Wailau Storytellers and Hosts: Spring 2024

Kainoa Ariola-Sukisaki Kainoa Ariola-Sukisaki is a native of Kauaʻi, the moku of Kona, in the ahupuaʻa of Kōloa, where most of her ‘ohana still reside. After graduating from Kamehameha Schools-Kapālama, Kainoa became the first in her ʻohana to attend college. She earned a bachelor's degree in Hawaiian Studies from UH Hilo and later earned a master's degree in Administration, Curriculum, and Instruction from Gonzaga University. Currently the director of the UH Hilo Advising Center, Kainoa has also served in multiple capacities at UH Hilo, all of which have focused on supporting students. Under the tutelage of Dr. Taupōuri Tangarō, Kainoa became a kumu hula through the rites of ʻūniki ʻailolo from Unukupukupu in 2014. During her free time, Kainoa enjoys traveling, holoholo, cooking, and spending time with her ʻohana, most especially, her cats, Figgy Munsta and Jax.

Mia McGrath Mia McGrath is a 20 year-old psychology major in her final semester at UH Hilo. She is passionate the about the arts, her community, and furthering her emotional, artistic, and academic education. Mia was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi in Kona, and has been living in Hilo for the past two years. She is grateful to be sharing her story here at Wailau, and is looking forward to meeting you all.

GB Hajim GB Hajim is a film director and producer. He has been producing, directing, shooting, and editing Hawaiian language dramas and educational programs for the past 30 years, and has also taught filmmaking for Hawaiʻi Community College. His first feature film, the animated sci-fi lesbian musical, Strange Frame, attracted an all-star team including Tim Curry, Academy Award winner Gary Rizzo, and Pink Floyd. His most recent film, the psychological drama steeped in magical realism, Mermaids’ Lament, was nominated for Best Feature at Dances with Films and won best feature film at London's Big Syn International Film Festival. It is now beginning its limited theatrical release. You can read more about his work at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0354499/. GB currently splits his time between writing screenplays, freediving, and farming.

Kuʻuhiapo Jeong Kuʻuhiapo Jeong graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo with degrees in psychology and communication and is a master’s candidate in the Public Relations & Reputation Management graduate program at Biola University, a private Christian university in Southern California. At UH Hilo, he served as the Executive Chairperson of the Board of Media Broadcasting (BOMB), President of the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology UH Hilo Chapter, and the Undergraduate Representative of the Chancellor’s Waiolama Committee, to name a few. He was awarded the Overall Ka Lama Kū Student Leadership Award, the highest and most prestigious student leadership award at UH Hilo, making him the fifth student in UH Hilo history to receive this award. In the community, he serves as a director on the board of Vibrant Hawaiʻi. Among many things, he is known for being a performer. For 17 years he trained under the late award-winning Kumu Hula Johnny Lum Ho and now carries on the kuleana as the kāne hula instructor at Hālau Ka Lehua Pua Kamaehu. He has starred in theater productions such as the title role of Aladdin in Center Stage Hilo’s Disney’s Aladdin Jr.; Lumiere in Hilo Palace Theater’s Beauty & the Beast; and Kama in Moʻo Huelo: Tale of a Tail, to name a few. He was part of the 2016 international touring cast of the Hawaiian opera Hāʻupu at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, receiving special recognition from the American High School Theatre Festival and NPR's From The Top. His passion for the theatre arts, public relations, and community shines through. He seeks out knowledge, builds relationships, and uses all of this to contribute to significant efforts for his community.

Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa is UH Hilo's Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. She is one of the pioneers in revitalizing the Hawaiian language, from which she draws strength as a mother, grandmother, educator, and administrator. She has been instrumental in preparing new teachers for Hawaiian medium schools and designing and developing Hawaiian medium curricula P-12. Among her favorite projects is the Ulukau Hawaiian Digital Library, home of the electronic Hawaiian dictionaries that average 1.7 million hits globally. As the number of Hawaiian language speakers increases, Ulukau will launch its first monolingual dictionary. Dr. Kawaiʻaeʻa's work has been blessed with many opportunities in the broader area of Indigenous Education. She serves on the Board of Accreditation for the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium and has enjoyed collaborating on publications with other Indigenous writers and researchers worldwide.