 This is Think Tech Hawaii, Community Matters here. And welcome to another edition of Hawaii in Uniform, I'm my host Calvin. And normally here on the program we talk about issues concerning our veterans of military and a little bit later in the program we'll give you an update on some of the things that's happening. But I think during the last program we mentioned that the VA was putting out a new veterans ID card and unfortunately I think it's still not happening. So we'll give you an update on that and of course some other issues in the future anyhow. But right now, like I said, we talk about a lot of different things that have an impact on our community. We have a lot of individuals who in different ways do what they can to help to promote the spirit of aloha and a number of things here. Today I have a very special guest, Ms. Hawaii, Ms. Mokolani. Mokihana. Mokihana. Hi. Hi, Calvin. Hi, Calvin. How are you? Last name, please. Dorothy Jelfick. Okay, good. First I want to thank you for coming on the program. Yeah, thanks for having me. Yeah, one of the things that I guess people will try to say, well, how what's the tie-in between the military and the beauty pageant if you want to call it. The thing is I think there's a lot of training that you guys, that your participants go through. Absolutely. And it's just, could you tell us a little bit about that, what you have to do and how did you get here on the first one? Yeah, absolutely. So while starting, the pageant was something that sort of came out through discussion with Dorothy Douthit, who's also my mentor, who I've known since I was 12 years old. She was the principal of Academy of the Pacific. So through discussion and just, you know, I network a lot in the community and I'm already a very busy community advocate. So through talking with, she suggested to join the pageant. So I joined Ms. Hawaii America last year and I only had a few weeks in and I learned a lot about being responsible, having discipline, showing up on time, really having courage to do things that are quite uncomfortable. You have to do a lot of public speaking. You have to kind of be ready on the spot for, you know, all sorts of different events that can come up. So it taught me about confidence. It taught me how to sort of communicate with all sorts of different people and being open and showing an extending compassion and how to be, you know, I guess patient, hard work and fundraising as well. All the treats that you mentioned, you sound like you make a great Marine. I think I would go with Air Force. Yes, please. I know that you mentioned, like I said, as far as support is concerned, what is your background and how did you get involved with the, you know, the Ms. Hawaii program? Well, I've been an educator all my life and at that time, actually for 31 years I was head of a school called Academy of the Pacific. Mokihana came in in seventh grade at the age of 12 and graduated and I have helped her along the way ever since. Currently, I am an instructor in the School of Education at Hawaii Pacific University and I teach people that want to be teachers and quite a number of my students are military and they do very well in the education program. That's about it. Yeah. And with the pageant. Oh, yes. It was the pageant. Definitely. How long have you been here in Hawaii? Over 50 years. 50 years. Yeah. And you're originally from? Minnesota. Minnesota. Okay. What brought you to Hawaii besides? I was brought here by the University of Hawaii to teach as a professor in the Department of Germanic Languages at the University of Hawaii in Manoa. To be honest, that wasn't a good position for me. Yeah, I wasn't temperamentally suited, I think, to that. So I left and became a curriculum specialist for the DOE and I founded a model cities program back in 1970 and ran it for five years. It was an education program for people that had not had as much education as they wanted. So we did all kinds of innovative things that worked really well. For example, we videotaped Korean construction workers and their bosses and then used that as ELL training, English training for them so they could talk about what the boss meant when he did actual wires. They were really interesting things. I know that, of course, with the large military community over here, get back to your training a little bit. For my purpose for joining the pageant, right? So the purpose behind joining the pageant was actually my platform is education reform. So together we're founding a school called Ho'okili Hawaii Academy. So that was the huge vision behind actually doing the pageant. Okay. I know a lot of people will say nowadays, beauty is in the eye of a beholder. Absolutely. So with all the sensitivity about certain gender issues, things of that nature now, why would there be a need to still have something like the Miss Hawaii pageant or the Miss America pageant? But I think, of course, there's a lot more that goes on behind the scenes when you're preparing to run. You mentioned about self-discipline and some of the other things and correct me if I'm wrong. The individuals out there, young ladies who may initially get into it, to try to learn more self-constant confidence in things of that nature, is that what you see? Yes. Yes. I never had any previous experience with pageant and once I actually got involved I saw the hard work that a lot of these young ladies go through and you have to sort of be comfortable really in the unknown and being prepared for sort of whatever comes at you and the one thing that it taught me was how to be brave and so I'm really thankful for joining the pageant in that sense and it also supports, for example, the Miss America is one of the largest organizations that give out scholarships to young girls. So I definitely feel it's a positive organization and with, in regards to the military, I do feel that we learn a lot of those same skill sets, you know, showing up on time, waking