When something matters, you don’t wait for someone else to fix it. You step in and do the work.
A life of service.
A commitment to our Community.
I didn’t grow up dreaming about running for office.
I’m a mom, a small business owner, and someone who has spent most of my life working, building, and serving the people around me. Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how the gap between our community and the people meant to represent it is very real and how it affects families every single day.
I started working when I was fourteen. By the time I was in college, I was supporting myself while balancing classes and multiple jobs, and I had nearly $100,000 in student debt. It took years of long days and late nights to pay that off. That experience still guides me today. When something matters, you don’t wait for someone else to fix it. You step in and do the work.
That’s the same way I’ve built my life here in Kāneʻohe.
My husband is a veteran, and together we’re raising our children in a place that still holds a strong sense of ʻohana, a place where neighbors look out for each other, and families are trying to build something stable in an increasingly difficult environment. I don’t take that lightly. It’s something worth protecting and strengthening.
My work has always centered around people, especially keiki, families, and those who need support the most.
Rooted in Family,
Grounded in Service
Education
I’ve taught in classrooms from preschool through high school, including political science and economics. I’ve worked in school leadership, overseeing staff and daily operations, and helping families navigate their children’s education. And when I couldn’t find the kind of early education program I wanted for my own children,
I built one.
A Record of Building and Service
Small Business
A Windward-based early learning program I founded was born out of a gap. Families needed a part-time, family-centered option that aligned with their values, but waitlists were extensive. What started as something for my own keiki has now served dozens of families on the Windward side. That experience taught me how to build something from the ground up, really listen to what people need, and follow through.
Community Service
Beyond education, I’ve worked directly with kūpuna navigating housing challenges, supported individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and volunteered in recovery programs and with women in need. These experiences have shown me where systems fall short and how often communities step in to fill the gap.
Serving Kāne'ohe and Maunawili with Care
District 49 includes both Kāneʻohe and Maunawili. They are not the same, and they shouldn’t be treated that way. Each community has its own character, concerns, and priorities. But both deserve consistent communication, real advocacy, and leadership that is present and accountable.
Why I'm Running
In the end, my decision to run came down to something simple but important: our library.
Like many families, we relied on it. When it closed, our community spent over two years asking questions, waiting for updates, and trying to understand what was happening. Timelines shifted, communication was inconsistent, and families were left without clear answers.
At town hall meetings, my eight-year-old son would stand up and ask the same question: “When will the library open?”
That question stayed with me.
And while I’m grateful the library has finally reopened, the experience revealed something much bigger than one building or one project. It revealed how important consistent advocacy, communication, and accountability really are.
Because if meaningful movement could happen through attention, conversations, and urgency, then our community should never have gone so long feeling unheard in the first place.
That realization pushed me to look deeper, and what I found was a growing disconnect between our community and the people meant to represent it. And I’m not someone who sees that and walks away.
I’ve spent years working inside our community, not just talking about what needs to change, but actually building, serving, and stepping in where there are gaps. I understand the pressures families are under, the challenges small businesses face, and how important it is to have leadership that is present, responsive, and engaged year-round, not just when it is convenient.
Kāneʻohe and Maunawili deserve that kind of leadership.