My Experience with the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund
by Daniela Guerrero
HWF intern, Daniela Guerrero, during our 2023 HWF Nest Watch activities. PC to Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund.
Writing this feels very surreal. I remember sitting at this very desk writing my application essay just a couple months ago. Now, here I am writing about my experience as it has come to an end. My short-lived Maui internship was one I will truly never forget.
ʻOhana was a word I was somewhat familiar with. Sure, my introduction to that word was from watching Lilo and Stitch, but nothing could prepare me for the massive impact this word has had on me. I had no idea that one word would be my most treasured memory. I felt ʻOhana from the second that Hannah and Pippin showed up at my hostel to take me to honu watch on my very first day. I felt it even before then when Hannah Bernard was constantly checking in with me, making sure that I was adapting to the hostel life. I felt it when I was on Hoʻokipa and having at least ten people during my shift come and say hi to the very popular Tahitian goddess of Maui, Magdalena.
I felt it when we sat under a dim lit plumeria tree as we said goodbye to a fellow intern. I felt it when I saw a mama turtle lay her nest and even more when I saw a volcanic eruption of baby turtles. Through all these beautiful and wholesome memories there was one that I never imagined I would be a part of.
One that no one expected and shook the whole island in the most negative and awful way. The fires destroyed futures. The futures of those lost, the future memories of Lāhainā, the future of Maui… Through this tragedy something beautiful emerged. I witnessed a community that I believed was extremely close, becoming even closer. I saw people coming together in a way I had yet seen. I felt the community mourning, but I felt ʻOhana even more. Now I know ʻOhana is not a feeling, but I watched as strangers came around and embraced those in need. I felt the outpour of love and desire to do absolutely anything to help. I was able to participate in a supply drop off location thanks to the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund, and being there I felt that I was being bothersome.
Normally I wouldn’t speak highly about feeling that way, but I am happy that I did. Why? Because I saw the desperation of people trying so badly to help in even the slightest way possible. ʻOhana is a lifestyle that I truly am blessed to have been able to witness. ʻOhana is a way of life in Maui, and it is my most treasured memory.
The Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund has given me direction in helping me decide that I want to be a wildlife rehabber. I felt this growing desire through a connection I felt with Manini, a turtle regular at Hoʻokipa. She suffered from fibropapillomatosis and as the days went on we saw a decline in her health. I learned that with the removal of the tumors they would grow back and that for the most part they are left untreated also due to the fact that it is not easily accessible. Now my thinking is whether it grows back in a week, a year, or five. The animal’s quality of life is the most important and access should not be a reason it isn’t receiving a second chance. I want to be that difference for those turtles.
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund has most importantly given me experiences I will forever cherish, family I constantly think of, and a new beginning. I will forever be indebted to them for my unforgettable summer of ʻ23.
A Hui Hou!