up early, you know, a lot of those things, being polite, practicing professionalism, working out, having a good diet, you know, all those things. Yeah. It's not easy for anybody to be Miss Hawaii or anything else. I tried. I was going to go to the contest, you know, but they told me a certain God tree. Yes. But I've been lucky. I've been lucky. The other thing is that in the pageants you are a lot, you are encouraged to have a platform so it's an opportunity to get publicity and interest in things that you care a lot about. Yeah. When you say platform, what do you mean, different social programs or how does that work? Well, a few besides our school, I'm also a board member. I'm a board member and coordinator with United Nations Association Hawaii Honolulu chapter. So we do a lot of, you know, peace summits or we'll have, we just had a really nice peace day event at the Hawaii State Capitol and we had, you know, a few global summits. So through those efforts, we're able to work with people locally as well as internationally and the pageant is a good way to, I feel like, get your message, you know, whatever your message might be out to the community as well as to the world, depending on what work you're doing. Right. Yeah. As I mentioned, of course, not everybody can, you know, wear the crown, but those who go through the process, you know, it seems that, again, it's a training for life, you know. I think that it seems like it carries over into the, I guess, what I call the civic inside, you know, because even those, I guess, who don't go, you know, make it up that far, you know, at least the different traits you mentioned, the discipline and all the other fine attributes, you know, that a lot of people aspire to obtain, you know, comes into play, you know. And again, I think that could have a ripple effect when you have somebody who's been part of the system and you have other people, their peers, see them and in some way try to emulate what they do. So it does happen. Exactly. Yes. Yes, absolutely. No, it's been a really wonderful opportunity and we're really thankful for, I'm thankful that we made the decision to join the pageant and I have a lot of respect for what these young women do because it's hard work. And from behind the scenes, it looks easy because, you know, from what the public sees, they might see photos of, you know, pretty girls, but it's a lot of hard work that, you know, fundraising, public speaking, serving various nonprofit communities all over the, not just locally, but sometimes even nationally, you know, and having to have to be on, smile on your face. So you do learn a lot of patience and endurance when you're going through it. Yeah. You're not right to have other people in the house. So when you move on after whether you, when you take the Miss America crown. Oh. Well, thank you. I'm not there yet, but thank you. Thanks. What, I guess you'll, no matter what, I guess you'll continue to do what you can, like say, when they're local and also national and international scene. My focus going into this pageant was my purpose and the message that I wanted to get out to the world. So my focus really was my platform and whatever opportunities come along with that, I'm ready to allow it to evolve and unfold. But when you, you know, I'm happy for all the young women that I've met through the journey, but rather, you know, we all have our crown. I think it comes from within whatever our story is. But ultimately I feel when you walk, when you go into something like that, you need to have a focus. And for me, my focus has always been my platform. So for that, you know, and I think having that type of mindset is really important. And it's okay. And being happy for, you know, I'm happy to pass my Hawaii crown on to the next title holder as well. And at some point you, well, you're currently, I guess, in your own way, a mentor. Yes. I would say, yeah. Don't you, are there any other young ladies out there or that you're mentioning? That I'm into, there are a number of them, yes. Usually they're ones that I've known since they first came to Academy of the Pacific in sixth or seventh grade. So what do you see as the future for? Miss Hawaii or, you know, the, I don't know. Oh, for me, I see it continuing. I think I see it evolving even more into platforms that are like social justice platforms. I think there will always be a need for pageants and now they provide dreams. Yeah. I think what nowadays, again, with people so hypersensitive about certain issues, again, the gender issue, you know, again, you know, the question comes up sometime, why continue it? But, you know, with what you're talking about, how you're explaining it, you know, there definitely is a need, you know, for, you know, to continue programs like that, to instill, you know, and help to inspire other people as far as, you know, male and female, you know, because there's no guys in this thing out there. No, we've got wonderful sponsors and some of them are wonderful hairstylists and all. I mean, not in the frequency division. No. Okay. I just want to be sure. No, no. We don't have that. There's nothing wrong with it, you know. And we're really excited. We're actually going to be launching our website today for the school. So, yeah, we've got amazing people in the community that are in our team working with us. Right. And we have a big fundraiser to support you financially. Oh, yes. Our Ms. America, as well as giving back to a charity that I adore, which is District 5000 Rotary. Okay. We're going to get more into that because I want to make sure we have enough time now. Okay. We're going to take a short break. Yes. And we'll come back. We'll continue our conversation. And stay tuned for more Hawaii Uniform. Best of luck. Aloha. I'm Richard Concepcion, the host of Hispanic Hawaii. You can watch my show every other Tuesday at 2 p.m. We will bring you entertainment, educational, and also we'll tell you what is