I was eager to move up in the world and gladly sloughed Kalihi from my résumé during my time at Moanalua, where I basked in extracurriculars and the focus of teachers who’d kneel beside me and praise me for my essays. It
Privately, my honors English teachers said things to me about how talented and smart they thought I was but in class and during discussions I felt unacknowledged. It caused me a lot of pain.
