Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

For those of you who don’t know me, I’ll bring you up to speed! My name is Ka’ili (pronounced Kuh-Eelee) but most people just call me Kai or Kaili (pronounced Kylie). Ever since I started traveling, I pretty much will respond to anything beginning with the letter K. To me, it’s close enough! My name is Hawaiian but I’m not Hawaiian. I’m actually hapa haole, meaning I’m half Japanese and half Caucasian. I’m from Oahu, Hawaii born and raised. My immediate family consists of my incredible parents, three amazing siblings, and a stray cat that adopted us. I loved playing sports all growing up and I turned to academics when I went to college.

Meet my wonderful family (: (Minus our cat, Penelope!)

I will be graduating from the University of Hawaii at Manoa this spring with a BBA. I’m double majoring in Entrepreneurship and International Business. As for the entrepreneurship side of myself, I helped create a student-run startup called Bring Home Aloha at the Ilikai Hotel in Waikiki where we sold Made-In-Hawaii products and UH brand items. I also founded my own nonprofit called 5000 Reasons where I’m raising scholarships for girls and books for children in Zambia, Africa.

As for the international side, I had the opportunity to spend a semester studying in Seville, Spain and was blessed to have the opportunity to return the following year to study in Copenhagen, Denmark. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to countless countries in Europe and even had the chance to go to North Africa for a weekend.

Meet my amazing Spanish family (left) and my incredible Danish family (right)

I’ve always loved working with kids. Having three younger siblings has played a big part in that and I’ve enjoyed building relationships with the kids I meet from all over the world. I had the opportunity to work at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp two summers in a row as a camp counselor, and that has opened my eyes to a new perspective of taking care of kids. Let’s just say I can’t remember how many times I’ve called my mom during that experience and telling her how awesome she is and how I appreciate all the things she does behind the scenes for us kids.

God has been so good over the years. As a kid I went to church with my family, but I was way more excited for the food after service, rather than the message that was being preached. It wasn’t until high school that I recommitted myself to God and since that point, He has turned my life upside down and backwards! He has blown my mind so many times and I want to share the love and grace He bestows upon me to others in this world.

I think that about sums me up in a nutshell. That’s the general overview of my last 21 years of my life, but I’ve added eleven random facts about myself to give you a glimpse of the finer details of my life. 

11 Random Facts About Myself:

  1. I love flaming hot cheetos. It’s my go-to comfort food. When I lived in Europe I was in withdrawals, so instead I turned to nutella and peanut butter for comfort.
  2. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed performing street magic and stage magic.
  3. I have the greatest family and group of friends, and we call ourselves Team Shark Bait. TSB Baby! Our motto is: Play hard, eat harder.
  4. Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. Every summer I take out my favorite books and re-read them to my heart’s content.
  5. I love my mornings. My favorite is waking up at the crack of dawn, doing my devos, and enjoying God’s beauty at the beach.
  6. I’m the oldest of four, but I’m almost the shortest. My youngest sister, Hoku, who just turned 12, is ¼ inch shorter than me and will pass me in the next few months.
  7. Singing is not my thing, but I gave it a shot and sang Soprano in Amager Gospelkor in Denmark. It was amazing learning how to sing in Danish, and singing Christian songs in English.
  8. I’ve been dancing hula since the 5th grade. It’s my favorite form of storytelling.
  9. I’m a foodie. I love trying new foods and I enjoy taking pictures of them so I can show my family and friends.
  10. I was the first girl to play baseball at ‘Iolani. I played during my 8th and 9th grade year and loved it. The following year baseball and softball were at the same time, so I chose to play softball because my sister, Nalani, was on the team.
  11. I’ve been journaling since my sophomore year in high school. It’s been a great way for me to preserve my memories, but more importantly, a way for me to look back and see how good God has been even during the toughest times in my life.