Staff Spotlight - Kalewa Aukai

Kalewa left her home and community on the island of Oahu, Hawaii to move to Portland to
pursue a career in the medical field. Despite loving Portland and all it has to offer, Kalewa is
eager to return home when she is done with her long academic journey and impart all she has
learned in order to give back to her community.

Kalewa is in her last year here at PSU, and she plans on continuing her pre-pharm health track
by completing her final undergraduate year for a B.S. in Chemistry and then begin her
doctorate program at Pacific University- Hillsboro. She is excited to be entering the pharmacy
field because she knows how much this role is able to help people, which is something she is
very passionate about. She explains that at her home in Hawaii, the cost of living is extremely
high, and for many Native Hawaiians, accessing proper healthcare is unfortunately out of reach.
Her dream is to be able to work alongside her Dad who has his own physical therapy business,
and one day potentially create her own practice where she is able to provide affordable and
accessible care to the members of her community who need it most.

Kalewa joined Campus Rec just over two years ago as a supervisor in the Intramurals
department and then was promoted to Student Coordinator in IMs. She remembers walking in
for the first time and being warmly welcomed by her new co-workers, and since then has held
the intention to create that same warm and welcoming inclusion for all the people she meets at
the Rec. Kalewa serves an important role in planning events, facilitating meetings with staff,
and overall creating a welcoming environment for everyone who participates in intramurals.
She loves the fun and community-centered role she has here, especially as a way to continue
pursuing her love of sports. Kalewa is thankful for the experience she’s had working at Campus
Rec because it has helped refine her communication and leadership skills, all while making new
connections and friendships along the way.

If you have ever met Kalewa then you probably know that she is a warm, friendly, and
hardworking individual, who undeniably also has a great sense of humor. We can all learn from
Kalewa and her commitment to creating inclusive and community-centered spaces, and her
striving to always be there for those around her. If she were to give advice to someone who is
just beginning working at Campus Rec, she emphasizes the importance of meeting new people,
particularly the ProStaff! “They are super welcoming and they will always be there for you,” she
explains. “I love the entire community here, there are so many great people to meet.”

Thank you Kalewa for all that you have contributed to the intramurals program, and the
Campus Rec community as a whole. Your continuous diligence and enthusiasm in your role
certainly has not gone unnoticed!