A senior at Nānākuli High & Intermediate School, Ladayna Aranas, 17, said she is both scared and excited to move onto the next chapter of her life — college.
She plans to major in biology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the fall. Her dream job is to become a travel anesthesiologist. “Right now, it’s best if I stay close to home with my family – just for a little while, but I could see myself somewhere on the Mainland in the future,” Aranas told Aloha State Daily.
Outside of school, she is active in judo and bowling; serves on the 2025 senior class student council, planning events, fundraisers and projects that give back to the local community; and has volunteered in various capacities at the Boys & Girls Club Nānākuli Clubhouse and Teen Center, since joining the club at age 6.
“I am excited to keep on making my club and Nānākuli proud, showing them that we can do it, that Hawaiʻi as a whole can come together and dream big,” Aranas said. “All it takes is for you to be willing to share your story, because being able to inspire somebody is the gift that keeps on giving."
Earlier this month, she was named Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i’s 2025 Youth of the Year, for her leadership, service, academic excellence and commitment to communities, while inspiring meaningful change through motivating their peers, the nonprofit said.
“Youth of the Year is not just a competition — it’s a movement that empowers teens to recognize their full potential and take steps to pursue their aspirations,” said Paddy Kauhane, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i, in a statement. “These finalists represent the heart of our mission and it’s a joy to witness their growth and the leaders they are becoming. We are deeply grateful to our sponsors and donors whose generosity makes this program possible.”
This year’s finalists included Aranas, Mathew Cargo, 15, from the Wai‘anae Clubhouse and Nainoa Hirokane, 17, from the Līhu‘e Clubhouse.
Born in Honolulu, Marcus Mariota, the Saint Louis School quarterback who now plays professionally for the Washington Commanders, supports this local organization through his Motiv8 Foundation.
“Youth of the Year is a powerful program that highlights the importance of investing in our youth by providing them with the tools and technology needed to build a strong foundation for their future endeavors,” Mariota said in a statement. “These finalists exemplify how perseverance and access to resources can shape a young person’s leadership skills.”
Aranas shared with ASD a few of the skills she’s learned over her 11 years at the Nānākuli Clubhouse:
-Place and time. Knowing when to act a certain way and when not to
-Compassion toward others, coming together as one family
-Integrity, saying no to drugs and cheating in school
“Today, I am very much myself, unapologetically. I used to be very shy and quiet, but thanks to my mentors at our clubhouse, I slowly but surely started to branch out and become this very energetic, social, responsible, respectful human that I am today," she said.
When asked who her biggest role models are, she replied, “My staff. They are the only people besides my parents and some of my aunties who really know me.”
“They are constantly teaching me how to be open, honest and vulnerable about how I’m feeling. And also how to be a kid. A lot of the time, I forget that I’m supposed to be a kid and enjoy life because I’m like, ‘In the future I have to do this to make sure I get into this college, or do this to pursue my career,’ and I forget how to be a kid.”
One of Aranas’ favorite outreach experiences with the clubhouse was a two-week trip to the Boys & Girls Club of Mofolo in South Africa last summer, where she worked with kids and helped beautify their campus. “That was the most impactful and meaningful community service project that I’ve ever done, and hopefully in the near future, I’ll be given the chance to do more of that.”
ASD also asked what she thought Hawaiʻi’s most pressing issue was, and how she would solve it.
“I think Hawaiʻi’s biggest issue is not being one because if we were supportive of each other, we would want to see each other strive, not fail. We would see each other at equals,” Aranas said. “I would want to see a Hawaiʻi where we are one lāhui, one nation, to be able to uplift each other no matter what we face, what we look like or where we're from. To be able to come together as a community to solve our issues, connect through our struggles and just be the Polynesians we know we are.”
For more information about Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i, visit BGCH.com, or call 808- 949-4203.
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
