This ordinary loves pastries and ice cream.

How would you describe yourself?

Word search wizard, sudoku solver, kimchi maker, yum cha connoisseur, and Hawaiian hula dancer. This is me.

How has your home shaped your identity?

Home is everything. Hawaii is everything. I don’t know how to explain it. Home is who I am  it’s where I come from it’s who I come from. In Hawaiian creation, we believe that we’re decedents of the land. I hold that to be so true. When I am there I feel it. I feel rooted and grounded. When I am not there, I feel it. But when I step off that plane, I feel alive again — the air, the ground — I am home.

What are you yearning for now?

I’m yearning to go back home. To be back with my family. To be on a little rock in the middle of the ocean in an even bigger world.

If you could take anything with you from home — anywhere you go, what would it be?

My mama. She’s joy, happiness, love, understanding, she’s my best friend. She gets me.

What scent best describes you?

What’s coming to me my head right now is gardenias. I don’t know if that describes me because it’s really really sweet. I don’t know if I am sweet. I want something subtle.

If you were to give a speech to your people at home, what would you address?

Speech to my people. Okay. So the first thing that comes to my mind — just because I did this two weeks ago. My five year high school reunion is coming up. In Hawaii it’s a very big deal. Everybody in the class got an email saying to register to the reunion and to donate money to the fundraiser. I sent a Snap to my friends and telling them go to the reunion or donate money or do both. I feel like it’s so important to donate and to give back to the school. The president of the school said, “To whom much is given much is expected,” and that’s something that I take to heart. And so, I try to do that every way I can. And I think that education that I was given from that school was important and foundational for me. So I want to give back and encourage them from giving back.

If you were to be transformed into an object or an organism before your death what would it be?

I always say that if I were an animal it would be a Hawaiian monk seal. One privilege of being an endangered animal is that the beach is closed — I think it’s 100 feet in any direction. So that’s on the sand and in the water. And then, if you’re on the beach, there’s an attendant watching 24 hours to make sure that no body bothers you. Another benefit is that I can lay on the sand, soak up the sun, eat all I want, and get really fat. Monk seals return back to the beach where they were born; and I love home so I’ll be going back home. And I’ll be in Hawaii.

Your last meal will be…

Fruit.

If you could live in a painting for a day, what would it be?

I would live in Paul Gauguin paintings because of vibrant colors, and I really want to travel Polynesia.

What makes your heart sing?

Seeing other people happy. Being with my family. Seeing people smile and hearing kids laugh.