The Rising Foundation tool several young women on an immersion trip to Hawai'i in September. Photo / Supplied
The Rising Foundation tool several young women on an immersion trip to Hawai'i in September. Photo / Supplied
A trip somewhere new can be a gift in countless different ways. It can give us a much-needed rest or fresh perspective, test our limits or bring us the love of our life. In some instances, a great trip can even give us the inspiration we need to pursue our dream career.
At least, that was what a recent trip to Oahu, Hawaii did for Manurewa high school student, Milletta Komisi.
The 16-year-old may still be in school but already dreams of working for the United Nations, helping those in need.
Milletta Komisi (left) recently visited Hawai'i with the Rising Foundation. Photo / Supplied
According to Komisi, the idea came to her months ago but she pushed it to the back of her mind and instead focused on spending time with her family, playing rugby and performing with her Samoan cultural group.
Then, in September she travelled to Hawaii, for an experience that brought her UN dream back into focus.
While Hawaii is a highly popular holiday destination for many young kids and families, Miletta had never been. Neither had many of the nine other young women, aged 15 to 18 years old, who went on the cultural immersion trip organised by The Rising Foundation and Hawaiian Airlines.
Founded in 2009 and based in South Auckland, the not-for-profit foundation is dedicated to helping students from years 8 to 13 reimagine a future for themselves by teaching them life skills.
Sometimes this looks like group camps or mentor programmes. Other times, with support from Hawaiian Airlines, NZME and New Zealand Police, this looks like sending a group of young women to immerse themselves in Hawaiian culture.
The Rising Foundation group trip was supported by New Zealand Police, Hawaiian Airlines and NZME. Photo / Supplied
For Milletta, boarding an international flight was exciting; it had been seven years since she last went abroad for a family visit to Samoa in 2016. Yet the most memorable part of the trip was visiting and mucking in at Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi, a local taro plantation.
“I felt at home when working there; the scenery of where the taro plantation was located looked like Samoa, which gave me a homely vibe and a welcoming feeling,” she said.
“It was a weird yet very cherishing moment of the trip, I really connected with nature, something that doesn’t come often when at home.”
Miletta was also inspired by how the plantation (and the Hawai’i Foodbank, where the group volunteered one afternoon), directed resources towards Mauri residents who had recently experienced devastating wildfires.
“Everything we picked and packed was going towards helping them,” Miletta explained, describing the experience as eye-opening.
The Rising Foundation group helping at a foodbank in Hawai'i. Photo / Supplied
“It made me think about those who are less fortunate and how everyone is going through a moment of struggle, which taught me that giving something can always help someone,” she added.
Like many revelations one can have abroad, this isn’t one Miletta has forgotten since coming home. Instead, it’s been fuel for her dream of pursuing a career that helps others.
“Things like working at the food bank and taro plantations to help those in need in Maui was basically a little taste of what it’s like to get to travel and help,” she said.
“The concept of me working for the United Nations was an idea I’ve had in the back of my mind since last year but the trip to Hawaii really opened my mind even more to this idea.”
Feeling inspired by how Hawaiian communities care for one another was part of what Russell Williss, Hawaiian Airlines’ New Zealand Country manager, hoped the young women would take away from the trip.
Williss, who brought the trip to life, said the airline was passionate about promoting and protecting Hawaiian culture and communities, partly through on-the-ground initiatives but also by immersing others in the culture.
“In New Zealand we have found like-minded friends and organisations like Rising Foundation, with similar principles to our own, to strengthen youth-led preservation of culture, community and environment,” he said.
