Last year I had the opportunity to take a year to return to graduate school on the East Coast.
While there, I was able to do a deep dive on a variety of topics, especially artificial intelligence and the rise of geopolitical tensions around the world. Clear themes emerged for me, and many are reflected in Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders’ new strategic plan.
But one of my biggest takeaways from school didn’t come from the classroom. It came from observing the people around me. I realized that the most compelling and truly powerful people in the world are not the ones with the most money or the fanciest titles.
They are the people who have a hometown that they are fighting for.
Hometowns are not necessarily the places you’re born, but they’re the places you’re willing to take a stand for. The places where rights meet responsibility.
At school, I met people like Joseph whose hometown is Pyongyang, North Korea. He’s a refugee in the U.S., but he dreams of one day returning to be a high school civics teacher. Sara’s hometown is Erbil in Kurdistan. She’s an educational leader and dreams of a better future for young Kurds.
These two were not necessarily the loudest, the richest or most aggressive. But I realized that that really doesn’t matter. That at the end of the day, people want to dream and build in service to the places they love. And they are the most compelling, and joyful, people in the world.
And then I realized that I’m the luckiest. I have the best hometown in the world – Hawai‘i. And every day, I wake up, join the team at the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders, and figure out new ways to fight for our Island home.
As theologian and philosopher, G.K Chesterton said, “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
I know that we all love Hawai‘i. I’m all-in on Hawai‘i. If I was a stock trader, I would say that I’m bullish. Our stock is undervalued, and our forward growth potential is huge.
How can I say that? We have significant headwinds. The University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO) seems to come up with a different way every month to quantify our financial pain.
So many are losing hope. So many are leaving. At my parents’ Sunday dinner table, we have to cap the number of times we talk about cost of living or housing. I’m sure you’re the same.
How will we break out of this cycle, out of restrictionist mindsets, out of our atmosphere of low trust? How do we grow and move forward?
To be completely honest, I’m not 100% sure on the how. But I’m 100% sure on the who.
It’s going to be the middle: people from every community who care deeply about their hometown.
Our staff travels 20,000 miles to find and train these young people, now numbered at 1,000 per year. Young people are not necessarily the student body president and leader of 3 clubs. Future ranchers from ‘Ele ‘Ele, future pastors from Kapolei, future fashion designer from Kalihi, fishermen from Kihei, paddlers from Lanai City. The list goes on and on.
This group could be a beacon of hope for Hawai‘i.
It reminds me of our alumni director, Trisha Ramelb. She is a powerful example of CTL’s current pipeline: she started in 10th grade, finished both high school programs, then joined our alumni programs.
Trisha is a picture to me of what the future could look like. She’s principled. She’s not afraid to stand alone, and talk to people she disagrees with. Trisha has worked hard on the fundamentals of leadership. Trisha knows that leadership is not measured by viral moments on Instagram, but on execution and putting in the work.
Hawai‘i will change when more and more young people, like Trisha, start to enter the leadership conversation — fresh voices in Hawai‘i’s tight leadership circle. Hawai‘i will change when extraordinary ordinary people start to speak up.
Moving forward, the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders will go all-in on this leadership thesis. We will expand our high school programs, double down on foundational human skills like character, problem-solving, and communication in the age of AI, and grow our Vanguard alumni network to make a long-term investment in their continued growth.
Thank you to every foundation, company and person who invests in CTL. There won’t be a direct and immediate monetary return.
But I hope your true dividend will be a new chapter in Hawaii led by a real, growing, excited group of world class, local leaders — leaders who are madly in love with their hometown, and willing to do whatever it takes.
Editor's Note: This essay was adapted from the speech Katie Chang gave at CTL's caption event, CTL Vision Lab, held April 30, 2026.
Katie Chang is the Executive Director of the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders. She can be reached at ctl@ctlhawaii.org.
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