Megan Kalalau was awarded a Reach Scholarship to attend the No Barriers Summit this past June after we received her application and listened to her sing on Youtube. Her voice is simply beautiful. At the risk of sounding a little cheesy, I believe every person can tap into a hidden reserve of strength, beauty, and love; call it an inner light that we grow and nurture, and allow to blaze into the world. When Megan sings, that light shines. It’s only fitting that her Hawaiian first name “Kamakanauimainalani” translates to “the beautiful gift from the heavens.”
Raised on the small island of Hana in a big family with six other siblings, Megan was born prematurely, and stayed in the hospital for almost five months. She left the hospital with a heart monitor and required oxygen 24 hrs a day. She had a ventricular access device inserted in her head due to hydrocephalus. She was also legally blind. Her early birth also led to challenges with walking, strength in her legs, and fine motor skills. Their small community had limited resources for Megan, and they were advised to move to a larger island. However, they love their home and found ways to adapt.
Megan excelled in school and graduated from Hana High School. Afterwards, she would often return to assist the Special Education teachers in the classroom. At age 22, she applied for financial assistance from Hawaii Department of Health Vocational Rehab and realized her dream of living independently on the island of Oahu. Today, she lives in her own apartment, travels to school, cooks, shops, does her laundry, takes public transportation and is learning how to manage her finances.
Megan: “My most recent challenge of moving out on my own to attend a school on another Hawaiian island, being away from home and away from my family, is quite difficult, but I live my life through the belief from the bible, Philippians 4:13 ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ I love to sing at events in my community, at different churches, parties and funerals, so I can bring people hope and joy. I hope to continue to sing and inspire other blind people in my community on our island to get the assistance and support that they need.”
Listen to Megan sing with Mandy Harvey, a renowned singer and songwriter who happens to be deaf, at our No Barriers Summit:
Megan, thanks for the courage to share your gifts with us. Let that light blaze.
