Kāneʻohe-born and raised Emalia Dalire started doing pageants at 16 years old. She was crowned Miss Hawaiʻi Teen Volunteer 2024 by Miss Volunteer America, and on May 31, Miss Hawai‘i 2025 by the Miss Hawai‘i Organization. Next, she'll represent the Aloha State at the Miss America Competition this September in Orlando, Florida.
“My mom had actually pushed me to go into pageants to gain not only scholarship money, but also to gain more confidence. She believed that it would help me come out of my shell and comfort zone, and to ultimately grow from it,” Dalire told Aloha State Daily. “Then, after competing at age 16, I got the bug, and I kind of got hooked.
“I never thought I would enjoy getting dressed up in makeup because I thought I was a tomboy,” she continued. “So [with] pageantry, people think it's all about the glitz and glam and the beauty, but truthfully, it's teaching women to be leaders. ... It has helped shape me [and] I'm so grateful for it because now I can step into this role as Miss Hawaiʻi.”
Dalire, 19, said she’s become more confident speaking and connecting with large audiences. For the talent portion of the competitions, she enjoys performing hula.
“Hula is something I’ve been bred to do,” she said. My mother [Keolalaulani Dalire] is a kumu hula, my grandmother [Aloha Dalire] was the first Miss Aloha Hula. So, it’s been in my family. People say it’s in my blood and I would have to agree because hula's been everywhere in my life.”
Today, Dalire dances with her mother’s halau, Keolalaulani Hālau ‘Ōlapa O Laka, serving as alakaʻi, or lead mentor, to its students. She also helps promote the halau via marketing and social media.
“I still can't believe that I can use the platform that I have to spread my community service initiative “R.O.O.T.E.D.,” [which] stands for remembering our origins to empower dreamers," she said. “It stems from my time as a mentor. I teach hula and cultural arts, mainly to preserve Hawaiian culture, but it's through hula that I've really learned my foundation, who I was, what I believed in. I learned about where I came from, and it gave me confidence to be able to spread my wings and fly.
“I currently help my community as a mentor to younger generations of hula dancers who are finding their own identities through culture. And that's something that I think the rest of the world could be reminded of: how important it is to stay rooted in your identity, to know who you are. … I feel it's something the entire country, in a time like this, could learn a little bit more about."
Dalire noted that this is not the same community service initiative (“K.E.Y. to Life: Keep Empowering Yourself") that she shared while previously competing, but it has a similar concept. “I changed it to ‘R.O.O.T.E.D.’ because I felt like it was the core of my purpose,” she said.
For her family’s halau, Dalire is most proud of programs she’s helped introduce and execute like lei making and learning to read ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, in addition to competitions.
“What I cherish most is seeing the confidence and the joy in their eyes of like, ʻwow, they really did it.’ Winning is something that we don't always expect, but it’s being able to see my students as their mentor get rewarded for their hard work and feel good about themselves," she said.
When asked who some of her mentors are, Dalire said her family and hula sisters.
“My mom taught me that it takes a village to raise a child, but we really focus on the ‘it takes a village’ part,” she said. “I'm sure everybody can agree that when we come together and we really focus on a task, we can get it done so much better because we're working together. And I am so thankful for everyone coming together to help me become Miss Hawai’i and now going on to represent Hawai’i at Miss America. My heart is filled with gratitude.”
Whatʻs something most people donʻt know about Dalire? “I’m 19 years old, I have three college degrees, but I don’t have my driver’s license,” she said with a laugh.
A self described “overachiever in school,” Dalire started taking both high school and college courses at age 14; she earned her associates degree from Windward Community College and graduated high school early at age 16; and received a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing in from the University of Hawai’i – West O‘ahu in December 2024.
A fundraiser for Dalire’s journey to the Miss America Competition is set for Friday, Aug. 1, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Bayview Golf Course. The event, which falls on her 20th birthday, will feature live music, small bites and door prizes.
Interested in attending? Purchase tickets by emailing Blaine Dutro, executive director of the Miss Hawai‘i Organization, at blaine.misshawaii@gmail.com.
The Miss Hawaiʻi Organization provides women with the opportunity to promote platforms of community service, share their talents, intelligence and positive values, while serving as role models in Isle communities.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
