My name is (Brittany) Kai Nakamoto, and I am from the North Shore of ‘Oahu.  I am currently striving to graduate with my Bachelor’s of Science in Biology to move on towards obtaining my Doctorate degree in Optometry.  Vision is such an important aspect of life, and I want to be able to serve the vision needs of our Hawaiian community as well as internationally to help people see our beautiful world more clearly.  The means of funding my tuition is something that I am constantly seeking resources for and would greatly appreciate any type of support.

As I was volunteering at a loʻi patch in He’eia recently I had some time to reflect on the metaphor between the way kalo is grown and reused in connection with us as humans and parenting.  I feel we must step up and realize that the future of our kids and generations to come literally lies in our hands.  I don’t currently have kids but plan to one day and hope to build a strong foundation for them both financially through first and foremost achieving my careers goals as well as gaining the much needed knowledge and preparedness for successful parenting that is so easily overlooked and taken for granted in today’s society.  I strongly believe that what we do now for our children will affect their future in great ways much like how the way the kalo is grounded and nurtured affects how well it produces as well as its ability to be reused for future production.

It also stems from our ancestors, or our roots, which is what I feel we should looks towards for guidance as their ways were so prosperous and logically sustainable.  I also was inspired to write about the outstanding kalo plant because I feel that it is such an amazing resource with its various functions that more people should be aware of and utilize to their benefit.