A Note to Self…

The most recent decision by the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) to approve its proposed “emergency” rules to further block access to kanaka maoli’s most sacred temple, Mauna a Wākea, prompted my op-ed piece titled, Kanaka Maoli Health Does Not Matter; Kanaka Maoli Do Not Matter.  After further thought, I realized that this piece captures a snapshot of my journey in earning my degrees in public health and law.  This post is “a note to self” of sorts that I think will be helpful as I study for the bar exam (more on that later).

Before going to college, I remember knowing for a while that I wanted to become a medical doctor.  I knew that I wanted to work with kids in hopes of changing the next generation’s health and focus on preventative health.  It wasn’t until my last year of undergrad, while doing my senior capstone project, did I learn about the field of public health.  Long story short, my plans to become a medical doctor changed, and I set out to get my masters in public health.

As a public health student, I became increasingly interested in the overlap between health, policies and law.  This is what prompted me to continue my education and apply to law school.

Many have asked, “what made you switch from health to law?”  For me, I didn’t “switch.”  Instead, I continued building and combining my different areas of learning to prepare myself with the knowledge that I would need to best serve my community.

So with this op-ed, I remembered why I went to law school in the first place.  My mind thinks about U.S. history in how Native Americans were/are treated, and there is many overlaps with this same treatment to Native Hawaiians, with regards to research and an overt strategy to not care about the health of these people.  Not only has history shown that there is a lack of care, but also a lack of responsibility, and a purposeful plan to disconnect natives from their natural resources, their livelihood.

With this op-ed, I re-ignited my fire with remembering my passion:  the overlap of kanaka maoli rights, health, environmental law, and the law (more generally).