Senior Gott Lakkhot had an incredible senior year season. His advisor Otake Sensei said of Gott, “I was proud to observe Gott’s growth through his soccer career at Pac-5. Some stand out memories were him being a captain of the JV team and making the varsity team as a junior and pushing past COVID to finish his career playing on a soccer field.”

that Naho was impressed; Senator Schatz avidly listened to student concerns. “He invited students to share their thoughts on various community issues,” recalls Mrs. Viloria.

The internship encourages Naho to be an advocate and leader for her community in a forum with a decision-maker for all of Hawaii. 

“I found out about this program from Mrs. Viloria and decided to apply to learn more about the inner workings of government,” Naho said. “We often learn about the election process in school, but less frequently what these politicians do once elected to office. I was curious to see what went into creating and proposing policy, and to see if politics is something I want to pursue in the future.” 

As an intern, Naho has been tasked with various important assignments. She conducted a social media review, attended community meetings, and helped design and deliver a community survey to see which issues her age-level peers find interesting.

"We are currently working on Action Memos, which are proposals on how the office should take action on issues that we find important,” she said. 

Through this internship, Naho also had the opportunity to hear from various members of the Senator’s Office including the Communications Director, Policy Staff, and Casework Staff. 

“The internship opened my eyes to the care and effort that goes into introducing policy, voting on legislation, producing social media content, and listening to constituents,” said Naho. “It also confirmed the direction I hope to pursue in my future career – law and public service is where it’s at!” 

As an outreach specialist at the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) Response, Koki Atcheson ’15 helps to protect Hawaii’s natural environment from the threats and impacts of the CRB. Through education and awareness, Koki works to contain the spread of CRB, which can cause direct damage to native plants, agricultural industries, and other valuable cultural resources.  

“My job is rarely ever boring,” said Koki. “The absolute best part of my job is getting to meet people of all different backgrounds who have a connection to coconut trees and other host species of CRB. Who knew that a single beetle could impact so many different fields of work?”  

One challenge that Koki faces is integrating invasive species management suggestions with other organizational priorities and limitations. “It can be challenging to ask farmers to implement significant changes to their operations to limit the infestation and spread of CRB before CRB have impacted their farms,” explained Koki. “My job is to help spread awareness in hopes of preventing further damage to Hawaii.”  

Though Koki stays busy with a variety of tasks – from writing an article for a landscape magazine to giving a presentation to students at the zoo – her long-term goals include finding ways to connect her community through art and sustainability. She is passionate about crafting and her journey with fabric design can be followed on Instagram by searching @kumaseam.  

Koki is inspired by her mom Penny and dad David, who recently stepped in as the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin’s Interim Executive Director, for allowing her to take on parts of her life that are most resonant. She also commented on how PBA and Buddhism has played a role in her life and career. 

“An understanding of interconnectedness that PBA and Hongwanji nurtured empowers me to closely examine the relationships between a single beetle and our entire ecological and political ecosystems. Similarly, communication with empathy has been an essential skill in my job that I was lucky to practice at PBA.  

“I am inspired by deep knowledge - especially those who know plants and people and feel a connection between the two. I am inspired by harmony and balance, including sustainability and re-visioning waste products as opportunities for life and regeneration. The problem is the solution!”  

More information about CRB can be found online here: https://www.crbhawaii.org