Welcome home, Shirley Gines

When Shirley came home to find Hawaii’s burgeoning tech ecosystem, she knew she had to put her PR skills to use and help put Hawaii on the map like her first company did for Silicon Valley! Shirley Gines was born in the Philippines and moved to Hawaii when she was seven. She grew up in […]

Welcome home, Terry Allen

After college, Terry experienced the Hawaii Paradox – to stay in Hawaii meant he had to leave. Years later, when he returned to Hawaii, it all made sense. The knowledge and experience he gained while working abroad has allowed him to make his living here. Terry Allen moved to Hawaii from Virginia as a teenager, […]

Welcome home, Clay Wakano

”Ask not what Hawaii can do for you, ask what you can do for Hawaii.” For Clay, the answer was the key to his successful return home. Clay Wakano is proudly FBI, From Big Island. He attended Waiakea High School and UH Manoa where he received his Masters and PhD in Microbiology. He then went […]

Welcome home, Jeff Hong

“The place you call your home is different than a place you live to work.” Like many of us who grew up in the islands, Hawaii has always been home for Jeff. Jeff Hong grew up in Hawaii Kai and attended Kaiser High School. He graduated from Harvey Mudd University with a bachelor’s degree in […]

Welcome home, Aaron Cullen

Letting go of the thought of “making so much more money” was the first step in Aaron’s journey back to Hawaii. Now that he’s here, he knows it was absolutely the right decision. Aaron Cullen was born and raised in Wahiawa, Central Oahu. He attended Ka`ala elementary, Wahiawa Middle and Kamehameha Schools for high school. […]

Welcome home, Ian Kitajima

Like the moon faithfully pulls the tides, Hawaii pulled Ian back and let him go, and brought him back again. On his journey, he started several companies, both in Hawaii and on the mainland. It was love and an epiphany that would eventually bring him back to Hawaii to stay. Ian Kitajima grew up on […]

Welcome home, Jen & Chip Ho

You CAN have your malasada and eat it too! For almost 10 years, Jen and Chip Ho have been happily living in Hawaii while successfully working remotely for Cisco. Both Jen and Chip moved to Hawaii as children. Jen attended Kalani HS and Chip attended Mid Pacific. Chip was a biology and premed major when […]

ho`i mai

Homecoming Stories