Vanessa was born and raised in Lahaina, Maui. Her childhood and adolescence instilled a keen sense of malama for the ‘aina and ocean.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Science Management from UH Maui College, where she received a graduate award for being among the top in her class.  She works for Haleakalā Conservancy as their Community Outreach Coordinator and recently became a LEED Green Associate through Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI).  In her spare time, she volunteers for the Surfrider Foundation, collecting water samples and assisting in the lab to detect contaminants, and she loves to indulge in her artistic inclinations as a digital artist.  

Vanessa is supporting Hulihia’s “Revitalizing Lahaina” project through research support in various areas including wastewater management and the restoration of Mokuhinia systems model.

My name is Jedediah Kobobel, but I often go by Jedi.  I was born in Boulder, Colorado, and have lived on Maui for 10 years. I am a graduate of UH Maui College with my degrees in Electronics and Computer Engineering Technologies (ECET) as well as my Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Business and Information Technologies (ABIT). Upon graduation, I gained employment at the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) as well as worked as an electronics engineer for NASA, a data scientist contractor, and a freelance artist.  You can see my artwork in Hana and I previously showcased it in Lahaina.  I have engineered electronics components that are in space and have published three papers on molecular filters.   

Jedediah is supporting Hulihia’s “Revitalizing Lahaina” project by providing technical support through data management and software applications. 

My name is Kassandra Yokoyama and I am currently an Applied Business and Information Technology (ABIT) student at the University of Hawaii Maui College (UHMC). I work in the Office of Extended Learning & Workforce Development (ELWD) and my responsibilities include answering student inquiries, inputting data, and serving the community. My academic journey in ABIT has equipped me with a solid foundation in both business and technology, which I apply in my role to support students and promote educational programs. I will use my experiences to support the Maui Strong Fellowship cohort to the best of my ability.  

Kassandra is supporting Hulihia’s “Revitalizing Lahaina” project by providing marketing assistance and promotional materials for the project. 

My name is Liv Caron. I grew up in Rhode Island and moved to Maui to learn about sustainable agriculture in climates with year-round growing seasons. I have worked in sustainable agriculture and education for the last 6 years in Rhode Island, Maine, Alaska, and Maui. My passion for food systems grew from working with local food banks in Maine during COVID-19 where I developed distribution systems to get locally-grown fresh produce and beef to the community.  I have studied soil regeneration and composting with Kupa'a farms in Kula, and currently work as a garden teacher at Haiku Elementary School. I am enrolled in the Sustainable Science Management program at UHMC and a LEED Green Associate. I previously worked with Hulihia for their Hoʻopaʻa i ke Kahua Program and am excited to work with them again to examine food security and agricultural systems in Lahaina. 

Olivia is supporting Hulihia’s “Revitalizing Lahaina” project by examining food security and agricultural systems in Lahaina.