happening right here within our community. Think Tech Hawaii, Aloha. So we'll do it. Aloha. I'm Kili Ikeena, and I'm here every other week on Mondays at 2 o'clock p.m. on Think Tech Hawaii's Hawaii Together. In Hawaii Together, we talk with some of the most fascinating people in the islands about working together, working together for a better economy, government and society. So I invite you into our conversation every other Monday at 2 p.m. on Think Tech Hawaii Broadcast Network. Join us for Hawaii Together. I'm Kili Ikeena. Aloha. Okay. Welcome back to Hawaiian Uniform. And again, my special guest is Ms. Hawaii and Dorothy. And we're continuing with one of the things that you started to, you were alluded to. Because it's not easy making the runs, there's a lot of preparation as far as mainly financial. How does that come about or what support do you get and who do you try to elicit support from? I have a wonderful like fabulous sponsors such as Cookies Clothing Company or Family Programs Hawaii. It's also another one, UNA Hawaii. So I think being out in the community, having sponsors helps you financially, but we also have to fundraise. So tonight, we're doing a special event, Ms. Hawaii America and beyond. And 25% of the proceeds will be going towards my Ms. America pageant expenses such as, you know, the gown, your flight, hotel, your makeup, a lot of all those expenses. And then the other proceeds, the net proceeds will be going to District 5000 Rotary. The funds will be used only for the state of Hawaii to help out with different community projects, youth scholarships, helping serve the homeless and so on and so forth. Yeah. A little bit about the Rotary. You're both members of the Rotary? Not right now. No, I'm not. I'm not a Rotarian yet. However, I have a lot of mentors that are all Rotarians or former district governor Rotarians. So I usually help out with their events, help out with fundraising. And and yeah, so I do feel a part of it. Yeah. It was my familiarity with the Rotary club system anyhow, a lot of Rotarians who are former military members, you know, and again, it's into the spirit of the giving back, you know, and being part of the of the beer family, the O'Hana, you know, and that's what we stress and try to point out, you know, on the program. A lot of unsung heroes over here, you know, like say in the military and outside, you know, but the thing is, is that spirit, you know, like of giving back and being part of something that's really special and I think that's what we have here. You know, it's not a purpose system, but you know, we have some pretty good representatives like yourselves, you know, who do what they can to help to foster that sense of, you know. Absolutely. And as long as we're here on Earth, with the time we have, we hope to continue doing that. Yeah. So, yeah, this isn't, this is just the beginning, yeah. Do you have any siblings or it's coming up? Didn't we have inspired to? I actually, growing up, I had a challenging upbringing. So I was actually adopted into the Casey Family Program at age 10. So I do have family, but I'm not very close with them and which is okay. And instead, I've been really blessed with wonderful mentors such as Dr. Dorothy Douthit and several others that have played a very crucial role in my life. Casey Family, a little bit more about that. Yes. So the Casey Family Program was, during my time, was a very, we were really lucky. Any of the kids that got into the Casey Family Program, we were really blessed to be able to be a part of that. And so I was allowed opportunities to go to private schools such as Academy of the Pacific where I first met Dr. Dorothy Douthit, who I call Dr. D. And I also had opportunities to receive the healing and treatment that I needed to heal from, you know, my earlier PTSD, which took me about nine years that I overcame that. And it was a really, it was a huge blessing, sort of like a guardian angel that gave me a second chance. Yeah. Yeah, speaking of PTSD, I've been in different forms anyhow, but just to let the viewers know, there is a program called Miss Veteran USA. Oh, fantastic. And these are women who are, you know, went through combat or different stressful situations. And, you know, sometimes, you know, even some of them lost lives, you know, but what it does is still has a sense of confidence again or, you know, let people actually know what sacrifices a lot of our women soldiers have made and some of the unique things that they're going through. So, yeah, it's good. Have you ever heard of that program? I haven't. No, I haven't, but I'm so happy you're here. Well, you're trying to get one of the representatives from there to come on. And if they do, I'd like to have you. Oh, absolutely. I'd love to meet them. I like that, because my daughter-in-law is of that. She's in the rear reserves now, but she was in difficult situations. Yeah. Thank you for her, thank her for me, for her services anyhow. But, yeah, it's one thing we try to touch on anyhow as far as some of the things that are not really prominently talked about in the media, you know. It seems like one of those things where with our female personnel, there are some unique situations. You know, not everybody's in dire straits or going through all that, but for those who are, you know, they need to be adequately taken care of. And I think right now, they estimate we have like about 55,000 homeless women veterans. You know, what's here and why? I have no idea, you know, but whatever it is, we need to take care of our troops male and female and get it taken care of. And speaking of which, do you interact with the military community as far as doing any, Bob Hope's gone, so I can't do any shows with him, but is there anything else that you do as far as? I would be open, I haven't, so far in my experience this past year, if you were to ask me, just based off of this year through the pageant, I haven't had the opportunity