Page 4 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - March 29, 2023

4 HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK MARCH 29, 2023
Some people discover their life’s calling in early adult- hood. Others, try as they
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(From left) Skye Antonio, Francisco Mawae, Zoey Corpuz, Victoria Zembik, Alora Amina, Joshua Takara, Mahealani Sims-Tulba, Jonah Zembik, Jarren Corpuz, Lilynoe Mawae, Vincent Takara, Kiana Lambot, Natalie Abrigado and Sophia Bertram
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Mahealani Sims-Tulba took a negative rig experience in pageantry and turned it into ten a positive anti-bullying movement. PHOTO ke COURTESY MAHEALANI SIMSTULBA
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Ever determined, Mahealani Sims-Tulba leads her 10-year-old anti-bullying nonprofit B.R.A.V.E. Hawai‘i into the next decade with her young, valiant supporters by her side.
might, never really find their path. And every now and then, a few re- alize their mission while still in their adolescence.
illustrating a children’s book called It’s Okay To Be Different in 2012, Sims-Tulba launched B.R.A.V.E. Hawai‘i the following year, a non- profit dedicated to helping youth combat bullying. From the get-go, the organization with the acronym that stands for “Be Respectful And Value Everyone,” has resonated with thousands of youth across the state by promoting “kindness and respectfulness, goal-setting, per- sonal development and motivation.”
“But when you’re a kid listening to another kid talk, you listen. You listen to your friends, you listen to your peers — because you’re equal.”
what she and her supporters have
Mahealani Sims-Tulba belongs in the latter group. As the daughter of a local politician and celebrity (her father is Honolulu City Councilman Augusto “Augie T” Tulba, who burst on the scene as a comedian and radio personality in the ’ 90s), she found her purpose early on — age 13, to be exact — believing that her life was to be lived in service to others.
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“I knew even back then that I wanted to do good things for people,” says Sims-Tulba, now 23. “I saw my dad do it as he put smiles on people’s faces, and they would always say, ‘Thank you so much for everything you do for our community.’
“It helped that I was still a child and I could connect with them,” says the nonprofit’s founder and CEO when recalling her early days of winning over crowds of youth.
In its 10th year, B.R.A.V.E. Ha- wai‘i remains a force in bringing greater anti-bullying awareness to students through its state Depart- ment of Education-certified school programs, and beyond. Last month, for example, the nonprofit received good news when Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi signed Bill 52 — which makes bullying illegal on city property and within city programs — into law.
“But we get it. It’s been 10 years and here we are, and now we under- stand that it takes time to advocate; it takes time for people to see that bullying is an issue, and that it needs to be addressed.”
“I wanted to be just like that.”
at school, we’ d have
So, the very determined young- ster with the organically sunny disposition put on her game face and got started. After writing and
The government’s action is “a big deal” for Sims-Tulba and her orga- nization, in part because it validates
“My friend looked really pretty
“There were a lot of mean words
“Growing up
speakers come and talk to us all the time, but a lot of the kids wouldn’t listen because it was boring, and they didn’t really care what the adults were saying.
world. At the time, her best friend in elementary school was involved in a contest and the allure of wearing a dress and tiara began to pique her interest, too.
Maybe most importantly, the mes- sages had an impact because they were coming from someone who was a victim of bullying herself. (More on this later.)
B.R.A.V.E., we were told that bul- lying would not even be considered for a law for at least 10 years — and that was in 2013. Back then, we were like, ‘Man, that’s so long from now!’” she recalls.
and I thought, ‘Oh, I want to try that! I want to stand on the stage and look pretty!’ ” she explains. “That sounds really bad now, but at the time I really didn’t know any- thing about pageantry other than I wanted to try it.”
“When we first sta a
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was a piece of the pageantry
Yet what should have been a joy- ous decision soon turned into a night- mare. According to Sims-Tulba, her best friend immediately unleashed a campaign of put-downs against her with the intent of driving the then 10-year-old from an upcoming com- petition.
efore Sims-Tulba chose her path in life, all she wanted
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