Haya Stein is a 2026 Peter J. Rappa Fellow at the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program. Under the mentorship of multimedia communications specialist Anela Akana, Haya is learning and driving holistic approaches to telling the stories of Pili Nā Moku, a multi-island climate resilience initiative organized around the traditional moku (district) system. Haya documents the people, places, and projects working across the project’s focal moku and turns them into outreach materials that speak to community members of every age.

Haya’s goal is to raise awareness of the challenges Hawaiʻi faces as dry seasons grow longer and more severe, and to show how communities can meet such challenges through the Indigenous practices already embedded in local stories and carried by island kupuna (elders). From food security to forestry health to land and wildfire mitigation, she plans to communicate preparedness and resilience from multiple perspectives.

Haya is currently attending the University of California, Los Angeles, where she is pursuing two bachelor’s degrees, in geography/environmental studies and in sustainable nutrition. Her recent work includes sustainability consulting for growing companies through her team, Clean Consulting, along with ongoing outreach and planning with Maunalua Fishponds. Looking ahead, Haya hopes to build a career rooted in sustainable agriculture, food, and health in Hawaiʻi.