From golf to government, Kelli Oride goes hands-on

LIHU‘E — A $60,000 grant is not a bad way to start the day, and that is exactly what Kelli Oride did Wednesday.

The Kaua‘i High School junior began her Leader for a Day stint by signing a grant, the document being countersigned by Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. in the mayor’s office.

That process interrupted Oride’s briefing prior to heading for the department head meeting which, according to Carvalho, Oride ran without a hitch.

An essay on “Malama Ka ‘Aina” centering around the preservation of the Maha‘ulepu area earned the soft-spoken student the privilege of shadowing Carvalho as Leader for a Day, experiencing first-hand what a mayor’s day is like.

Oride won the contest in the mayor’s category sponsored by the state Legislature and open to students in grades six through 12.

“Your winning essay ‘Malama Ka ‘Aina’ conveys your wish to protect and preserve Maha‘ulepu, a pristine area on the South Shore of Kaua‘i, and your proposal to maintain the area through education and establishment of a foundation to support Malama Maha‘ulepu, a non-profit organization working to conserve our natural resource, is very commendable and noteworthy,” Carvalho said in a commendation which was presented to Oride in her final act of the day at the Kaua‘i County Council meeting.

Oride’s essay was selected over many entries because she demonstrated a clear understanding of an issue of concern in Hawai‘i and a clear idea of how to address that issue, states a council commendation which was also presented to the student at the end of her day in office.

Following the department head meeting, Oride was off on a visit to the Planning Department, a tour with Parks and Recreation Director Lenny Rapozo, a proclamation presentation to the Malie Foundation announcing March as ‘Olelo Hawai‘i Month and a meeting with Mauna Kea Trask of the county attorney’s office.

All of this before lunch, which the mayor described as being very healthy.

“You’ve had a taste of land planning, environmental law and botany,” said Jay Furfaro, vice chair of the Kaua‘i County Council. “But it is permissible for you, Mayor Oride, to help our mayor with his golf swing.”

That brought chuckles to the council meeting, alluding to Oride’s prowess in golf where she was selected as a 2009 Hewlett-Packard Scholastic Junior Golf All-American. Council Chair Bill “Kaipo” Asing noted Oride was just one of 12 girls in the nation getting the honor. She also earned the 2009 Rolex Junior Golf All-American Honorable Mention and the student athlete is currently ranked first in her class.

Golf had Oride working a true mayor’s schedule as the 11th grader arrived on Kaua‘i at 9 p.m., Tuesday after finishing in a four-way tie for seventh place at the Annika Invitational Golf Tournament in Orlando, Fla.

“This was definitely not a usual day,” she said while waiting for the Kaua‘i County Council to convene.

Oride said she was the only Hawai‘i golfer at the Junior Golf tournament, finishing with a three-day total of 222 (76-72-74), 11 strokes off the pace set by Victoria Tanco of Bradenton, Fla.

Other golfers in the four-way tie included Jay Marie Green of Boca Raton, Fla., Simin Feng, last year’s tournament winner, of Orlando, Fla., and Kristen Park of Buena Park, Calif.

“It is today’s youth, like you, that we need to recognize for expressing a message to government leaders that immediate attention is needed to respect, protect and restore a significant site on island, and for providing important proposals for leaders to actively support and take the initiative to move forward as responsible leaders,” Carvalho said.

Kelli is the daughter of Dr. Michael and Gail Oride of Lihu‘e, and the granddaughter of Janet Fujii, also of Lihu‘e.

Her future plans include attending college with a business major and eventually becoming a professional golfer.

• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.