Laura Williams is a PhD candidate in the Geography and Environment Department at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa. She is interested in islands, rural development, sustainability and environmental justice. Her research on Kauaʻi uses a place based sustainability framework to understand how island and rural centric visions of hope are developing an evolving sense of place amidst jarring socio-environmental change. She considers herself primarily an activist scholar and enjoys collaborating on grants and projects with organizations. She lives on the island of Kauaʻi with her husband and two children. She enjoys writing, videography, good storytelling, music festivals, surfing, camping, traveling, snowboarding, and last but definitely not least taking care of her children.