Lahela Manning was born and raised in Honolulu in ‘Alewa Heights, and graduated from Kamehameha School Kapalama campus. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Dixie State University in Saint George, Utah and went on to work as a Student affairs advisor for the college. She also worked for the Southwest behavioral health center of Southern Utah, where she learned that her passion was working with youth. While living in the mainland for 10 years, she found a great need for local students from here in Hawaii to learn skills that would help them become confident, independent thinkers who could travel the world and bring their unique aloha spirit to all they meet. Upon arriving home 6 years ago, she found CTL and has been involved as both a student facilitator and volunteer ever since.

1. I hope today’s generation will learn to focus less on what people will see on their social media, and more on their character in their interactions with people.

2. My favorite thing about Hawai’i is that no matter where you go in the world, your body and spirit always feel that call to home. Right from getting off the airplane, you feel the air, smell the grass, hear the local accent, and you just feel right. There’s no other feeling like it in the world.