About ʻIlikea

Born in Kealakekua, Hawaiʻi, ‘Ilikeamoana learned a deep appreciation for her Kanaka Maoli (Indigenous Hawaiian) roots at a young age. In high school, she gained an interest in the conservation of anchialine pools, especially the protection of native ʻōpaeʻula shrimp populations that call anchialine pools their home. After graduating with her high school diploma in 2016 from West Hawaii Explorations Academy, she began attending Hawaii Community College at Pālamanui. It was here that she earned two associate’s degrees in Liberal Arts and Hawaiian Studies, as well as two certificates in Human Services and Hawaiian Lifestyles.

After graduating from community college, she went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Hawaiʻi West Oʻahu. Through her university journey, she discovered her love of using marketing services to help small businesses and non-profit organizations thrive. 

By the time she was nineteen, ‘Ilikeamoana had been nominated for a three year term as a commissioner on the Kailua Village Design Commission, where she served as a cultural advisor for proposed development projects in the Kailua-Kona area. She has worked and volunteered for various community led organizations, including the Daughters of Hawai`i, Kona Historical Society, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, and HULI Pac.

When she’s not working, you can find ‘Ilikeamoana performing activist work, including writing testimony, sign waving, protesting, and engaging in community education projects. She also provides freelance marketing services for minority-owned businesses, teaches business seminars for women in underserved communities, and works in reforestation of native forests. At home, she’s an avid slack guitar musician, a voracious reader, and a mom to four rescue cats and two rescue dogs. She is passionate about performing humanitarian work for underserved communities.