Rafael is passionate about the opportunities ahead of us to recreate a more sustainable world. He grew up with a family deeply connected to a sense of responsibility for protecting the natural world. Some of his earliest inspirations were weekends with his parents wandering the banks of the American River in Sacramento, CA where he would have the opportunity to interact with wildlife, ecological systems, and rattle snakes. Rafael is a graduate of University of Hawai‘i's Natural Resources and Environmental Management Masters of Science Program and served as the O‘ahu Chapter Coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation for 5 years before becoming the Executive Director of Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i in 2019. Rafael completed his BA in Communications with minors in Political Science and History at the University of California San Diego. He has also served as a Team Leader for the Hawaiian Youth Conservation Corps, founded the civic engagement workshop "Civics is Sexy", and has served on multiple plastic waste reduction committees at the State and County level. These collective experiences inspire his love for Hawai‘i, its people, its natural beauty.

Rafael is also an avid photographer, aspiring writer, and former professional baseball player (a pitcher in the Atlantic League and Israel Baseball League). His favorite things are a morning bodysurf at Makapu‘u, a wander on a jungle stream with his fiancé, or finding the time to read an inspiring book on a beach anywhere. Rafael continues to be inspired by the concepts of pilina, reciprocity, and knowing that we are perfectly imperfect.

Paul’s love story with Hawaii began in 2018, when the silhouette of O’ahu appeared on the horizon after a 6-month expedition in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Paul and a crew of adventurers departed from Japan 165 days earlier to escort his uncle, long-distance swimmer Ben Lecomte, while completing the first trans-pacific dataset on plastic pollution. As they witnessed first-hand the destructive impact of our throwaway culture on the ocean and its wildlife, they engaged over 8 million people through the web-series and feature film, The Swim. After a second adventure through the North Pacific plastic vortex and an education tour around the world, he has arrived back to the island and the SCH’Ohana he fell in love with, determined to activate our collective power and reconnect our community with our lands and oceans.

Hideki Kimukai has been a core volunteer for Sustainable Coastlines Hawai'i since he joined in 2013. He has coordinated and completed dozens of international collaborative beach cleanups on O’ahu. He joined Sustainable Coastlines Hawai'i Education and Outreach team in 2018. Not only has he successfully educated local audiences, he has also excelled in outreach and education to international students, including Japan, Australia, and European countries. Hideki was born in Japan and lived in Japan until he began high school studies abroad in the US continent. He holds a B.S. degree in Secondary Education and holds a M.S. degree in Computer Information System from Florida Institute of Technology.

Rebecca Mattos is the Inspiration Coordinator for Youth Education at Sustainable Coastlines Hawai’i and has over 20 years of experience working as an educator, community organizer, and youth leader. She joined the SCH Ohana in 2016 after volunteering at a cleanup at Ka’ehu Beach, Maui- experiencing both the plastic pollution crisis and the energy driving real solutions firsthand. Rebecca grew up in the San Francisco Bay area (Ohlone). Before moving to Hawaiʻi, she taught Restorative Justice Education to students in grades 7-12 and adult workshops on poverty, diversity, and compassionate care in the S.F. Tenderloin neighborhood. Her work and passion have centered around social justice, ocean conservation, human rights issues, photography, and film. As part of Sustainable Coastlines Hawai’i, Rebecca has taken on many roles, including Director of Education & Outreach, and Operations Manager, as she transitioned the organization from co-founder Kahi Pacarro to current ED Rafael Bergstrom. Rebecca has led and coordinated over 500 educational workshops for K-12 students throughout Oahu and the Hawaiian Islands about marine debris, plastic pollution, advocacy, and sustainability practices. Rebecca began at SCH as an intern with the IVHQ volunteer program, where she helped manage weekly volunteer programs with International guests. As a lead research assistant to Dr. Sarah-Jeanne Royer, Rebecca’s work has improved the quality of scientific and data collection around plastic pollution in Hawai’i. She is a contributing photographer to the International Pacific Research Center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a long-time contributor to SCH’s social media. Her most significant accomplishments at SCH include growing the Education program to reach over 10,000 students per year, including public, private, and Hawaiian Immersion schools, including international students and partnerships from over 50 countries. In 2018 she represented SCH at a 2-day marine debris cleanup on Kaho’olawe island with Greenpeace, PKO, and KIRC. She is also a core member of Hui Aloha ‘Aina Ka Lei ‘Aina Ali’i to work on 'Āina protection, restoration, and preservation and projects across Hawai’i. Rebecca holds her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Southern California (USC). Fun fact: In 2016, Rebecca completed the 1.8-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco’s Aquatic Park!

Whether it be backpacking, farming, hunting, or surfing Steffi’s many outdoor passions have led her to live a lifestyle that serves the environment. She is involved in waste diversion team which has inspired her and her partner to turn waste into a resource at their farm. For example, they collect fish carcasses from local fish restaurants to make natural fertilizer and use ghost nets to build trellises for their vegetables.

