Leilani

Self-Introduction: Hi everyone! My name is Lani and I’m a member of the 2008 Atherton YMCA’s Alternative Spring Break Team. This year we’re heading to Vietnam and I’m beyond excited! I was born in Hawaii but raised on a small island called Guam. I lived on both islands for a considerably long time, so for this reason my roots are established in both places. I come from a very loving Filipino American family.

I look up to them all, especially my parents, who’ve worked really hard to support me and my siblings. They’ve demonstrated the value of hard work and have taught me to persevere.

I’m currently in my third year majoring in Biology and minoring in English at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. After graduating, I hope to attend Medical School either here in Hawaii or wherever my journey takes me. I would really like to travel around the world. I want to learn different languages, experience different cultures, see life through different perspectives, and become a better person for it.

This trip to Vietnam would be my first trip without my parents. While there, I’d like to do as much as I can with my team. Whether we’re building a school, a playground, renovating a building, or visiting various locations – I’d like to do everything we possibly can to show them how much we care and how much we want to make a difference. I hope to learn from the people we meet, build lifelong friendships with them, as well as establishing stronger bonds with the members of my team. When the trip is over, I’d like to look back at what we’ve done and smile, knowing that I was a part of something genuinely good.

Click here to help Leilani and the ASB team with a donation.