yet, but I would love to connect with, if there's a way that I can help out with an organization or something. Yeah, I definitely love to help and support them in any way that I can. Just to make you aware, there's an organization called the Oahu Veterans Center. Okay. And down in Walkenburg, down by Radford, whatever it is, close by, but anyhow, they did most of the veterans organizations meet that anyhow, you know, but I want to contact them. You know, it might be something that might be mutually beneficial to the organizations. Yes. You know, to yourself. Mm-hmm, absolutely. When I work individually with veterans, there's a wonderful Veterans Center at Hawaii Pacific University. Really? Yeah. And I think we have the most veterans of any of the private or public colleges here, because we provide such really good services for them, so. What, is there a contact number or something? Because the first time I've heard of it, I know that there's a look there. Oh, really? Yes. No, I can send it to you. Okay. Yeah. And maybe, you know, have you come back and talk about, you know, that situation? Because the thing is, there's a lot of different programs over here, and a lot of people, especially the veterans community and also their families, may not be aware. And connecting the dots, you know, to these different programs, you know, may help out. You know, so. Maybe I could bring someone from the Veterans Center. Yes, please. For that. I can't make an arrangement on that, anyhow. Okay. It's a beautiful space. I took on that and visited myself, anyhow. Yeah. So what do you see for the world? There's so much I want to do. How do I say that in one? I really, I really believe in the force of love and Aloha and extending that out from within. Of course, you have to love. You have to go within and love yourself first in order to overflow that love to the community. So I would like to continue to do as much good as I can. We'll see how everything evolves and unfolds from here. But I'm open and excited to continue seeing what happens along the journey. But I want to continue doing as much good as I can. Thank you. Yeah. Well, as far as we always thought, well, not always, but most of the time, the doom and gloom, you know. What positive things do you see coming about in the future of me as far as what our generation and what's coming up behind? Yes. Besides our school, I think our school will be an exciting, will be an exciting facility for the state of Hawaii. It'll be the first of its kind built from the ground up with, and we're working with some really amazing people in the process. And another exciting thing I see that happening is through United Nations work. We are going to be hosting our next international world young people Congress, which will be happening in Morocco, either 2018 or 2019. And Hawaii will be in charge of the USA and Asia Delegates, of selecting USA and Asia Delegates. So we'll be getting ready to launch a huge fundraiser so that we can pay for the flights and everything. So. As far as with the fundraising of the different projects. Yes. Is there one or more organizations that can be contacted if people want to get involved as far as... Yes, absolutely. We will do as much as I can. And there's a team of people that takes a village. So besides just her and I, we have a lot of other people a part of this journey with us. So yeah, whatever we can do in our abilities we'll definitely be willing to listen and meet. Definitely. Yeah. And back to the event that's coming up tonight. Yes. You want to talk a little bit more about that. So if anybody wants to buy tickets to help you. Absolutely. Oh, thank you. So tonight we're having Ms. Hawaii America and it's to support again my next step for Ms. America as well as Net Proceeds will be going to District 5000 Rotary Foundation. So it's going to be tonight at the Manoa Grand Ballroom between 5.30 to 9.30. We're going to be having wonderful entertainment as well as a silent auction. It's already too late to have the buffet dinner because those seats were RSVP. However, if you show up at the door, it's $50. Initially it was $100 with the buffet dinner but $50 at the door you can participate. There'll be drinks and good entertainment and silent auction and just meeting some wonderful people. So if I just hanging around in the parking lot, how much would that cost me? Oh, I, no, I was saying, oh, no, I don't, yes. So what other events do you have that's coming up to help again with this tonight? I have my nationals coming up in Ms. America which will be on the Queen Mary, March 8th through the 10th. I'll be flying out there and yeah, that'll be, so after this event I'll then be, my next step will be preparing for my Ms. America event. We're down to about 45 seconds. Dorothy, you got anything earth shaking that you wanna share with the audience before we leave? Oh, my. Okay. Anyhow, it's been a pleasure anyhow. Thank you for having us. Oh, no, no. We try to get the word out there about what's happening and again we try to make the military tie. I have a question where there's people out there who will be inspired by your story and your dedication as a mentor to some of the upcoming talent that's here in our community. Oh, absolutely. It's great. We should luck on it. Thank you so much. And when you become Ms. America, we'd like to have you come back on the program. And you can come tonight by the way. Oh, okay. If that was your way of asking, you can definitely come tonight. I'll have a seat for you. Okay, anyhow. On that note, I didn't mean to go beggy, but it. Oh, no, no. Anyhow, I wanna thank you. Thank both of you for coming anyhow. Thank you. And thank the viewers for tuning into the program and we'll keep your prize of what's happening in the future with other veterans information. And there are a lot of other good programs on this station that do cover veterans issues. Thank you very much. God bless. And until next time. Thank you.