What made you leave Hawaii for the mainland?
I wanted to try something new.
Why do you think so many Hawaii kids leave for college?
There are several reasons. I’d place them into three categories. 1) There are those who want to try something new—there’s a bigger world out there and they want to experience it for themselves. 2) They hate Hawaii (yes, there are people who hate Hawaii) and always say ‘they want to get off this [expletive] rock.’ 3) There is more opportunity to do well efficiently—you can get a nicer house for cheaper, a higher paying job with a lower cost of living, you can save more money. For many Hawaii residents, staying in Hawaii means staying with your parents because it is so hard to buy a house here. There is always a better job offered in the mainland. The only benefit to being here is you get to be home and home just happens to be paradise.
How did you like your mainland experience?
I loved every second of it—the experience, friends. I also learned a lot about myself. It wasn’t just about being away from our parents—although once you leave you are forced to be on your own. I also felt like I was representing a people since I am Hawaiian. People make a lot of assumptions about you in the mainland. You have to find out the best way to answer their questions and through that you achieve a sort of self-discovery.
What made you come back?
I love home. A job would make me consider moving to the mainland, with a high payroll. Everyone has a price. There are considerations to quantify the feeling in my heart. It’s a hard choice between doing what I love and being where I love.
What influenced you to move to the mainland? Any one person or collective influence?
My influence was my own desire. My teachers wanted it, but they wanted me to go to a smaller college because they thought it would be an easier transition. But I went with the opposite and chose a big college (about 30,000 students). I wanted to come back and tell people ‘OK you were right, or OK you were wrong’ either way I wanted to have my own answer.
What would you say to people who constantly question and don’t understand why people leave “paradise”?
It isn’t about leaving paradise! It’s home not a vacation we suddenly decided to stop. I can see why they’d think that but I see Hawaii’s flaws the same way anyone else sees their home’s flaws.