AHA Fellows

Twinkle Borge is the leader of Puuhonua O Waianae, a village of 250 people living unhoused at the edge of the Waianae Boat Harbor. She has organized her village into a powerful asset for the wider community that offers safety, healing, and purpose to people who've lost their housing. POW residents serve Waianae in a variety of ways, including, conducting regular cleanups all across the Waianae Coast, feeding and clothing residents of other houseless encampments, and distributing back to school supplies each year to both houseless and housed families in need. Twinkle is also a member of the Steering Committee of Hui Aloha.

James Pakele was born and raised in Waianae and has supported Puuhonua O Waianae for years. When POW formed a nonprofit organization, Dynamic Community Solutions, he was named its President. He is also a self-taught coder, ulu enthusiast, and devoted husband and father. He has played a variety of roles with POW including co-leading community cleanups; co-leading discussions with the Governor and other government officials; fundraising for the village to purchase land for its permanent home; and, (after land was successfully purchased) leading initial site work at the property to prepare for village relocation. He is also a member of Hui Aloha's Steering Committee.

Aura is the co-founder of Ka Poe O Kaka'ako, a group formed by houseless residents of Kaka'ako to build community with, and be of service to, the wider community of Kaka'ako. She organized weekly service projects, service fairs, and built relationships with area businesses. They are currently working to develop an art exhibit for the Honolulu Museum of Arts.

Tamara has an MPA from UH Manoa and a graduate certificate in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance. She is working on her MURP with a focus in housing. As part of her role as an AmeriCorps VISTA, she is currently developing an affordable housing database for Hawaii. She has worked in both the public and private sectors of the urban planning field in Hawaii. She served as co-chair of the Parks and Gardens Committee for the Moili'ili Neighborhood Board and has done volunteer work focused on food sustainability.

K-nard is a passionate advocate for the Micronesian community and especially the youth. He works at We Are Oceania as a Community Resource Specialist and Mentor Coordinator for houseless youth while currently pursuing his B.A in Psychology at UHM. Inspired through the fellows, he coordinates an outreach team of Micronesian Youth Leaders called P.E.A.C.E. (aligned with We Are Oceania) with the goal of creating affordable and sustainable homes with an emphasis on engaging the Micronesian community.

Rose is a recent MSW graduate from UHM. She is a strategic community consultant and conducts policy research for the legislature. She advocates for equitable living, indigenous social justice, and destigmatization of mental illness/substance misuse.

Lilinoe is a graduate student at UH Manoa’s School of Social Work. She studies the practices of our state’s collection of disaggregated Native Hawaiian data and other populations to design, budget, and evaluate public services. She also interns with Blueprint For Change, Hawaiʻi Appleseed: Hawaiʻi Budget & Policy Center. She is an OD2A fellow with Myron B. Thompson Department of Social Work at UH Mānoa, is the Hope Poʻo o ka ʻOihana for Nā Wai Chamber Choir, the Hui Mālama President, Mālama Project Program Coordinator and Vice President for the Department of Social Work - Graduate Student Organization.

Dawn is a BSW student at UHM and At-Large Board Member for Young Progressives Demanding Action. She interns at Faith Action for Community Equity where she organized support for a bill that would tax Real Estate Investment Trusts to help pay for affordable housing in Hawaiʻi.

Susan Le is an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving with Hawaii Habitat. As the Housing Policy Specialist, her goal is to increase community engagement and participation in areas of research and development for affordable housing opportunities. Originally from Seattle, she previously worked as a Manufacturing Engineer in the aerospace industry before leaving to pursue her passion for community service and non-profit work.