Hawaiian Raindrops Mosaic
By: Rebekah Loving, APIASF Scholar
Raindrops formed an opaque mosaic on my eyeglasses as I ran through the sheets of sweet, acidic Hamakua rain to my house, sitting on a slope of Maunakea. One step in front of me was all I could see, but, fortunately, my eyes were not my only vision. In my community, there were always many eyes watching over me. Despite my community being as far removed from homogeneous as honey is distant from poi, the bland, slightly sour ground taro root that was a staple of the ancient Hawaiians’ diet and is still widely eaten, we looked after one another, like families in a siege bound together through adversity. I am Rebekah Loving, recipient of the AANAPISI-APIASF scholarship in the Spring of 2016 and a rising sophomore at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. As a young woman of Native Hawaiian and Japanese descent with a multitude of other heritages, including African American, Puerto Rican, and Swedish, to name just a few, I’ve never per se fit into an ethnic community. I’m an oddball, but my community didn’t care.
When I began attending the University, I had two main goals in mind. One: I must take every opportunity to improve myself both intellectually and as a person. Two: I must be an encouragement to those less blessed than me through tutoring, mentoring, encouraging, and inspiring, but most importantly through loving. With these objectives in mind, I began to actively engage with my fellow students, which made me realize that I desired to build a community, not based on ethnicity or academic excellence, but founded on giving care and support. I wanted to create a community, as my family had in the neighbourhood I grew up in–one that managed to overlook differences and create an environment for growth and collaboration. My first goal has been surprisingly successful considering this year’s outcomes. I have collaborated on a paper published in the European Journal of Physics and will be participating in the Summer Program in Biostatistics and Computational Biology in the Department of Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH). My second goal is much more difficult to quantify success in, but examination showed me that the community is maturing.
In my first couple of weeks attending college, I was depressed by the lack of communication and influence the upperclassman practiced with the underclassman in the different disciplines, especially the computer science and mathematics centers where I spent most of my time. Therefore, I began, somewhat subconsciously, to work in a group for scholarly and personal support; at first, I was the only link. The connections gradually increased to include more individuals who subconsciously supported my effort in both the upper division students and my fellow underclassmen. This community was birthed by the contributors. The growth I have seen stemming from the love poured out within my community at the University is invigorating to witness. I am blessed by communities. Through raindrop stained glass, they’ve shown me miracles.   Â
