{"id":165985,"date":"2022-09-27T11:11:23","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T21:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=165985"},"modified":"2024-03-14T22:23:23","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T08:23:23","slug":"obama-foundation-scholar-pokii-balaz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/09\/27\/obama-foundation-scholar-pokii-balaz\/","title":{"rendered":"糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> alumna 1st Obama Foundation scholar from Hawai\u02bbi"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"person
Kealohakuʻualohakuʻupokiʻi<\/span> Balaz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Obama Foundation<\/a> has selected University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa and 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Hilo alumna Kealohakuʻualohakuʻupokiʻi<\/span> Balaz<\/strong> for its prestigious scholars program. Balaz is the first person from Hawaiʻi<\/span> to be selected for the program since its inception in 2018.<\/p>\n

Balaz earned her doctor of nursing practice from 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s School of Nursing<\/a>, executive master\u2019s of business administration from 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Shidler College of Business<\/a> and bachelor\u2019s in nursing from 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing<\/a>. She also holds a master\u2019s in nursing education from the University of Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

The Wahiaw\u0101 native and Leilehua High School graduate is currently the chief policy and compliance officer for Lunalilo Home, a facility that provides a variety of services for k\u016bpuna, and a clinician (nurse practitioner) in the memory care clinic within geriatrics at K\u014dkua Kalihi Valley Health Center. Balaz previously served as the interim executive director of Lunalilo Home.<\/p>\n

“糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> has played an important role in my professional and individual growth. That\u2019s really where it started,” Balaz said. “Being at 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr>, you really get to learn about yourself as an undergrad, as a grad student. I think going to 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> really helped me enhance my passion or identify spaces where I want to connect.”<\/p>\n

I think going to 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> really helped me enhance my passion or identify spaces where I want to connect.
—Kealohakuʻualohakuʻupokiʻi<\/span> Balaz<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Balaz added, “What I love the most is that there was never a glass ceiling. All of these experiences, with 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> being at the foundation, have helped me to create a career that I never saw coming or that I never thought would lead me to become a scholar in this program.”<\/p>\n

Balaz also recalled taking courses at the 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Kamakak\u016bokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies<\/a> on l\u0101ʻau<\/span> lapaʻau<\/span> (using herbs to heal).<\/p>\n

“That really helped me as a clinician and culturally as a Native Hawaiian to really bridge the gap between cultural practices in health care and Western medicine, and look at a lot of the similarities,” Balaz said.<\/p>\n

Passion for Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s k\u016bpuna<\/h2>\n
\"two
Kealohakuʻualohakuʻupokiʻi<\/span> Balaz and her father<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About a decade ago, Balaz returned home to care for her father who was diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s disease. This is what shifted her passion in healthcare to focus specifically on addressing issues involving Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s k\u016bpuna, with a focus on Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia. Balaz sought assistance from the Hawaiʻi<\/span> chapter of the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, became active in advocating for these issues and most recently served as the board chair.<\/p>\n

Caring for her father and reflecting on the support she has received from her family growing up were some of the driving forces that inspired her to apply for the Obama Scholars program and continue the work she is doing for the community.<\/p>\n

“When I found out, I started thinking about my parents and everything they have gone through to give me what I have, and my grandmother who was pivotal in my childhood. It all came together. When I was informed that I am the first scholar from Hawaiʻi<\/span>, that made me feel so honored to represent Hawaiʻi<\/span>,” Balaz said. “The fact that I am a woman and Native Hawaiian, it just really felt surreal. \u2026It changed my life.”<\/p>\n

Balaz is a member of the Native Hawaiian Health Advisory Board and the Policy Advisory Board for Elderly Affairs, holds numerous other board appointments and volunteers for various organizations, including Special Olympics Hawaiʻi<\/span>. She is a recipient of the Alzheimer\u2019s Association\u2019s Aloha Chapter Advocate of the Year Award, the Pacific Business News<\/em> 40 Under 40 award and Hawaiʻi<\/span> Business Magazine<\/em> 20 for the next 20 award.<\/p>\n

Building new leadership skills<\/h2>\n
\"several
Balaz and the Alzheimer’s Association meet with U.S. Rep.<\/abbr> Ed Case.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As part of the Obama Scholars program, Balaz will participate in a year-long robust curriculum for leadership by the Obama Foundation in conjunction with Columbia World Projects at Columbia University. Balaz said the program will help her to reflect on her work, refine her leadership approach and build her personal resilience as she creates action plans to bring home to her current roles in Hawaiʻi<\/span>. She will also receive mentorship, an executive coach and networking opportunities.<\/p>\n

“I hope to take everything that I learn and hopefully be able to create something that can better our communities and our future,” Balaz said.<\/p>\n

—By Marc Arakaki<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kealohakuʻualohakuʻupokiʻi<\/span> Balaz is the first person from Hawaiʻi<\/span> to be selected for the program since its inception in 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[90,679,498,1500,1503,189,839,167,146,14,9,1626],"class_list":["post-165985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-recognition","tag-business","tag-hawaiian-studies","tag-kamakakuokalani-center-for-hawaiian-studies","tag-nursing","tag-school-of-nursing","tag-school-of-nursing-and-dental-hygiene","tag-shidler-college-of-business","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-manoa","tag-women-of-uh","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165985"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165985\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":165995,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165985\/revisions\/165995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}