Kapua Kawelo

About Kapua

• She grew up in a fishing family on O‘ahu; fishing grounded them in how to best use and respect Hawaii’s natural resources.
• She was also a member of an organization that visited local archeological sites and led hikes to learn about native plants.
• Went to the University of California, Davis, and started out as a pre-med student.
• When she discovered the field of botany, it piqued her interest enough that eventually, she switched her major.
• The summer after her sophomore year, she took an internship with The Nature Conservancy in Hawaii.
• It opened her eyes to the fact that she could make a career out of protecting Hawaii’s native plants and animals.
• After graduating, she started working at the O‘ahu Army Natural Resources Program as an intern.
• She’s been with the program for over 20 years, rehabilitating O‘ahu’s threatened and endangered plant and animal species.