Leiʻohu Turley
Leiʻohu Turley, a recent graduate of Seabury Hall, is currently attending Dartmouth College majoring in Government & Indigenous studies. She plans to study law at UH-Manoa after graduation.
In her submission, Leiʻohu shares meaningful moments from her journey—highlighting how Hawaiian Canoe Club has shaped her growth, values, and connection to community.
Being a member of Hawaiian Canoe Club has shaped me into the person I am today. I started paddling when I was eleven years old. During my first week of practice, Coach Luʻuwai threw me in to be a steerswoman. Although I was terrified, steering sparked a love for paddling and navigation within me.
This passion only grew when I learned about the island of Kahoʻolawe through the Kamaliʻi Program. Each year, I tried to soak up as much about Kahoʻolawe from my sister and her friends in hopes that I would be one of the Kamaliʻi keiki selected to go on the trip. Eventually, in my third year of paddling I was selected to go, and I have been returning ever since. I have been fortunate enough to have gone to Kahoʻolawe with Coach Luʻuwai for four years now and I can confidently say that I would be a completely different person without the island. One example of this is that I wrote my college application essay about Kahoʻolawe. Here is an excerpt: “On last year's trip, we were able to hike to the top of Moa’ulaiki. While hiking, my uncle told us to take our shoes off to finish the hike so that we would feel Kaho’olawe. I remember planting myself at the top and watching each sway of dry grass like waves below me. I felt every rock beneath my feet and each gust of wind in my hair. There, looking down at the dry island, I began to cry for Kaho’olawe because I could not imagine what she had gone through. I felt like I was feeling the pain for Kahoʻolawe, like each sharp pebble beneath my toes was taking some of her pain away.” Kahoʻolawe has been that reason behind a lot of my future decisions, one of which is becoming a lawyer. Next year I will be attending Dartmouth College in New Hampshire to pursue this goal and it is because of Kahoʻolawe and Hawaiian Canoe Club. And not because the club looked good on my resume, but because it molded me into the person they saw during the interview. Growing up in the Kamaliʻi program taught me about where I come from and fostered a deep sense of place that has allowed me to feel confident enough to leave. It is because of this strong community that I am able to leave and continue to feel supported.
Besides Kahoʻolawe and the community, the coaching itself has taught me valuable lessons of discipline and communication as training is difficult. When in the waʻa, everyone has to be in communication with each other if the boat is to run smoothly. These skills have been able to be applied outside of paddling where in group settings I am able to truly value effective communication.
If I am awarded, this scholarship will be put towards my cost of attendance at Dartmouth College. While I am there, I plan to study government and Indigenous studies on a pre-law track. Once I graduate, I plan on studying law at UH Mānoa where I eventually hope to become a lawyer in Hawaiʻi. I am extremely grateful for everything that Hawaiian Canoe Club has provided for me both inside and outside of the waʻa and I look forward to giving back one day.
