Page 4 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - March 2, 2022

4 HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK MARCH 2, 2022
More than just being the first woman and Native Hawaiian ever appointed as president of East- West Center, Suzanne Vares-Lum is the right leader at a time when building relationships is key in the Indo-Pacific region.
on’t listen to the barking dogs.” That’s a piece of advice Suzanne Va- res-Lum received
canines. If they were to stop for every single one, they would nev- er reach their destination.
what was once deemed far- fetched or even impossible.
president of East-West Center. As she sits in her new office that overlooks the lush grounds of University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Vares-Lum reflects on a time when she was a student walking these same sidewalks. It’s the place where she met her husband, Courtney — they share two daughters now — and where she earned degrees in journalism
staff — Vares-Lum decided to fol- low in her father’s footsteps and pursue a life of service.
when she was seated at an all-fe- male roundtable some time ago. Said by a Mongolian parlia- mentarian, the story went on to explain how families in the East Asia country must be fairly no- madic given the region’s harsh weather patterns, and when trav- eling from place to place, they of- ten encounter hungry and vicious
“What she was really saying to the group of women was that if you listen to the chatter that says you can’t — or even your own in- ternal voice that’s saying you can’t — you won’t get to where you’re going,” says Vares-Lum. “You have to listen to the more positive voices, not the barking dogs.”
She’s no stranger to being the only woman in the room, but with her courage, determination and altruism at the forefront of everything she does, she’s been named the “first” of a remark- ably long list of prestigious titles over her 34-year career. To name just a few, she was the first Na- tive Hawaiian female to become a U.S. Army general and, most recently, she’s the first woman and Native Hawaiian appointed
and education.
While a career in writing piqued
“I think what really impressed me was the World War II gener- ation, those who were willing to serve our country and stand up to protect and preserve our inter- ests, even if it meant the ultimate sacrifice,” says Vares-Lum. “The courage to support one another has always impacted me.”
These words of wisdom have stuck with the Wahiawā-born Vares-Lum as she has surpassed
her interest for a period of time — she was on the Ka Leo O Hawai‘i
She joined the Army Reserves, UH’s ROTC program and later SEE PAGE 5