Pūkoʻa Fellows Program

LORNA-LEI SUA’AVA, Samoan

Lorna-lei Lepa’inenea Sua’ava’s family is from the beautiful island of American Samoa. She proudly represent both sides of her family from the villages of Aua and Nu’uuli! She is currently pursuing a PhD in Developmental Psychology at Capella University. Her work is rooted in honoring culture, relationships, and collective well-being. I am grateful for the opportunity to give back to my community through community-based work that supports healing, resilience, and equity, including efforts to uplift youth, strengthen families, and promote culturally responsive systems of care.

BRENNA TELLAMES WILLIAMS, Palauan and Filipino-Hawaiian

Brenna Tellames Williams from Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is pursuing my PhD in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric at Syracuse University. She is interested in diaspora studies, cultural identity and belonging, Hawaiian cultural practices as forms of rhetoric, and students’ right to their own language. As a member of the Pasifika diaspora, she has learned the importance of perpetuating cultural traditions and practices regardless of distance from the ‘āina.

KAI AIONA-AGRA, Native Hawaiian

Kai Aiona-Agra was born & raised in Hilo, Hawai’i. He’s a third-year at Seattle University where he’s studying Cell & Molecular Biology and minoring in Chemistry and Environmental Science. Being raised in Hawai’i and being immersed in Native Hawaiian values taught him the importance of the connection between the ʻāina and the people.  His research experiences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and in a traditional Hawaiian loko iʻa have shaped his commitment to place-based stewardship. In his free time, he likes to play volleyball, go to the beach, and make lei.

CAROLINE SLOPER, Native Hawaiian

Caroline Sloper was born and raised in Wailuku, Hawaiʻi. Sheattended Kamehameha Schools Maui, but now attends Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut where she study Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology on the pre-medical track.

LEILANI HOFF, Native Hawaiian

Leilani Hoff is a 3rd year student at Emory University. She is double majoring in Anthropology and Human Biology and Interdisciplinary Studies. Her Interdisciplinary Studies major is centered in Native and Indigenous Studies, Environmental Science, and Sociology. She grew up primarily in the Dallas Fort Worth area of Texas, and spends the summers with my ‘ohana in Hawai’i. At her institution she am the president of our chapter of NASA (Native American Student Association), and is also involved with her sorority (Kappa Kappa Gamma) and the Buddhist Club.

MARLEY TUITELE, Samoan

Marley Tuitele is from Boulder, Colorado. She is studying Business Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles (Class of 2029) and is passionate about creating positive environmental and social impact, particularly in addressing issues such as climate change and economic inequity faced by Pacific Islander and other Indigenous communities. She is also interested in finance for its problem-solving and strategic elements and hope to explore how she can align her career with her values to create meaningful change.

MELE KĀNEALI’I, Native Hawaiian

Mele Kānealiʻi is a kupa of Wailuku, Maui, and Kalamaʻula, Molokaʻi, and she a junior at Hamilton College studying public policy, economics, and Indigenous studies. She is a lifelong product of the Kaiapuni program, and growing up on Maui and Molokaʻi has shaped her passion for education equity and housing justice. She currently serves as the Legislative Lead for the Hawaiʻi State Youth Commission and has been involved in education advocacy with HawaiiKidsCAN since 2023, while also supporting housing research with the Maui County Council.

HELENA KA’AU’A, Native Hawaiian

Helena Ka’au’a is a freshman at Dartmouth College studying Neuroscience and Native American and Indigenous Studies from Austin, Texas. In the future, she aspires to be a Psychiatrist in Hilo, where her family is from, to help bridge the gap in Hawai’i’s physician shortage and provide care to Native Hawaiian populations. On the Dartmouth campus, she is involved with admissions as a Tour Guide, Hōkūpa’a, Chemistry research, and volunteering at the local hospital nearby.

AVA TUITELE, Samoan

Ava Tuitele is from Boulder, Colorado. She is a first-year Economics student at Northwestern University. She is Samoan and spent much of my childhood in Hawaiʻi, where sheI developed a strong connection to Pacific Islander culture, community, and place. At Northwestern, she is involved in the Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance (NAISA), the Institute for Student Business Education (ISBE), and Women in Business. She is interested in finance and consulting for their analytical and problem-solving aspects. Through the Pūkoʻa Fellowship, she hopes to stay connected to my roots while building skills to create opportunity and give back to Pacific Islander communities.

JAYNA KANOHOLANI, Native Hawaiian

Jayna Kanoholani (She/her) is an undergraduate student at Columbia University, double-majoring in Human Rights and Ethnicity and Race Studies with a Specialization in Indigenous Studies. Born and raised in Wailuku, on the island of Maui, Jayna is passionate about amplifying Pasifika voices in academia. As a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, she studies Native Hawaiian resistance to the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i. Aspiring to attend graduate school, Jayna hopes to use her pursuit of knowledge to advocate for Indigenous communities.

LANA AGUON, CHamoru

Lana Aguon, a CHamoru from Surprise, Arizona, leads life with her cultural value of inafa’maolek, meaning “to make good for each other.” Whether it be activism involving Indigenous, environmental, LGBTQ+, or education issues, she intends to “make good” for her people and communities. Lana received a Bachelor of Arts in Government with minors in Environmental Studies and Education Justice from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, as a first-generation college graduate. As a current law student at Georgetown Law, she is pursuing work at the intersection of Indigenous and environmental justice. She also plays trombone in a community jazz band, creates art, and attends local music shows.

SARAH MCNALLY, Tongan, Rotuman, and Tuvaluan

Sarah McNally is a PhD student in Health Services Organization and Policy at the University of Michigan. She was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but her family has roots in Tonga, Rotuma, and Tuvalu. Leading to her PhD was the opportunity to be in community with and learn from the work being led by NHPI and Native serving organizations on the West Coast, focused on decolonizing data, Indigenous data sovereignty, and Pasifika self-determination. She hopes to continue this work and support in uplifting the voices and experiences of our communities in the Midwest.

SILA STIBBIE, Samoan

Born and raised in Carson, California, Sila Stibbie is a sophomore at California State University, Long Beach pursuing a B.S. in Civil Engineering. Sila is always eager to engage with the Pasifika community, whether through local organizing or over a shared meal. Hoping to advocate for the next generation to pursue higher education and ensure that the Pacific Islander diaspora a seat at every table.

AUSTEN KINNEY, Native Hawaiian

Austen Kinney is a first-year student at Washington University in St. Louis, where she is a student-athlete on the softball team. She is a Native Hawaiian from Maunawili, Hawaiʻi, and a graduate of Punahou School. She is majoring in public health and biology, with a strong interest in women’s health and health equity. She is particularly passionate about addressing period poverty and expanding access to menstrual health education and resources. Through her academic studies and athletics, she hopes to pursue work that supports underserved communities.