Isaac Akinaka, a junior from Hawaii majoring in computer science, was led to BYU–Hawaii through prayer, prompting, and a leap of faith, finding himself exactly where the Lord needed him to be.
A Prompting to Come Home
Growing up in a family of BYU–Hawaii alumni, Akinaka thought he was meant to forge a new path. “My parents, grandparents, uncles, aunties, and cousins have been here before,” he shared. “And for that reason, I felt like I needed to get off the rock, start a new path, and be a pioneer somewhere else.”
Before his missionary service in the California Oakland/San Francisco Mission, he made college plans elsewhere, but those plans didn’t sit right. “During my mission, I had the most unsettling feeling about [my] previous choice in college,” he recalled. Unsure, he called his mother, Birlinda, who offered simple but powerful counsel: part of receiving revelation is acting in faith.
“So, I did just that. I applied to BYU–Hawaii, and while I did this, everything felt right,” he said. That decision, though unexpected, changed his life. “It has brought so many blessings. I met my wife, Alexee, in my first young single adult ward, I’ve made great relationships with peers and mentors, and I’ve had opportunities that nowhere else in the world has to offer. All because I followed a prompting and acted in faith.”
“An Example for My Boys”
Akinaka’s conversion to the gospel came through the quiet power of example and love. “I’ve been blessed to have many role models. My father is my biggest one,” he said. “Without fail, he’d wake up around 4 am and start his day by reading the scriptures.”
Akinaka would wake early just to spend a few minutes with him before work, moments that instilled in him a deep sense of the scriptures’ worth. “As a kid, I had decided to go on a mission,” he said, “but as I got older, that became harder to stick by.”
Everything changed during a ministering visit to a family friend’s home. “They opened the door with tear-filled eyes, and the father pulled me in and said, ‘Thank you for being an example for my boys.’” That moment was pivotal. “I never felt more loved before. I felt the love his family had for me, and also the love the Lord has for all His children.”
Successes as a Young Single Adult
Akinaka’s BYU–Hawaii story is inseparable from his experience as a young single adult, or YSA, as it is commonly abbreviated in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “My wife and I joke that we’re success stories for the YSA,” he laughed. On his first Sunday in the Laie YSA 5th Ward, he bore his testimony—and met his future wife soon after.
But the blessings went beyond love. “I had the privilege to serve in different capacities as a YSA member,” he shared. “The callings I’ve had allowed me to build relationships and Christlike attributes through one-on-one interactions.”
Becoming Who the Lord Needs
His Holokai, he said, taught him more than just technical skills. With minors in Pacific studies and social work alongside his major in computer science, Akinaka learned the deeper purpose of education. “The biggest thing my Holokai has provided me was a greater understanding of the importance of becoming.”
He continued, “Whether that’s becoming a scientist, developer, general contractor, or customer service rep, you are becoming the person the Lord needs you to be, because you are needed!”
For Akinaka, BYU–Hawaii’s mission to prepare students in becoming “disciples of Jesus Christ” is not just a slogan; it’s a personal reality. “My Holokai helped me understand that I am becoming, and can become, the person the Lord needs me to be. He has proven to me that I am needed, time and time again.”
Becoming More Like Christ
Now in his junior year, Isaac Akinaka reflects on how BYU–Hawaii has shaped his discipleship. “I am a better disciple of Jesus today because I decided to come to BYU–Hawaii back in 2022, and the blessings haven’t stopped since then,” Akinaka said. “BYU–Hawaii has been an amazing haven for me to develop how to love as the Savior would, to serve as He would, and most importantly, to become like Him.”