As the Research Fellow, Kawika is responsible for conducting research on state climate and clean energy legislation. He will use that research to develop Blue Planet’s 2023 legislative priorities and update Waypoints (waypointshawaii.org) to inform future programs.
Kawika is a community organizer at heart and has been active in both grassroots and government work since 2019. In 2019, he founded the Hawai’i Youth Climate Coalition which has gone on to be the premiere voice of youth in the Hawai’i environmental space.
Since then, he has joined the Hawai’i State Youth Commission as the Legislative Lead while being a full-time student at American University. He is a double major in Communications, Legal Studies, Economics, and Government (CLEG) and Criminal Justice.
Kawika was the photography editor at his high school newspaper, the Cane Tassel. He still loves to take photos when he is able to.
“Blue Planet Foundation is an organization that is working really hard to meet young people where they’re at, and give them the opportunities to make their voice heard. Moreover, BPF has been a leading organization in the environmental policy sphere. These two combined make the organization a place I want to work, and where I believe I can thrive.”