{"id":21530,"date":"2026-08-12T08:10:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T18:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/?p=21530"},"modified":"2026-08-12T11:36:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T21:36:02","slug":"2026-student-voice-what-globally-competitive-locally-committed-means-to-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/2026-student-voice-what-globally-competitive-locally-committed-means-to-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Voice: What \u2018globally competitive, locally committed\u2019 means to me"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Micah Kalauli, Wai\u0101kea High School<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He \u2018\u0100ina, He Ho\u2018omaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no place like home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in Hilo is special in a way I cannot fully express through words. Sometimes, I\u2019ll wake up to a downpour of rain that covers the bright blue sky in a thick blanket of gray clouds. Other times, I can visibly see Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa contrasted against the sky, standing tall and mighty over my small town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The landscape around me is not the only thing that is amazing. Most of the time, the community is the most unique part of living in Hawai\u2019i. Throughout my life\u2014especially in high school\u2014I\u2019ve been able to meet so many amazing and diverse people from all over our beautiful state. Everyone comes from a different walk of life, has their own set of experiences, and sees the world through so many distinctive lenses. However, there is one thing that ties all of us together\u2014Hawai\u2018i. We may have so many differences from one another, but we also share similar values, traditions, and celebrations. From the Saturday nights spent celebrating Japanese culture at bon dance over the summer, to the majesty and spectacle of the Merrie Monarch Festival celebrating Kanaka Maoli in the spring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My parents would always emphasize the importance of community\u2014especially how important it was to know the people you surround yourself with, and to always help others when you are able to. This value has been a large part of why I\u2019ve been in leadership during my time in high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Not only have I been able to learn more about different people, but I have been able to help and represent people within my community. From organizing canned food drives to empowering my peers’ voices, service has been the biggest highlight of my high school career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I am not alone. Throughout my time in leadership, I\u2019ve been able to see student leaders from across the sState of Hawai\u2018i represent not only our state, but their personal communities in ways that are unique to the area they live in. Whether it is through advocacy, nonprofit initiatives, running for student body government, or being involved in local\/state governments, youth across our state have shown what they\u2019re passionate about\u2014passions that are often deeply connected to the communities they call home. Not only do they care for our communities, but they also show a commitment to them. To me, that’s what being locally committed is all about: Loving where you grew up and wanting to help your community to the best of your ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The diversity within Hawai\u2018i extends to its schools. From Ka\u2018\u016b to Kapa\u2018a, no story is the same. The individual aspects that define us allow us the opportunity to excel in our own ways, and aim to achieve whatever we put our minds to. Whether it be academically, athletically, or through extracurriculars, students across the state are able to compete with each other, students from other states, and students from across the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some may assume that competition is a \u201cbad\u201d thing, and that it only leads to harm. However, I believe that competition allows us to push ourselves harder, and aim to reach the things we want the most, whether it be winning DECA glass at the annual International Career Development Conference, or finally getting that passing grade in that one class that you\u2019ve studied hours for, competition allows us to be better. It allows us to grow, and most importantly\u2014it allows us to learn from the experience. Granted, not everything turns out the way you want it. However, this should never be a deterrent, in fact, it should be a prime motivator to push yourself and continue to be competitive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawai\u2018i being in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean doesn’t have to limit the global ambitions of its students. Hawai\u2018i is a unique place, with one-of-a-kind people. We can be just as athletically strong and academically capable as students anywhere in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The phrase \u201cglobally competitive\u201d is more than just two words to me. It is a message to all Hawai\u2018i public school students that we all have abilities that make us special. It is a reminder that when a loss feels difficult, or that a test seems impossible, we have the willpower and strength to continue, we are equally strong in our own ways, and that is what makes Hawai\u2018i public schools strong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGlobally competitive, locally committed\u201d <\/em>emphasizes that, as the next generation of Hawai\u2018i, we should never feel restrained from pursuing big dreams or reaching beyond our islands. Instead, we should embrace the idea that Hawai\u02bbi can be both a home and a head start. Through triumphs and tribulations, we can achieve anything. Just remember\u2014there is no place like home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>
\n

Micah Kalauli is the student representative for the Hawai\u2018i State Board of Education for the 2026-27 school year. He\u2019s a senior at Wai\u0101kea High School, where he serves as the Student Government Association president and is involved in National Honor Society and DECA. He  is a member of the school\u2019s Academy of Industry and Technology, Business Pathway. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with his friends, golfing and planning fun student government events.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Micah Kalauli, Wai\u0101kea High School He \u2018\u0100ina, He Ho\u2018omaka. There is no place like home.  Growing up in Hilo is special in a way I cannot fully express through words. Sometimes, I\u2019ll wake up to a downpour of rain that covers the bright blue sky in a thick blanket of gray clouds. Other times, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":21532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"856,888,893,1022,1619,1622","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","wp_popup_display_lightbox":0,"wp_popup_suppress":"","wp_popup_trigger":"","wp_popup_trigger_amount":0,"wp_popup_disable_on_mobile":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,22,21,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlights","category-hoohaaheo","category-news","category-student-voice"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":30,"label":"Highlights"},{"value":22,"label":"Ho\u2018oha\u2018aheo"},{"value":21,"label":"News"},{"value":51,"label":"Student Voice"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Waiakea-HS-1024x512.jpg",1024,512,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Kim Yuen","author_link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/author\/kimberly-yuenk12-hi-us\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":30,"name":"Highlights","slug":"highlights","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":30,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":30,"category_count":3,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Highlights","category_nicename":"highlights","category_parent":0},{"term_id":22,"name":"Ho\u2018oha\u2018aheo","slug":"hoohaaheo","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":22,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":83,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":22,"category_count":83,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Ho\u2018oha\u2018aheo","category_nicename":"hoohaaheo","category_parent":0},{"term_id":21,"name":"News","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":21,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":350,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":21,"category_count":350,"category_description":"","cat_name":"News","category_nicename":"news","category_parent":0},{"term_id":51,"name":"Student Voice","slug":"student-voice","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":51,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":23,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":51,"category_count":23,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Student Voice","category_nicename":"student-voice","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 12:07:51","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"post_status","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}