May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month — a time to celebrate the many cultural, political, and historical achievements and contributions of AAPI individuals that have shaped the U.S. AAPI covers a wide range of cultures including those from East, Southeast, and South Asia and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

ECS strives to celebrate and embrace all cultures and is proud to have outstanding AAPI employees, including at our Central East Regional Recovery Center (CERRC). Rachel Ahakuelo, the CERRC program manager, has been with ECS for five years and identifies as German-Filipino. Her father met her mother while stationed in the Philippines. Summer Kahoonei, a CERRC substance use disorder and program counselor, has worked for ECS since 2002 in several programs. Kahoonei identifies as Hawaiian.

Both Ahakuelo and Kahoonei’s relationships with their cultures have been a journey. “It didn't really dawn on me the cultural significance of my mom's side until I got older,” Ahakuelo explained. “So, when I got older, that's when I really was like, ‘I am Filipino,’ and was when I grasped my culture more.” Ahakuelo said that she has started to explore that side of herself in recent years. Kahoonei’s father passed away when she was young, so it was hard for her to connect to her Hawaiian side. She has sought Hawaiian influence by engaging with other Hawaiian individuals and traveling to Kauai, her father’s birthplace. “That’s the place I want to retire,” Kahoonei said. “My dad was born there, and I was born here [mainland U.S.]. He died here, and I was thinking ‘if I’m gonna go I want to go there.’” Ahakuelo and Kahoonei both expressed pride in their AAPI heritage. “I feel very at home around my culture even though I wasn’t raised around it,” Kahoonei said. “I’m really proud to be Hawaiian.”

Their heritage has given them important values and traditions. One of Ahakuelo’s favorite Filipino traditions is eating pancit on birthdays. “For somebody’s birthday you always buy pancit for long life ... ,” she said. Ahakuelo also explained how the importance of family was instilled in her by her mother’s heritage and has guided her outlook as a mother herself. “My mother is very family-oriented; the sacrifices she made were for her family. Those values, I carry with me because I take after my mom as far as my kids, I'm gonna do whatever I can for my kids,” Ahakuelo shared. Kahoonei’s father impacted her values and passions, including music. “My dad used to have his own band called the Hawaiian King Trio,” Kahoonei said. “They would perform all over the place – all over California, Washington, Oregon. And so, I’ve always had this passion for music, for singing ... I think that I got that from my dad and listening to his music when I was really young.”

The values instilled in Ahakuelo and Kahoonei by their AAPI heritage are echoed in ECS’ values. Kahoonei shared that in Hawaiian culture, “Everything we do, every move we make is considered ‘aloha’ ... I feel like ECS implements that. Throughout the years I’ve watched them grow and change ... it’s been great growing with the company.”

ECS is committed to creating an inclusive organization. Celebrating and understanding all cultures is vital. “Knowing people's culture plays a significant part in what we do over here [at CERRC]. You can't treat everybody the same, there's a difference,” Ahakuelo said. “They [CERRC staff] utilize their skills to accommodate that person. Those kinds of values and … empathy come into play.”

Ahakuelo and Kahoonei expressed pride in working for ECS. “I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. ECS has been there for me ... ,” Ahakuelo said. “I wouldn't change it for anything.”

To learn more about ECS’ diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts or the work that amazing staff like Ahakuelo and Kahoonei are doing at CERRC, visit https://www.ecscalifornia.org/.