In August of 2001, 18-year-old Kalani Pe’a stepped onto the campus of Mesa State College (MSC) with exuberance. He was excited to be a part of the school and culture in Grand Junction. As a graduate of Hawaiian immersion school, Ke Kula ‘o Nawahiokalani‘opu‘u, every class in his educational career had been taught in Hawaiian. Graduating with a 3.8 GPA, Pe’a was prepared to tackle higher education in a different world.
“There’s a lot of misconceptions about graduates from Hawaiian immersion schools. From 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every subject from geometry, to biology and chemistry, to even studying Shakespeare was taught in Hawaiian,” Pe’a said. “[…However], it didn’t stop me from succeeding. In fact, it gave me the ability to grow as a bilingual and to think critically.”
Attending MSC was crucial to Pe’a’s success.
“Just as King Kalākaua traveled the world to meet emperors and showcase Hawaii’s independence, I too sought new endeavors,” Pe’a said. “I wanted to experience all four seasons and learn how to adapt in places so vastly different from where I was raised. I also wanted to get close to my first cousins that still live in Grand Junction. The Pe’a family is thriving in the Western Slope.”
Student-run organizations became a vital part of Pe’a’s time at MSC; at the end of his freshman year, Pe’a became Ho’olokahi Polynesian Club president and from 2002-2003, he was the Cultural Diversity Board director. Pe’a also dabbled in writing for Maverick Magazine, as well as the Criterion. Originally a music major, Pe’a switched to mass communications his sophomore year with a focus on Public Relations.
“I studied under the amazing Dr. Jack Delmore, taking music theory and vocal training. But after my second year, I was unsure if I was going to be doing music full time. And look at me now, I’m doing music full-time,” Pe’a said. “I thought, maybe I should do mass communications, I loved public relations and coordinating programs. Being taught by Dr. Byron Evers, Regis Tucci, Dan Flenniken and Dr. Morris Brown really shaped how I view the world of media and communications. I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn from such admirable faculty.”
Pe’a graduated MSC in 2006 and returned to the island of Hawaii in 2008. There, he met his fiancé and manager Allan Cool while teaching preschool. In addition to being a full-time performer, Pe’a is also the Hawaiian Resource Coordinator at Kamehameha schools, an exclusive private school started by the royal family that requires proof of Native Hawaiian heritage in order to enroll during its competitive admission process.
After winning music’s most prestigious award, Pe’a is now preparing for an international tour through Japan and the continental United States. Kalani Pe’a is the perfect example of a Maverick: innovative and daring enough to stray from tradition, while radiating the warmth of aloha spirit wherever he goes.
Kalani Pe’a’s award-winning album E Walea is available on iTunes & Spotify.
