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Liliʻuokalani Trust Reaches Milestones at the 2024 Merrie Monarch

In April, Hawaiʻi Island youth from Liliʻuokalani Trust participated in the Merrie Monarch Festival, a week-long celebration of Hawaiian culture, chant, and hula. The group not only won 3rd place for their float in the parade, but they also sang the Star-Spangled Banner and Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī in front of thousands of people. Their live performances were broadcast to a global audience, testifying to the Trust’s commitment to Hawaiian youth.

Equally impressive during the Merrie Monarch were T-shirts worn by the young performers both during the parade and onstage. The beautiful, amber hue and designs were crafted in a Senior Internship by Kaden (pictured above), a 17-year-old member of the Trust.

We reached out to Kaden to learn about the T-shirt’s design, and to hear about his experiences at the Trust:  

Q: The shirt you created for the children of Liliʻuokalani Trust to wear at the Merrie Monarch, made a strong impression both onscreen and onstage. Could you explain the significance of the design?

“This shirt takes inspiration from my home, Hawaiʻi Island. The yellow coloring of the shirts, as well as the feathers down the sleeve, represent the palila bird. The palila are indigenous to the slopes of Mauna Kea and close to extinction. Many of their close relatives have gone extinct.

Palila eat māmane seeds, as seen in the māmane lei across the chest of the shirt, which are highly poisonous to all other birds. We wanted our shirt to represent this ability to overcome adversity, wanted the shirt to inspire developing youth, and is intended for the kamaliʻi to gain a sense of belonging, aloha, pride, and confidence.”

Q: Mahalo nui for sharing the backstory. Also, we’re aware that you recently graduated high school. What lies ahead for you in the future?

“I plan to attend George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, about an hour out of Portland. I will originally have an undeclared major, but I will likely major in Business Management. I don’t know if I will return to Hawaiʻi after high school. No matter what my future holds, LT has taught me how to make a positive impact in the community.”

Q: Could you share your experiences at LT, and how it has supported you?

“I joined LT in the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year when I was 17. LT helped me to learn many business skills, but more importantly, life skills. I learned to treat everyone with aloha, because you don’t know their backstory. It helped me develop my understanding of the real world and issues in our community that are happening every day, without the general public knowing about them.”

Q: A mission of LT is to help youth gain an appreciation for Indigenous culture. How has LT guided you, in that aspect?

“LT has really helped me to understand and appreciate my Hawaiian ancestry and heritage. Before joining LT, despite growing up in Hawaiʻi, I didn’t know anything. LT taught me about true aloha, the importance of community, and what valuable cultural traditions, and passing on moʻolelo, can bring into our modern world.”

Q: What were some of your fondest memories from your time at LT?

“I have so many great memories with LT. I was able to meet so many wonderful people in and out of LT. Getting to plan out the invasive species fishing tournament (Social Impact Project, "He Āholehole Kākou") was one of the coolest things I have done. The day we spent filming a holiday commercial was also a highlight of mine, and I felt like we were bringing people together just in that short time.

My favorite memory happened to be at Starbucks. We were working there while Hilo Kīpuka was being renovated for a day, and Kāwika Urakami (Youth Development Specialist) challenged me and the others working on the invasive species tournament, to go up to someone and talk to them about it. We were in no way asking for money, yet, somehow my peer, who was not the best at speaking to strangers, and had to start over multiple times, got a guy to give him a $20 donation.”

Q: It sounds like your Youth Leaders at LT provide unconditional support. If you could convey one message to your Leaders, what would it be?

“It would be ‘Thank you for welcoming me with open arms and for helping me make my Senior Internship with LT a valuable experience for life. I appreciate each of you treating me with kindness and respect, each and every day.’”