A Year in the Sun ☀️

Check out our final blog post from our all-star intern, Koren Kano. Needless to say, we expect big things from you. Mahalo for everything! 

As I scrolled through my Instagram feed on a random May morning, a bright graphic filled with bubbly letters caught my eye. I’m a sucker for anything that looks cute, from bikinis to lip gloss. But this wasn’t an ad for some tangible object, rather this was an internship opportunity posted from an unfamiliar account called Lani & Kai. The description of the internship encapsulated everything I wanted to learn, from sustainable beauty to digital marketing. Lani & Kai called for applicants from Hawaii who were passionate about creating content, but also about sharing the impact sunscreen had on the environment. 

The description was everything I wanted to be: tech savvy and environmentally conscious. I felt like I fit the brand’s criteria in more ways than one. There was just one problem— I was nearly three weeks late. 

More than anything, I hate bothering people when an opportunity has passed, but something in my gut told me to just trust the process. So, feeling unprofessional and tardy, I sent an old resume I drafted on my school’s computer and an apologetic yet excitable email to two women named Robyn and Sam. 

I am so grateful that both of them decided to give me a chance. I’ve been interning at Lani & Kai for nearly a year now, creating content for our “Wish You Were Here” blog on the website. 

Throughout my time in high school, I have tried out a variety of jobs and extracurriculars. From writing student life articles for the school yearbook to working weekly in retail. However my time on the Lani & Kai team has been unlike any other opportunity. I’ve experienced so much creative freedom through the content I’ve created for the blog. From informative articles about mineral sunscreens and our reefs to hot girl summer gift guides, I have had the opportunity to cover them all! 

In the fall, I’ll be trading my bikinis and trucker hats for rainboots and windbreakers as I enter my freshman year at the University of Washington! I haven’t settled on a major yet, but I’m hoping to make my mark within the field of business/marketing/journalism. I always knew I wanted to write, but my L&K internship has opened my eyes to the possibilities of creative liberty within “writing occupations.” Although I’ll be far from Hawaii, I’ll carry the values I’ve gained through this internship (and my L&K sunscreen packs) with me always!