As the store manager at the Līhuʻe Walmart on Kaua‘i, Diane leads a large team of roughly 250 associates. She’s been in charge of her team for eight years and a part of the organization for more than two decades. Originally from Wahiawa, the Leilehua High School grad began her career at the Mililani Walmart in 1999. From there, she worked her way up the ranks, which ultimately brought her to the Garden Island.

“Kaua‘i is a very special place,” Diane recalls. “The aloha spirit is alive and well. You feel that energy as soon as you land on the island. Being in this community, you feel a real sense of camaraderie.”

Diane has raised six children and loves finding opportunities for her whole family to volunteer together. During 2020, she and her family became fixtures at Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i’s pop-up food distributions, which helped provide emergency food assistance to families impacted by the pandemic. This experience taught her a lot, not only about volunteering but also about her community.

“Afterward, I would turn to my grandchildren, and I would say, ‘Hey, what did you learn?’” Diane reflects. “Because it’s not about rushing and putting the food in the car. No, it’s really about understanding that we’re all human. These people that we’re putting food in their cars – they’re no different from us, and they just need a little help. Volunteering during the pandemic really helped build awareness that, you know, we’re all in this together.”

Diane was raised in a big family, herself. The oldest of seven siblings, Diane grew up watching her dad work three jobs while her mom stayed home to take care of them. This experience taught her at a young age the ongoing challenge of trying to make ends meet. But even more, it also instilled a sense of gratitude that now sparks her passion to take care of others.

“We were limited to what we had due to my father working construction during a time when they were on strike,” she describes. “But I’m grateful to have grown up during this time because we were very rich in love and family and, of course, blessed with lots of delicious meals – even if it was something simple like Hawaiian Pancake. My mom would feed anyone that came to visit … They’re my reason. That’s my spark.”