- June 2020
Personal Statement
Aloha, my name is Kenna Higa from Hawai’i. Being Native Hawaiian is a special part of who I am. It connects me to my kūpuna (ancestors), ʻāina (beloved land), and the future generations. No matter how hard you try not to, you’ll run into someone you know. Everyone is ʻohana because connection and building relationships is valuable. I want to discover new places, with languages I’ve never heard before, and people that better my understanding on the political and world issues in today’s society. This is how I will find my best self...by opening up to new experiences and destinations. College is part of that journey! I want to experience something new (away from home), to be able to compete with the best of the best, and to figure out my future. Trying new things and experiences can be scary, but I will lean on my support system such as my family, to build a solid foundation. On my previous teams, my teammates became a part of my ʻohana (family) and I know that they will continue to support me in whatever I do. When I get to college, I want to find that in my teammates to help me get though the beginning stages of college.
I grew up with two older siblings, so you can imagine that my life involved following what they did. I played many sports growing up, but baseball was my first love. Following in my brother’s baseball footsteps inspired me to be super competitive and I wanted to be better than him. Transitioning to softball brought me joy and, when I wasn’t on the field, I wanted to be on it.
As far as my personality, I’m outgoing and sociable. I tend to make friends easily by making them feel welcomed becuase thats what I would want. Sometimes that looks like me telling a few lame jokes or dancing to crazy music as an icebreaker. My life is filled with the laughter of my friends and family. That’s aloha.
