Iwalani Clayton (Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Aloha, my name is Iwalani, and I am a CERENE Action 15 Undergraduate Research Assistant. I live within O’ahu’s Neighborhood Board #1, Hawaii Kai (Mokupuni o O’ahu, in the Moku o Koʻolaupoko, in the Ahupua’a o Waimanalo, and in the ‘Ili o Maunalua). I have an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE) and one in Hawaiian Studies from Kapi’olani Community College (KCC). I am a student at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa at the College of Education. My major is a Bachelor in Special Needs Education (BSNEd) with a specialization in Early Childhood Education (ECE). My interests have always included music, dance, reading for pleasure, and art in mixed media, including painting, arts and crafts, and technology (web designing). My passions are intertwined with my culture, heritage, and the practice of Mālama ‘Āina or the “nurturing and care for the land.” It is the Hawaiian privilege, or Kuleana, of our ancestors (kūpuna), and it is based on the relationship between man and the care and preservation of the land or ʻāina. When we take care of the environment and its people, they in turn will help to sustain life for its inhabitants and future generations. As part of my research for the Action 15 Program I will be conducting a programmatic analysis of our Resilience Corps Leaders (RCLs), focusing on the experiences and work of the different cohorts. I will also help to document and create a resource hub for the CERENE Hawai’i website focusing on Hawai’i’s resilience and food security.