Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 8, 1 August 2022 — William Paik [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

William Paik

=1 1 I have not participated in any Hawaiian organizations. With that being said I experienced the life of a true Hawaiian growing up on the Big Island. We lived off the land and sea. My Dad was Hawaiian and taught me how to fish, grow taro and pound poi, growing vegetables and raising livestock. These experiences have had a lasting effect on my life in raising a great family and success in my role as a leader in my career. 2 | There are many ways to give back to the community. I chose to do teaching and tutoring. My motivation was to help young people in our community and how they ean be productive and successful one day. I spent 25 years at HPU as

a lecturer. I also provided tutoring for high school students at no cost for many years. 3 | I was the president of two loeal companies and the chief operating oflicer for a large company. Most of my time spent was on planning and policies. My priorities included working relationships with all stakeholders, the livelihood and safety for all employees and to provide an environment where people ean grow and be successful. 4 1 I believe OHA needs to get buy in ffom all the people that should be benefiting from this organization and the benefits that OHA ean provide to the masses. It is a big challenge when you look at the dollars is it enough to go around. 5 1 One of the biggest challenges is the cost of real estate. With that being said Kamehameha Schools has over 350,000 acres statewide, could they be a potential partner. Hawaiian Homes has over 25,000 people on the waitlist and many have been waiting for years. We also need to work with lawmakers both for funding and support. ■