Biography

Kawaiuluhonua Scanlan is from Pālolo, Oʻahu. She is a proud graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law and a recipient of the Native Hawaiian Law certificate. Prior to law school, Kawai attended Scripps College and studied Psychology, and Native American and Indigenous Studies. 

During law school, Kawai externed for the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation and the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and worked as a Research Assistant for Ka Huli Ao. Kawai also served as an alakaʻi for ʻAhahui o Hawaiʻi, a student organization dedicated to advocating for justice for Native Hawaiians, and was a two-year Ete Captain and SBA Vice President. 

As a Post-J.D. Legal Fellow at Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law, Kawai helps to co-teach the Native Hawaiian Rights Clinic, where she focuses on securing water rights for the people of Maui Komohana. She also supports the I Mana i ka Wai: Kūkulu Kahuwai DHHL Water Law and Leadership Training, and helps coordinate on-campus programming such as Maoli Thursday and Pū Paʻakai.