I moved to New York City from the island of O’ahu in Hawaii to complete my doctorate coursework in physical therapy at Long Island University where I received the Dean’s award for academic excellence and somehow managed to become valedictorian of my class.  Growing up, I played basketball, baseball, soccer, and volleyball, and was quite good until my peers began to tower over me. Before moving to New York, I was involved in the performance world on stage and screen, from teaching drama and movement to children to acting in short films and commercials, from a brief stint as a Samoan fire-knife dancer to playing my music at the local watering hole on Saturday nights.