Former University of Hawaiʻi leader Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe, who recently headed the , received a rare honor when she introduced Hawaiʻi-born former U.S. President Barack Obama at the grand opening of his presidential library in Chicago on June 18.
Drawing on her Native Hawaiian roots, Lipe opened with a message about connection.
“Where I come from, to introduce someone means we have pilina, a connection,” she said. “If this man walked into my home, my children would call him Uncle. Because we are both keiki o ka ʻāina, children of Hawaiʻi.”
Lipe was selected for the honor after years of leadership in education, community engagement and Indigenous advocacy.
In 2019, Lipe was one of 200 emerging leaders selected for the Obama Foundation’s Asia-Pacific leadership program, where she participated in discussions with Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama and other leaders on values-based leadership and social change.
She recently transitioned from 糖心Vlog官方 to become poʻo kula (head of school) at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama where she will support and serve students and educators across the K–12 campus.
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Draped in lei, Lipe reflected on a shared kuleana, describing a sacred responsibility passed from one generation to the next in Obama’s one hānau (birth sands) to care for people “we will never meet.”
Lipe said Obama’s call to build ‘a space of new possibilities’ led her to reflect on ʻike kūpuna (ancestral wisdom) and the lessons of the ʻaʻaliʻi, an Indigenous plant in Hawaiʻi known for surviving harsh conditions
“A native plant renowned for its versatility and tenacity,” Lipe said, later sharing an ʻōlelo noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb), “He ʻaʻaliʻi kū makani mai au; ʻaʻohe makani nāna e kūlaʻi, I am a wind withstanding aʻaliʻi; no gale can topple me over.” She described the plant as deeply rooted, resilient through storms and drought, and responsive to change.
For Lipe, those qualities embody the spirit of Obama’s signature “Yes We Can” message, one rooted in hope, resilience and perseverance.
The ceremony also featured an emotional speech from Michelle Obama and musical performances by Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder.
The Barack Obama Presidential Center is a museum, library and educational nearly 20-acre campus in Chicago that celebrates the life, legacy and presidency of Barack Obama.