Left to right: Driver,
Germaine Tauati (waving and sitting in car), Erryn Dinkel (waving and sitting on top of car) and A. Asing from Tutu and Me in the Kamehameha Day Parade
Kamehameha Schools honored Erryn Dinkel at the Kamehameha Day Parade on
the Big Island in June for being an outstanding individual in the
community.
Dinkel is the lead teacher for the Pana'ewa Keiki Steps site.
Geoli Ng, Dinkel's supervisor, said the award is well deserved.
"Everything she learns at training or classes she does at her site. If
she doesn't feel it is satisfactory...she finds all the things she can improve
on," Ng said.
"Her greatest strength is her core values behind all that she does. She puts 110% into touching the lives of the families she serves, she stands for what is honest and right, she picks up where she sees there is need without being told, and she thinks of others before herself. She hugs and greets each child by name when they enter and when they
leave. Her centers are welcoming, informational and creative. At the end of the week, she calls
the parents that didn't show up for playmorning to welcome them to
join the site the following week," Ng added.
Dinkel also attends community meetings and has made an active effort to
uphold the mission of INPEACE
to improve the quality
of life for native Hawaiians through community partnerships that
provide educational opportunities and promote self-sufficiency.
Dinkel graduated with a Bachelors Degree from Brigham Young University and is now planning to continue her education to become a
teacher in her community.
