Whoops! I didn’t stick to my word about writing every month … that’s my bad!

Welcome (again) to Allie in Action—senior year edition.

As you can imagine, my schedule, life, and even just finding time to brush my teeth has been a struggle to manage! But overall, I’ve been doing well.

I submitted all of my college applications before the end of September—slowly chipping away at everything that needed to be done. I’ve also been training six days a week for track and field (pole vault), paying $100 a week, and striving for the MIL and State titles this year—with maximum effort but no expectations.

But the main focus I want to share in this debut of Senior Year Edition is the Hawaiian children’s book my Hui Aloha ʻĀina o ʻAʻapueo group created, which I’ve mentioned in a previous blog. We printed our own hard copy and will soon be publishing it on Amazon for others to purchase. It’s incredibly rewarding to see my name on the first page as a co-author and clip art illustrator.

In mid-November, we’ll be traveling to Auckland, New Zealand for the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE), where we’ll be presenting our book, sharing about the process of raising $25,000 to get there, and continuing the old Hawaiian moʻolelo to other indigenous kumu and haumāna who, we hope, will share outside our lāhui.

Honestly, I’d say the fundraising aspect of this journey was more challenging than creating the book itself. Props to Sara for making all the main illustrations—I know she put her life and soul into perfecting them. In our fundraising efforts, we attended local events as vendors, selling handmade coasters, ʻAʻapueo merch, car leis, Truffle Pop popcorn from Oʻahu, Kalei’s Lunchbox tickets, and my personal favorite—face painting for the kids.

Face painting actually led me to start a side business with Sara. We were the main artists behind the book’s creation and also the face painters at our events. If I had to estimate, we raised about half of our funds through face painting alone. Through long 4–8 hour shifts, you wouldn’t believe the back pain that can cause! But honestly, I loved it—even if I couldn’t walk the next day.

Now, we sell rearview mirror car leis outside of school and face paint at birthday parties. We’ve even dipped our feet further into the community by being vendors at Sunday markets and other local events.

I give full credit to preparing for WIPCE for helping me discover a side hobby that lets me release stress—but most of all, helps me afford my training!

All in all, I learned that all the stress and worrying was worth it—but also that I don’t need to be stressed or worried during the process. I’ve taught myself to enjoy the journey, because in the end, I know that my preparation will show in the results. Next time, when I’m re-illustrating an image for the third time, I’ll remind myself that the success I feel afterward will be worth it—especially knowing that others get to enjoy a book that isn’t an eyesore!