This last week (June 23-27) marked the continuation of meaningful community engagement and skill-building within my Leadership in Action (LiA) project. Each day brought new opportunities to serve, learn, and deepen relationships with the people and organizations I’ve grown close to here on Maui.

On Monday, I began the week by assisting with food box distribution, helping prepare and deliver essential supplies to local families in need. Later that day, I assisted in organizing and executing my firm’s first Renter’s Rights training session, which saw high attendance from members of the community. This session was informative even for me and deepened my resolve for the work I’m doing through our legal education initiative. The training sharpened my understanding of tenant protections and housing injustice, key issues in the post-fire recovery landscape. As the main focus of my LiA project, the success of this initiative was very encouraging and I am eager to continue planning for future sessions. 

Tuesday and Saturday were spent volunteering at Na Kia‘i O’ Maui, the resource and recovery center supporting fire survivors. These were full, hands-on days of organizing donations, helping clients find what they needed, building shelving units, and supporting logistical coordination. Returning to NKM regularly has helped me grow deeper roots within this community, and I continue to be inspired by the resilience of those we serve.

On Thursday, I completed a complementary First Aid certification course, gaining practical emergency response skills that are essential when working in vulnerable communities. Later in the day, I attended YGA (Youth Get Action), where I was able to connect with youth in the community and provide some support to local community leaders who pour into the youth weekly .

This week went well in that I was able to maintain a steady rhythm of service, training, and reflection. I continued to build momentum for my legal education project while also broadening my personal toolkit—both in terms of practical skills like first aid and knowledge areas like housing law. More importantly, I was present in the community and responsive to emerging needs.

One area I could have improved on was time for structured reflection and documentation. With so many activities and moving pieces, I did not spend as much time as I would have liked processing each day’s experiences or recording insights in real time. I hope to build in more intentional moments next week to pause, evaluate, and realign as needed.

This week, I learned that I thrive in spaces of collaboration when I approach my work with a learner’s posture. I found myself listening more attentively, asking more thoughtful questions, and leaning into humility. I also noticed how consistency and reliability, showing up, being on time, doing what I say I will do, are small but powerful ways of building trust with others.

In terms of leadership, this week taught me that good leaders are bridge-builders. Whether it was translating legal language for community understanding or facilitating conversations among youth at YGA, I saw how leadership often means creating avenues for others to connect.

In the weeks ahead, I want to focus on finding my voice in group settings, especially in unfamiliar or intimidating ones. While I’ve been growing in confidence, there are still moments where I hesitate to offer ideas or step forward. Developing the courage to speak with clarity and conviction, while still remaining teachable, is a skill I hope to strengthen. I also want to become more comfortable facilitating discussions and leading parts of our legal workshops as they begin to launch.