Shaina Duran is the Action Coordinator at Sustainable Coastlines Hawai’i. This coordinator position relates to the Cleanups and Restoration Events Program, which includes Event Planning, Volunteer Coordination, and Office Operations. Shaina was born and raised on the West Side of O'ahu, in Mākaha. She attended Northern Arizona University where she got her B.S. in Environmental Science with an Emphasis in Management. In her free time, she enjoys drinking copious amounts of coffee, reading, spending time with her friends and family, and freediving for shells.

Jasmine Buerano, known to many as Jazzy, is an internationally grown storyteller. She grew up for most of her life in Hawai’i, splitting her time between Nu’uanu, O’ahu, and Waimea on Hawai’i Island, and lived in other places like Guam, Brunei Darussalam, and the Philippines. She began her journey with non-profit work at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California through a student-run Surfrider Club Chapter where she served as the Director of Media. After graduating with a BA in Communication Studies and a concentration in Environmental Studies in 2021, Jazzy moved home to Hawai’i, working in Hilo as a photographer and social media manager for a global lab that seeks to create innovative solutions for communities who need them most. Now, as the Inspiration Coordinator at SCH, she manages SCH social media platforms and is a community outreach specialist. When she isn’t taking photos or writing, Jazzy enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and friends, singing, and cooking for others.

Jocelyn just completed her MA in Geography and Environment at UH Mānoa, and now works as an educator at Sustainable Coastlines Hawaiʻi and researcher for the US Forest Service. Born and raised on Oʻahu, Jocelyn had an international childhood traveling to countries like Burkina Faso and Bangladesh with her parents' small non-profit. Being exposed to the economic disparities and environmental issues of these countries early in life, Jocelyn became driven to focus her future career addressing complex socioecological issues. She became passionate about conservation and mālama ʻāina after joining the UH Mālama I Nā Ahupuaʻa program, and later interning with Kupu, Lyon Arboretum, and Kauluakalana. All of these experiences have made her dedicated to sustainability, aloha ʻāina, and the importance of forging deep connections between land, ocean, and community.

Aloha, my name is Conrad Morgan. I'm born and raised in Kailua, Oahu and am an avid bodysurfer. I am attending Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California where I am double majoring in communications and Environmental Studies. The majority of my free time is spent in the water or picking up trash off of the shore. The ocean is what gives me joy and drive in life and I want to do everything I can protect it so that my children and grandchildren can experience it in the same way I have. Growing up in Hawaii I have seen how connected we are to our oceans and land, a connection that has been lost for most of humanity, and I aim to do my part in reconnecting humanity to our beautiful natural world.

I'm originally from Chicago and although there was a lack of environmental awareness in my schools, I was still able to grow a passion for animals and nature. The hard part for me has been trying to figure out my career path in the environmental movement world but thankfully SCH has taken me on and opened my eyes to the importance of community and education. In previous jobs, I've fallen into leadership positions which have taught me that I'm capable of learning and sharing knowledge in order for the team to succeed/accomplish goals.

Kiani Ku’uleimomi Akina is Kanaka Maoli from Kahuku, O’ahu. She is a rising junior at Harvard College studying Environmental Science and Public Policy, focusing on Indigenous communities and Oceania. Her experience includes working with Kuleana Coral Reefs, weaving Hawaiian knowledge into speaking engagements at Harvard and beyond, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work in the newly founded Harvard Climate Coalition. Kiani attributes her deep investment in climate and environmental work to her Great Grandmother, Viola Ku'uleimomi Clark Akina, who gave her her name, Kiani– which is an overheard wave in hula gesture, which set her on a path to develop a love for hula dancing and her Native Hawaiian identity. Kiani is particularly interested in incorporating Hawaiian culture and history into Sustainable Coastline Hawai'i's mission to inspire and awaken kuleana amongst communities to steward our homes, coastlines, and ahupua'a. Aside from her environmental, community organizing, and activism work, Kiani enjoys spending time with her family, reading, making lei, roller skating, dancing hula and other Polynesian dances, diving, and playing rugby!

My name is Elanil Erdugrul, and I am from Istanbul, Turkey. I am a rising junior at Vanderbilt University, pursuing a double major in Cognitive Studies and Computer Science. Growing up by the sea in Istanbul and spending summers in Bodrum, I developed a profound connection with the ocean and observed the severe impacts of plastic pollution, fueling my passion for environmental sustainability and social justice. In high school, I launched initiatives that merged education with technology to support underprivileged girls in Turkey. This commitment to transformative projects continued as I led a software development team creating solutions for nonprofits and volunteered extensively with Project C.U.R.E in college. I am deeply aligned with Sustainable Coastlines Hawai’i because of their people-first approach and reliance on data-driven strategies for environmental conservation. SCH’s dedication to nurturing community stewardship of coastlines through informed and innovative efforts inspires me to address critical environmental challenges and leverage technology to benefit the communities of Hawai’i.