Aloha maikaʻi kākou! I am from Honolulu, Oʻahu, where I teach as an Assistant Professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the Hālau ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi ʻo Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language.  In May 2024, I completed my doctoral degree in Linguistics with a primary focus on  language ideologies and attitudes surrounding Hawaiian language in Hawaiʻi, and a secondary focus on the linguistic landscape of Hawaiʻi, all within the context of Hawaiian language revitalization, reclamation, and maintenance. My dissertation is entitled "Attitudes & Ideologies Surrounding ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi: A Qualitative Study".

I am also an avid translator of ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi under Awaiaulu and am the owner of Hoʻopulapula, LLC., specializing in Hawaiian language translation, tutoring services, and resource development. As a polyglot, my multilingualism shapes my pedagogical approaches and my academic endeavors, many of which involve the documentation of the languages spoken in Polynesia.