College Essay

Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

It was on my trip to Alaska during summer of 2012, at around 1AM, when my cousin brought me along with her to meet a few of her friends down the street in the woods to have a bonfire.

…And here comes the question people never fail to ask me when on a trip.

“Where are you from?” one of her friends ask.

“Hawaii.” I reply.

“Which island?”

“Oahu! Haha”

“WOW! I’ve always wanted to go there!”

Whenever I travel and meet new people, the first thing they ask me is where I’m from. Either seeing their shocked or confused faces, it always seemed to amuse me. I grew up basically in the main city, with our Downtown just 3 minutes away from home. But if I look to the back of me, I could see our beautiful mountain ranges panning from the west to the east. Many tourists here pay attention to the scenery, but what really makes Hawaii different from the rest is the people and the culture.

Growing up, I came from a Filipino family. It didn’t matter if you came from China, Cambodia, or Europe, because we all learn about the importance of “Ohana”. As stated in the first Lilo and Stitch movie, “Ohana means family, and no one gets left behind”. Here in Hawaii, we treat everyone like family and with respect. For example, our elders, we normally don’t address them by “Mister” or “Mrs.”, we like to call them our “Uncle” or “Auntie”.  And when we would disrespect anyone, especially the elder, we would get “dirty lickins” or in English, simply busted. As I grew up, my teachers, parents, and even friends would tell me to treat everyone with respect and to look at them as your family under no circumstances. One of the main things that I learned from them is that everyone is your Ohana at the end of the day, even when the road gets rough.

Looking around and seeing luscious green mountains and the calm, beautiful turquoise beaches, I would always lug my SLR with me, searching for inspiration to create a beautiful picture. Living on an island that has many natural landmarks, I was taught to care for the land, or what we call here, the “’Aina”. Since I was enrolled in many community service groups many summers. In the Hawaiian culture, caring for the ‘Aina meant to never disrespect the land and to simply care for it. Participating in many beach clean ups and park clean ups in middle school, I’ve learned to carry on this saying and to never litter or disrespect the land where we come from.

I guess you can say I’m blessed to be living on this beautiful island of Oahu. Being influenced by the Hawaiian culture of respect, when you walk around a park, the mall, or simply the streets of your neighborhood, it never fails to pass by people with a smile on their face. Born and raised on this beautiful island has really shaped my ambitions because I was always one who was interested in the digital arts, especially photography. Whenever I would go out, my camera is my best friend. It would captures the beautiful, unforgettable moments within our Ohana and the calming scenery in our lovely ‘Aina.