Anuhea Kānealiʻi

Occupation: Firewise Specialist for Hawaiian Homesteads, Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization
What school you grad? Roosevelt High School ‘11
College: Kapiʻolani and Honolulu Community Colleges
Location: Kewalo Uka, Oʻahu

Anuhea Kānealiʻi, a third-generation graduate of Roosevelt High School, serves as the Firewise Specialist for Hawaiian Homestead Communities with Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO). In this role, she works across the islands to support community-led wildfire preparedness efforts rooted in mālama ʻāina, local knowledge and place-based action, bringing together residents, government agencies, and cultural practitioners to build resilience in the face of increasing wildfire risks. She is also the founder of Hear Hawaiʻi, a community initiative focused on uplifting Native Hawaiian voices through oral history, cultural storytelling and educational resource development. She also taught Hawaiian classes at Royal School from 2018-21.

Q: Briefly describe your journey after high school.
A: After high school, I attended Kapiʻolani and Honolulu Community Colleges. My mom strongly encouraged me to earn a degree. She said, “Anything… but why not something you actually like?” That led me to pursue Hawaiian Studies.

While in school, I worked multiple jobs, including child care leader at Kamaʻāina Kids, night stock at Victoria’s Secret Waikīkī, restaurant work, and washing cars at Pacific Honda. I also began gaining experience in cultural spaces — working the box office at Hawaiʻi Theatre, and eventually joining ʻIolani Palace, where I worked my way up from guest service associate to director of education.

Between school and work, I often volunteered, not just because I enjoyed it, but because it came with free food, free transportation, and free access to places I had never been to on my own home island. These experiences opened my eyes to the richness of our history and deepened my commitment to place.

Q: What are you up to these days?
A:  I currently work for the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO) as the Firewise Specialist for Hawaiian Homestead Communities. I am a fourth generation homesteader of Kewalo Uka, one of three Hawaiian homesteads that border Roosevelt High School. This connection grounds my work in personal experience, deep kuleana and aloha for the ʻāina and community that raised me.

In this role, I serve as a connector, advocate, and resource for homestead communities across the pae ʻāina who face increasing wildfire risks. I support these communities in developing and strengthening wildfire preparedness strategies that are place-based and culturally rooted.

My work includes conducting hazard assessments, organizing cleanups, facilitating community workshops, and helping homesteads work toward Firewise USA® recognition, which can open the door to funding and long-term resilience tools. I collaborate with homesteaders, DHHL, fire departments, and other partners to center the needs, values, and leadership of Native Hawaiian communities in wildfire planning and response.

This role allows me to give back to my people and place, helping to protect homes, ʻāina, and the histories embedded in our landscapes.

Q: Why did you choose this career path and what do you enjoy most about it?
A: I chose this career path because I wanted to do work that felt rooted in purpose and aligned with my values. While tourism isn’t the only way to make a living in Hawaiʻi, many of us still end up in that industry because it’s often seen as the easiest or most available path. But it doesn’t always feel good — it can leave us feeling disconnected from our ʻāina and culture.  I wanted something different — a role that allowed me to give back to my community, care for the land, and be part of solutions led by local people. After the devastating fires in Lahaina, and then a fire in Papakōlea on New Year’s Day 2024, I saw how urgently our communities need support, resources, and action. That’s what drew me to the Firewise program — it’s community-driven, grounded in mālama ʻāina, and built on relationships. After the Papakōlea fire, we formed Nā Leo o Papakōlea Firewise to organize our neighbors, reduce fire risks, and host cleanups to restore and protect our ʻāina. This work gives me hope. It reminds me that we already have what we need when we work together — ʻike, resilience, and aloha for where we come from.

Q: What makes you #PublicSchoolProud?
A: What makes me #PublicSchoolsProud is the way Hawaiʻi’s public schools shaped not only my education, but the person I’ve become — step by step, school by school.

At 諾拉尼小學, I learned the value of community and kuleana. As Hawaiʻi’s first Blue Ribbon School at the time, Noelani was in high demand. I’ll never forget when Principal Clayton Fujie visited our home to confirm we lived in the district. His visit wasn’t just about rules. It showed me that educators can care deeply about students, families and fairness. That moment taught me that everyone’s role matters, and doing the right thing builds trust in a community.

