Pua Aquino was born in Mākaha and currently resides in Māʻili, Oʻahu, with her boyfriend and kids. She received a Bachelors of Arts in Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2008. She first developed a love for culturally relevant early childhood curriculum after working at a Hawaiian Immersion preschool for 4 years and has spent the last 13 years working for Ka Paʻalana Homeless Family Education Program, a program of Partners in Development Foundation. She recently started her new role within the foundation as a Cultural Specialist on the Hui Nohona team. In 2015, Pua was blessed with the opportunity to author a children's book through PIDF. My Kalo Has Lau, Big and Green, is her first published children's book. It is written in both Hawaiian and English and teaches the process kalo goes through from growing in a loʻi to being eaten as poi. |