Jacy Sera: Looking Back
“The All PONO organization was a significant foundation in my growth and the journey that still awaits; and I am forever grateful to have been a part of it.”
All PONO Athlete & Scholarship Recipient (2016), JACY SERA
The All Pono organization was sparked on the face of great adversity, and it has transformed into a positive movement for our entire community. Being part of this organization molded me into the person I am today.
At eight years old, I joined the first PONO Girls Soccer team. This was a new experience for all of us, the parents, coaches, and players. However, this team impacted me for the rest of my life. We traveled to compete in tournaments yearly and bonded like sisters. My PONO coaches taught me the skills and techniques to succeed as a soccer player, later benefitting me as I made the Maui High Girls Varsity Soccer team as a freshman; and voted a captain for my junior and senior year of high school. However, it wasn’t just the technical skills that opened up these opportunities, it was more about learning the meaning of perseverance, teamwork, communication, hard work, sportsmanship, and to “Do What is Right.”
“It wasn’t just the technical skills that opened up these opportunities, it was more about learning the meaning of perseverance, teamwork, communication, hard work, sportsmanship, and to ‘Do What is Right’.
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This core value system influenced my character as a teen figuring out who I was. Throughout the years, keeping [All PONO] in mind helped me make decisions in soccer, but mostly in life. In high school, I strived to succeed in my academics, and challenged myself in extracurricular activities—with the understanding and hope to get accepted into a university of my choice. My senior year, the hard work paid off as I received the All PONO Scholarship and other local scholarships. From those opportunities, I was able to accept my offer to Chapman University—where I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences, and a minor in Nutrition. My end goal is to return home after gaining the necessary knowledge and education to better the community that had raised and supported me all those years. The All PONO organization was a significant foundation in my growth and the journey that still awaits; and I am forever grateful to have been a part of it.
Britney Delima
“I am grateful to have grown up in an organization surrounded by people who taught and encouraged me to live a life of righteousness—not just by telling me to do so, but also by motivating me through their actions and living PONO Lives themselves.”
All PONO Athlete & Scholarship Recipient (2015), BRITNEY DELIMA
My name is Britney Delima and I graduated from Baldwin High School in 2015. Since then, I have gone on to further my education at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. I am now a junior pursuing a degree in Business Administration with a dual concentration in Finance and Accounting. Having been apart of the All PONO Organization and the Pono Athletic ʻOhana since its inception, the value of living a PONO Life and “Doing What Is Right”, was instilled in me at a very young age. I held these values to be very important as I grew up and went through high school and always made decisions and lived in a way that I considered to be “right”.
“I aim to carry myself in a way that embodies righteousness in order to spread the message of PONO, in hopes that I will inspire those around me to do the same, just as the members of the All PONO Organization have done for me.”
Leaving home, transitioning into a college and being surrounded by a new group of people from a variety of different places taught me that everyone you meet will not necessarily hold the same values as you do, and that those around you are not always going to make decisions that you are going to agree with. My journey in college thus far has made me further understand the value of not only “Doing What Is Right” for myself, but more importantly, inspiring others to do the same. I am grateful to have grown up in an organization surrounded by people who taught and encouraged me to live a life of righteousness—not just by telling me to do so, but also by motivating me through their actions and living PONO Lives themselves. Because of this, I continue to live a life driven by the idea of doing the right thing. Most importantly, I aim to carry myself in a way that embodies righteousness in order to spread the message of PONO, in hopes that I will inspire those around me to do the same, just as the members of the All PONO Organization have done for me.