Growth Mindset in Action: Never Giving Up – My First Days as a Master’s Student & the Fight for Puna

Aloha Ohana!

Today I closed my laptop after Day Two of classes at University of Phoenix (online) , and I just sat there for a minute, breathing it all in. This is my third time stepping back into college as an adult… but it’s only the FIRST time I’m an official Master’s student in Criminal Justice. I haven’t been in school since 2020, so yeah — the rhythm feels rusty, the readings are stacking up, and the little voice in my head keeps whispering “you sure you can do this?

But here’s the thing I’ve learned through every single setback ive endured in my short life , to every eruption, every court filing i watch my mama go through and through each court date my community shows up for, every time life tried to knock me flat: a growth mindset isn’t just pretty words on a motivational poster. It’s the quiet decision, every single day, to keep showing up even when it’s hard.

My “why” is bigger than any syllabus or late-night study session. It’s the ‘āina I was born and raised on since 1988 — right here in Lower Puna, it's the chance at a healthy future for my own family, my own child and ger future generations. The home i was born and raised on , on mohala street in Leiani , gone forever.  That home, along with four other family homes I was raised in, was tragically covered by the 2018 eruption. I now live in the last of our family homes that was spared: the 10-acre farm my mom bought with her partner in 2005, with our small cabin. This is the land my family continues to steward and fight for. It’s watching my entire community beg to breathe clean air while so many have been slowly dying off from the impacts of geothermal operations.

And at the heart of this fight is my mom, Sara Steiner. For over 50 years, thousands of people in Puna and beyond have raised their voices, protested, organized, and tried to stop the harm. But my mom is the only one who has fought non-stop, pro se, as a paralegal, pouring her own blood, sweat, tears, and every last dollar from her own pockets into the courts for over a decade now. She does it to expose the truth to the world and save our home.

All the lawyers turn the cases down the moment they hear “geothermal” — scared of the repercussions. Community members and organizations who have tried filing independent lawsuits usually lose, then give up… or they get threatened and end up moving away. But my mom refuses to back down. She is the only one who has kept fighting day after day, year after year, no matter what, and no matter howmany nay sayers come our way. I am so blessed to call her my mom, and I can only hope to one day follow in her footsteps, making real legal change for our ʻāina and our people.

I dream of the day my mom can finally rest. Not just “retire” — truly rest, as a kūpuna who has given everything so the rest of us could keep fighting. That day is my fuel. 100 percent.

Fast-forward to 2032: I will walk across that stage with my Master’s in Criminal Justice, concentration in paralegal studies and community organizing. And the moment that diploma is in my hands, the real work begins. I’m coming for the County of Hawaiʻi. The fake "state l" of Hawaii. I’m coming for the foreign geothermal plant that has caused decades of death and suffering. I’m coming for every sell-out, every cover-up — from the newsrooms that stay silent, to the authorities that look the other way, to the independent reporters who are silent to every call for help from community, to Civil Defense (aka Geothermal Defense), to the county reps like Aslet Kirkawitch placed in District 4 by the same Israeli Ormat, Hastings, and Ole Adwell lawyers firm that keeps this machine running.

None of that is possible if I give up.

So I’m choosing the growth mindset. I’m choosing to learn the system so I can dismantle the parts that harm us. I’m choosing to turn every late night, every overwhelming reading, every moment of doubt into proof that we can adapt, we can grow, and we can win.

And I’m not doing it alone.

If you’re reading this, I’m asking you to come along for the ride. Whether you’re in Puna, on another island, or across the ocean — your voice, your shares, your prayers, your presence matters. Every time you tag a friend, repost a testimony, or simply hold space for this fight, you’re part of the momentum.

With this internal fire and a growth mindset that refuses to quit, we can and WILL accomplish ANYTHING we put our minds to.

Let’s save Puna.

Let’s free Hawaiʻi.

Thank you for being here.

xox

Jazzy

#endgeothermal #kahupuna

#wearepuna #aolepgv