At Stevenson Middle School, I began developing my voice, identity, and sense of belonging. It was a place where I learned how to adapt, problem-solve, and build meaningful relationships. The friendships I formed during those years taught me the importance of loyalty, empathy and honoring the people who stand by you. Navigating both the academic and social challenges of middle school helped me grow into someone who values connection, humility and showing up for others. Stevenson showed me that leadership isn’t just about being heard. It’s also about how you treat the people around you.

At Roosevelt High School, everything came together. As part of the Law and Leadership Academy led by Coach Kaeo Vasconcellos (Coach V), I learned to see the bigger picture. I began to understand how systems are connected and how leadership means showing up with empathy, strategy and solutions. During this time, I also played basketball all four years and sang in my family church choir. Balancing school, sports and service taught me time management, discipline and how to stay grounded in purpose even when life is busy.

Each of these schools taught me something different. Together, they helped me become a thinker, a doer, and someone deeply rooted in community and relationships. I carry those lessons with me every day in the way I lead, serve, and care for the people and places I call home.

Q: Favorite subject in school?
A: Visual Arts Class with Mr. Teshima and his mom

Q: Favorite school lunch or breakfast?
A: At Noelani Elementary, EVERY Friday was fried rice made by Ms. Joy. At Stevenson, I loved the spam musubis during Wikiwiki. At Roosevelt, I appreciated that we could work the lunch line if we didn’t have enough funds on our meal card.

Q: What type of extracurricular activities were you involved in?
A: Basketball, Polynesian Club, Powder Puff football, Drama Club, Gospel of Salvation Choir, Law & Leadership Academy

Q: Name of a teacher or mentor you’d like to thank?
A: I’d like to thank Mr. Fujie and Coach V because they both demonstrated that true leadership is rooted in care, integrity, and connection.

Mr. Clayton Fujie, my principal at Noelani Elementary, made a strong impression early on. When he visited my home to confirm we lived in the district, it wasn’t just about enforcing rules — it was about fairness and kuleana. Even after he left Noelani in my third-grade year, he returned for our sixth-grade graduation. That meant a lot to me. It showed that he still cared and was invested in our journey, even after moving on. That kind of commitment taught me what it means to lead with aloha.

Coach Kaeo Vasconcellos (Coach V), who led the Law and Leadership Academy at Roosevelt, helped me think beyond surface issues. He taught us to examine the full picture, recognize how systems are connected, and approach leadership with empathy and strategy. I still reach out to Coach V for advice to this day, and we’ve even had the chance to work together — which has been an incredible full-circle moment. It reminds me how important long-term mentorship is and how powerful it is when educators continue to uplift their students beyond the classroom.

Both of them helped shape how I lead and how I serve, and I’m forever grateful.

Q: What advice do you have for students?
A: My advice to students: Give aloha, get aloha. No give, no get.

Aloha isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes aloha means doing what’s necessary, even when it’s hard, uncomfortable, or goes against the norm. Aloha is action. It’s standing in truth, setting boundaries, speaking up for what’s right, and caring for others and your ʻāina even when no one’s watching.

Follow your naʻau, your inner knowing, and nānā i ke kumu — look to your sources of foundation — your kūpuna, your ʻohana, your ʻāina, your history, and your school. Your school is not just a place to learn facts. It’s part of your foundation, where you build relationships, values and skills that will carry you forward. How you show up there matters.

When you know where you come from, you’ll know how to move forward. And always remember, the way you give matters. When you lead with aloha, that energy will return to you. Maybe not right away, but in time — through relationships, opportunities, and peace within yourself.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add or share?
A: High school me would have never expected the path I’ve taken, the places I’ve gone, or where I’d be now. Life unfolds in ways you don’t always plan for — and that’s part of the journey.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. Be adventurous, be curious, and take risks — but stay safe and rooted in who you are. No matter where you go in the world, whether you’re leading a major organization or folding undergarments at a retail chain, do your best.

Your best might look different from someone else’s, and that’s more than enough. What matters most is that it’s your best — done with care, humility and aloha.