This lyric from “Dear Evan Hansen” incorporates two of the most important things in Ke’olani’s life: theatre and community. Ke’olani, a lifelong Salvationist, values friendship and providing a space where creativity can unite. When the pandemic hit, Ke’olani’s school, like many others, canceled all extracurricular activities. Sports eventually returned, but the fine arts program still hasn’t bounced back. The theatre teacher left and there has been an absence of the arts ever since. This left a void both in education and in community for kids passionate about performing arts. 

Ke’olani has experienced loneliness and lack of community before. As an officer’s (pastor’s) kid, she has moved several times with her parents to different appointments. There were times when she would arrive to a new school and feel the weight of loneliness. This was true of the school she now attends. It is a small school, and the students all grew up together. It’s never easy to be the new kid, but it’s especially hard in a small tight-knit group. Ke’olani acknowledges the difficulty, but also recognizes the spiritual lessons she learned during this time. Ke’olani experienced a deeper reliance on God and realized that this was just a chapter in a bigger story. “People will come and go,” she says, “but He is always there with me.” Over time, she has made great friends and grown to love her school.

But because she knows how a lack of community feels, she didn’t want to see the arts community completely disappear. Ke’olani took matters into her own hands. She met with the principal at her school and started a theatre club. The club meets weekly and learns stage direction, prop and costume design and practices their skills through acting exercises. It’s a small group, she acknowledges, but interest is building and she hopes that it will lead to the school restarting the fine arts program.

Ke’olani will soon attend college where she plans to major in theatre. She hopes to use her creative skills in ministry and evangelism, leading people to Jesus through creative arts. She hopes to increase her creative skills this summer, as she goes to Japan with the Salvationist Service Corps. Ke’olani knows that life might not turn out the way she expects. But “it’s ok,” she says. “God was always there for me.”