I made it there, I’ll make it anywhere…

This August, I've ended my decade-long chapter in New York, NY

and will begin a two year masters program in Honolulu, HI.

During my time on the island of Oahu, I plan on discovering everyday climate solutions that we can enact on a mass scale. (I also plan on surfing... a lot!) My studies will focus on sustainability, specifically the way Hula/Indigenous dance fosters a healthy relationship with our ecosystem.

Amongst the countless lessons of the five boroughs, among my top few is "the only constant is change."

I’ve become aware that in the midst of constant change, it can be difficult to separate the blurred moments passing by - our favorite dollar store closes down the street, a Starbucks opens around the corner. All of a sudden you find yourself in a new neighborhood without ever having moved. These shifts happen so gradually that we only realize how fleeting those moments were when we’re able to leave and come back, of which I’ve been fortunate enough to do often during my Manhattan residence.

It’s never quite been “New York or Nowhere” for me, but rather “New York and Everywhere.” No matter where in the world I've gone exploring, I've always found a place to call home in the city that never sleeps. Naturally, I'm sad to leave without a return date, and have received tons of reassurance from friends and family. 

“Don’t worry," they say, "New York will always be there!”

But the New York I know is only here within this moment. The friends and neighbors and studios and storefronts that exist in tandem are unique to this particular time and space. Whether I'm back in two years or 20, the entire city will have transformed into its next stage of miraculous life.

Of course, true New York City moments (like crying on the subway or eating 2a dollar pizza) will "always be there" ...as long as we keep the Earth's surface cool enough for this to be true. The only constant may be change, but our changing climate is harmful and preventable.

While I'm beyond excited for the opportunity to live, work, and study in Hawaii, I must hold ample space for the pending disaster underlying this move. I urgently ask you all to join me as I weave my personal skills, talents, and resources in service of this collective crisis. Your contribution might not (/does not have to) look quite as drastic as mine, but I guarantee it's quite as valuable.

Many thanks for all your encouragement as I embark on this journey. 

To those who’ve shared in my NYC experience, I am eternally grateful to have taken a bite out of that big apple together ;)