Wailau Storytellers and Hosts: Spring 2022

Apollo Harris is a graduate of UH Hilo, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in English; and he is currently a UH Hilo employee. He says: “When I was young I had this VHS of people using large construction machinery. It looked so fun. Well, I'm grown up now and I can't find that VHS but I do know that it was full of lies! Construction ain't that fun. Making art, now, that's some fun. I've been writing stories for ten years because it feels good. I tried to write a musical once. It's a shame I didn't have a VHS about making musicals.”

Vijaya Singh is a graduate of UH Hilo who is passionate about storytelling. She currently works in digital media strategy within a healthcare/pharma agency. Outside of her amazing job, she spends her time writing, in hopes to one day publish her work.

Kalei Rapoza was appointed interim Vice Chancellor for Administrative Affairs at UH Hilo in August 2017. Prior to that, he served as director for the Office of Human Resources, where he worked collaboratively with leadership across the UH Hilo campus in a range of human resources matters. He originally joined UH Hilo as associate director of HR in 2013, moving here from the Department of Education. He has a juris doctor degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law at UH Mānoa and is a graduate of the UH President’s Emerging Leaders Program.

Kurt Dela Cruz is a Senior Adviser in the campus Advising Center. As one who hails from the historic Kaʻu district, Kurt takes great pride in his rural, small town roots. As a lifelong advocate of students and educational success, Kurt takes great pleasure in the advising work that he does. He attributes his love for his work as a way of simply playing it forward in honor of the many folks who cared enough to help him when he was the first in his family to pursue a college education. Prior to attaining his undergraduate and graduate degrees on the continent, Kurt takes great pride in being graduates of both Ka’u High School and the University of Hawaii at Hilo Upward Bound program. He is a father to two children - daughter Maikaʻi who is 14 years old, and son Olu who is 10. When not at work, he enjoys being a father, being a father, and being a father.

Kuʻuhiapo Jeong is an undergraduate student pursuing his B.A in Psychology and Communication from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo with hopes to enter the PR and advertising fields. He is passionate about the performing arts, specifically contemporary theatre and dance. He is a student of Kumu Hula Johnny Lum Ho at Hālau O Ka Ua Kani Lehua and a dancer of Center Stage Dance Alliance Hilo, focusing primarily on the style of hip-hop. Theatre was never a love in his life until being cast in the 2016 - 2017 touring Hawaiian opera cast of “Hāʻupu,” which was performed and received special recognition at the AHSTF Edinburgh Festival Fringe as well as NPR’s nationally syndicated radio show “From The Top”. Selected theatre credits include “Biloxi Blues” as Eugene M. Jerome; the title role of “Aladdin”; “Tale of a Tail: Moʻo Huelo” as Kama. Offstage, he served as a dance choreographer for the “Hawaiian Nutcracker” and “Moku Aʻe Ka Pawa”. His more notable personal achievements include earning the runner up Master Keiki Hula 2012 placement at the Queen Lili’uokalani Keiki Hula Competition and winning the title of Master Keiki Hula 2013 at the E Mālama Mau I Ka Hula Competition. He is an aspiring polyglot who enjoys learning languages and takes interest in the geological branch of volcanology. IG: @kuuhiapojeong

Dayva Escobar is a senior at UH Hilo, double majoring in Communications and Gender & Women’s Studies, and minoring in Performing Arts. She was born and raised in Hilo where she grew up surfing everyday at Honoliʻi, and avidly participating in local visual and performing arts. She is currently a writer for Ke Kalahea. She believes that we all hold a unique story just waiting to be shared and is passionate for finding ways to give back to her community. Besides social advocacy, she loves to act and perform. You may have seen her as Gypsy Rose Lee in the 2019 Hilo Palace Theatre Production of GYPSY or have heard her in an occasional commercial on thewave@92fm. She is currently a board member for the Hilo Community Players, aiming to help keep local theatre alive during the pandemic. Upon graduation, she hopes to pursue acting as well as a masters in Journalism or Law, and potentially go on to work as a broadcast journalist — but more importantly, she aims to do something to make the world better. IG: @dayvasummer

Julie Mitchell has been the Executive Director of Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center in East Hawai‘i since 2012. The non-profit offers mediation, facilitation, and training to strengthen the ability of diverse individuals and groups to resolve interpersonal conflicts and community issues. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Julie graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Philosophy from the University of California, Irvine. After moving to Hawai‘i Island in 1998, she worked as an Education Coordinator of Volcano Art Center and as the General Manager of Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. In addition to her administrative duties, Julie is also a mediator, facilitator, and trainer for Ku‘ikahi. The mediation center’s mission is to empower people to come together—to talk and to listen, to explore options, and to find their own best solutions. Julie’s first experiences as a mediator started when she was a girl. She often mediated arguments between her mom and her little sister, going back and forth between their rooms to broker peace and help them try to understand each other.