Welina! ʻO Kilohana koʻu inoa. Ua noho au i Anahola ma Kauaʻi a Manokalanipō. He wahine Hawaiʻi au. He moʻopuna au. He kaikamahine au. He kaikuahine au. ʻO kēia nā mea waiwai i kuʻu puʻuwai.

Kilohana Haitsuka is the proud product of Kānaka Maoli from Anahola, Kauaʻi and Japanese settlers from Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu. She loves her community, and their needs and voices will always be at the forefront of her work. Her research is culturally guided and grounded in Indigenous research methodologies that advocate for community participation and respectful engagement.

She recently completed her work at Hā Kūpuna, the National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders. She is also happy to be continuing her work with the wonderful team from Mauli Ola Mālamalama at Papa Ola Lōkahi. To Kilohana, joining the PhD program at UW can be described as a koho ʻia. She is grateful to begin working with Kumu Mike and other Indigenous Pacific Islander researchers, including her soon-to-be hoa hana.

She is excited to build pilina in a new place and absorb all that it has to offer. E hoʻomau aku i kō kākou manaʻo ma nā kapuaʻi o ka manaʻoʻiʻo o nā kūpuna.