KUMU

Olivia (Oli) Carbi is a dedicated Graduate Student Leader currently pursuing her Master's in Environmental Management (MEM) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, class of 2024. She holds a BS in Environmental Science from Florida State University, which she earned in 2020. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised in Miami, Florida, Oli moved to Hawaiʻi in 2022 to advance her studies and immerse herself in learning from the local environment and communities.

Oli's research interests include biocultural restoration, environmental education, climate change mitigation, ecosystem function and services, environmental justice, and Indigenous research methodologies. Her commitment to climate and environmental justice drives her to collaborate closely with local and Indigenous communities, seeking holistic solutions to environmental challenges.

With a deep connection to her field and the people she works with, Oli is passionate about learning from others and expanding her perspectives and knowledge base. She is also an avid practitioner of mindfulness, engaging in yoga, guided meditations, sound bath healing, and other grounding rituals to stay present and centered without judgment. Oli is always eager to connect with and assist those around her, reflecting her dedication to fostering a supportive and inclusive community.

KUMU

Jade Rhodes is an aspiring landscape architect, urban ecologist, and biophilic designer based on O’ahu, HI. Born and raised in Detroit, MI, Jade grew up analyzing the ecologies and cultural fabrics that live in the urban landscape. Her experiences have guided her principles of thinking about how we can reconnect with place, land, and culture, through flora and fauna as a vehicle of healing. Currently she is matriculating her master’s degree Landscape Architecture housed at the School of Architecture at UH Mānoa and a previous double baccalaureate graduate of Hawaiʻi Pacific University studying Pacific Island Studies and International Sustainability, Policy & Anthropology. Jade has worn many hats in community land stewardship; organizing and designing community spaces that produce food with cultural context to the Pacific.

Her mission is to advocate for just and resilient community food systems and integrate indigenous knowledge into urban ecosystems as a designer and via ecological design and landscape architecture.