Alyssa Espinoza moved to Hawaiʻi with her husband ­six months ago. Originally from Texas, Espinoza and her partner had spent a year and a half stationed in Nebraska before moving to the aloha state. She said that she has been enjoying the island, and its mellow weather.

“I like it because it doesn’t snow,” Espinoza said. “We get to go to the beach a lot, which is a lot of fun. … We can be outside, swimming, and my dog likes to be outside … ”

Being away from her extended family is a challenge to the 21-year old.

“ … My family is back home in Texas, and I recently just lost two of my grandfathers, over the past like, two months. That’s the hardest part, is not being able to be with my family.”

Alyssa is currently working towards a degree in nursing at KCC. In the future, she hopes to work in pediatric care.

In her free time, she goes on hikes and fishing with her husband. She also enjoys watching tutorial videos on how to do makeup.