V. Pauahi Souza (she/her) is a proud Kanaka Maoli from Kailua, Oʻahu situated within the occupied Hawaiian Kingdom. She is currently a PhD student at the University of British Columbia where she studies indigenous pedagogies and innovations in social justice pedagogies at the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice. Pauahi has served at psychiatric hospitals and substance use treatment centers since 2005. Her master’s work focused on cultural historical trauma as it pertains to Peoples of the Ocean and has evolved into examining culturally competent historically informed modalities and interventions for Kānaka Maoli in the disapora.

She is a highly sought after lecturer, having presented at the Ohio State University, Weber State University, and at her home institution, the University of British Columbia. Her lectures have spanned ideas of Indigenous Feminisms, Settler Colonialism, and Cultural Historical Trauma to name a few. Her current work argues that the notion of “Paradise” is a social determinant of health that leads to mental health issues for Kānaka Maoli everywhere, both on and off Island. Pauahi is the recipient of multiple fellowships (Indigenous Graduate Fellowship at the University of British Columbia; New Leaders Council, Kentucky Chapter; Summer Institute on Global Indigeneities). She is an award-winning presenter on her scholarly work on “paradise” and has spoken at conferences internationally (Crossroads Interdisciplinary Health Research Conference - Dalhousie University; Decolonizing Conference: ‘Speaking Out and Speaking Up’ in Fugitive Spaces - University of Toronto).

As the numbers of displaced Kānaka Maoli continues to grow, Pauahi believes that culturally competent mental healthcare for Kānaka Maoli in the diaspora must include an understanding of Hawaiian history and politics. She challenges non-Indigenous practitioners to learn more about Hawaiian history and evolve beyond methodologies and practices rooted in White supremacy.