April 10, 2024
Kamakani DeBlake '22
I am halfway through my undergraduate journey I have finally figured out that I found a home away from home. I’ve really kept myself involved during my time at Cal Lutheran and it has helped my transition immensely, especially being from Hawaii. I’m a small island girl looking to explore more. Cal Lutheran was perfect for me, being just outside of LA so I can enjoy the city life and be able to escape from it. My family isn’t able to visit me very often because of the distance but my basketball teammates and coaches have become my family and my home away from home. They’ve all really taken me under their wing and guided me through things new to me. Basketball has given me the opportunity to not only meet people from places I’ve never been but to also travel to places I never had a reason to see before. In just my first two years alone, we’ve traveled to Miami, Oregon, San Diego, and Santa Cruz. And I can’t forget all of the road trips for our away games. You can’t road trip in Hawaii. None of these experiences would have been possible without the enormous supportive community that Cal Lutheran connects to and support us in every way. I’ve enjoyed every moment and I wanted to share my insights, adaptations and personal experiences with more people going through the same thing as me. So that is why I am the Co-vice president of the Hawaii club. I felt like it was crucial to keep connections with people going through similar transitions because I know it can be hard. Our group is also determined to share our home with the rest of the school community. There are many people who also see our home as something new and exciting so we hope to share the purest forms of Hawaii with them. We bring our aloha spirit to an already extremely welcoming community.