Day 3 Manaʻo for Cohort Kaulua March 19, 2025

The third day has become one of my favorite days during our visits to Kaʻākaukukui where we learn and hear from the ʻāina and the people who graciously host us on the UH Cancer Center and JABSOM campuses. We are so fortunate that our office has the opportunity to continue to build pilina with this place, especially during different times of the year. As we heard the stories and intentions of the campus from the people who welcomed us, I noticed a baby Manuokū flapping their wings in the winds that blew through the canopy of kukui, just one of the plants on the campus grounds that offer medicine. Medicine both for people, for the place, and for the next generations of nesting native birds. 

As the day continued and everyone gathered in their final groups, I am always reminded of how excited I get to see each cohort when everyone finds and unearths the pilina that holds each of us in relation to one another. Like the baby Manuokū learning to flap their wings (before learning to fly) in the winds that the kamaʻāina of this place called by name, we also have the ability to call upon the connections that are always there and breathe new life into our pilina. 

Mahalo everyone for the work that you have contributed in all the ways that you have!