opportunity to learn about natural resource stewardship through working with environmental agencies. She is graduate of Kamehameha Schools and is currently a student at Colorado State University and is hoping to focus her studies on Natural Resource Management. As a former Hawai'i Youth Conservation Corp member, she loves working outdoors and helped MLC manage the native plant nursery at Kapolei high school and propagate native plants for outplanting and sale at Mākeke Kapolei.
Nanea Lindsey joined our team as an intern in the summer of 2012 thanks to support from the Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science and the Nā Lei Aloha Foundation. Nanea graduated from Kamehameha Schools and from the UH Mānoa in Fall 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management. In the summer of 2012, Nanea is helped us develop a youth-based education program that links natural resources conservation and agriculture. “I hope to broaden my knowledge within both fields and hopefully be able to make an impact . . . through the leadership of today’s youth. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and look forward to getting to know the rest of the staff and members of the community,” said Nanea.
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Ryan Uenten, Mākeke Kapolei intern
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Kawai Sonoda, Mākeke Kapolei intern
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Sharon Cabjuan is graduated from Kapolei High as a Valedictorian as well as a past participant of our first Hawai‘i Green Collar Institute session. Thanks to the Nā Lei Aloha Foundation she returned to MLC to work as an intern at the weekly Mākeke Kapolei in 2012, where she assisted in all facets of running the market, gaining experience in organization, sales, communication, and marketing.
Thanks to Janice Staab’s (former Education Coordinator) fellowship from TogetherGreen, Mālama Learning Center had the opportunity to work with three high school students in the summer of 2012 to work at the native plant nurseries that we helped construct at their respective schools (Kapolei, Nanakuli, and Pearl City) last year. In addition to working at the nurseries, the interns gained experience in other “green” jobs, such as restoration at Piliokahe and urban gardening at Kahiwelo at Makakilo.
Hi, my name is Kevin Bechayda and I am currently a student at Nānākuli High School which is located in a beautiful valley on the leeward side of O‘ahu. I plan on keeping the valley and the rest of Hawai‘i that way, which is why I am doing an internship with the Mālama Learning Center so that I may learn about conservation and how I can help to better Hawai‘i and the environment. Conservation is really important to Hawai‘i because we need to learn how to survive only off of resources found in Hawai‘i and maintain those resources. One of the things I do with this internship is that I take care of a native Hawaiian plant nursery at my school and grow native plants so that we can then plant them in Hawaii’s forests on the leeward cost. I am very proud to be doing this because by growing more native plants, I am giving back to the community and the environment. One thing I learned during this internship is that being green shouldn’t be just a job, it should be something we do every day with no hesitation.
My name is Justin Tacazon. I am 17 years old and just graduated from Pearl City High School. I want to work for Mālama Learning Center because I want to work with plants. I also want to learn about the different kinds of plants out there. I would like the experience of working with plants. I’m glad that I have the opportunity to work with the Mālama Learning Center.
Hello my name is Joanne Tumanuvao, I am an upcoming Junior at Kapolei High School in the Ho'ola Leadership Academy. I am currently a Nursery Intern this summer for Mālama Learning Center. I was offered this interneship by my Kumu in my academy and at first I thought, "Oh no, this is a great opportunity, I can’t turn it down" this was going through my mind because I also have a scholarship for a PUEO program (Partnerships with Unlimited Educational Opportunities) and I couldn't turn that down either. So this summer I am doing both, interning Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Summer School Tuesday and Thursday. I didn't want to turn down this Internship because I thought it was good for me to learn more about my 'aina and more about my own culture. I am also doing this internship for the knowledge, the knowledge for myself and for the future generations, because there won’t always be opportunities just as this where someone can go and learn what we are learning. I am enjoying this internship because of the fun, hands-on activities we do, learning about many different things to do in a nursery and what it take to keep it maintained. So I am very grateful to be doing this internship this summer for Mālama Learning Center.