Our series of ʻōpio spotlights highlight some of Hawaiʻi Island's strengths and serves to redefine success, proving that the best and brightest aren't leaving—they're contributing, leading, and making a significant impact in our communities.
Kiana Mojica-Pomroy, 24, was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. She graduated from Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi in 2017 and attended University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to receive her Bachelors of Science in Nursing in 2021. She is currently a medical-surgical nurse at Queen’s North Hawaiʻi Community Hospital, a circulator nurse at Hilo Community Surgery Center, and as a nurse injector at FitLab Hawaiʻi.
We asked her to share her story of career success, along with her journey of creating a life for herself and ʻohana.
“My passion for nursing sprouted when I was in high school and learned more about the healthcare field and closely encountered the passion of nurses during my late grandmother’s hospital stays. Being a Native Hawaiian blessed me in so many ways by granting me the gift of education to pursue my career. After college, I decided to move to Washington state. This was an incredible experience for me because I had never left Hawaiʻi (besides travel). I quickly learned and realized that there truly is no place like home. Everything was different. The food, the weather, the people, the culture, the atmosphere. The patient population I worked with was very different compared to the patients I see in Hawaiʻi. My gratitude for Hawaiʻi and for being a Native Hawaiian grew even stronger with the year and a half I spent living in Washington.”
“While in Washington, I got pregnant with my beautiful daughter who is now 15 months old. We decided to move back to Hilo to be closer to family during this significant time in our lives. After making the decision to move back to Hilo, we learned that our daughter would be born with gastroschisis. Gastroschisis is a birth defect where the baby’s abdominal wall doesn’t fully close and the intestines lay on the outside of the baby’s body. This was the start of a very long journey for my family. My daughter spent a total of 143 days in the hospital and had 6 surgeries before she was 7 months old. The care that she received at Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children was outstanding. I can’t imagine receiving the same care that was filled with aloha anywhere else in the world.”
“I always imagined moving away when I was a little girl but today, I thank myself for coming back home. I get to raise my daughter in Hawaiʻi and I get to give back to my community by providing safe and quality care to my patients.”
With nearly 45% of Native Hawaiian residing outside of the Hawaiian Archipelago, it is more important that ever to highlight the success stories of those who have stayed or returned to Hawaiʻi to dismantle the notion that the best and brightest are all leaving.
Know someone who deserves to be highlighted as one of our Best & Brightest?
Email us directly at oaka@vibranthawaii.org.
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