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Growing Beyond the Classroom: A WMYFB Back-to-School & Summer Celebration 🌺
- What Makes You Feel Beautiful
- Aug 25
- 8 min read
A Back-to-School Guide & Summer Update from What Makes You Feel Beautiful
Summer is coming to a close, backpacks are being packed, schedules are changing, and Maui’s young people are heading into another school year.
At What Makes You Feel Beautiful (WMYFB), this season always reminds us that going back to school is about so much more than academics.
For young people—especially during the middle and teenage years—a new school year can bring excitement, but it can also bring pressure, changing friendships, social media stress, questions about identity and belonging, academic expectations, and emotions they may not always know how to express.
As parents, caregivers, mentors and community members, one of the most powerful things we can do is remain curious about what is happening inside our young people—not only what is showing up on their report cards.
Instead of only asking:
How was school?
Try asking:
What made you feel good today?
Was there anything that felt difficult?
Who made you feel included?
Did anything happen that you want to talk about?
What are you proud of today?
Sometimes the smallest question creates space for the biggest conversation.
💛 The Skills Our Kids Need Beyond Academics
This message is especially meaningful to us this year.
WMYFB Founder & Executive Director Monica Marrow recently contributed an article to Maui Family Magazine titled “The Skills Our Kids Need Beyond Academics.”
The article explores something we see repeatedly through our work with young people: academic achievement matters, but it is only one part of preparing a young person for life.
Young people also need opportunities to develop:
Self-awareness
Emotional regulation
Communication
Confidence
Resilience
Healthy relationships
Decision-making
Empathy
Leadership
A sense of belonging
These are skills they will carry into college, careers, friendships, relationships, families and their communities.
We were especially honored to see “Skills Beyond Academics” featured on the cover of the latest issue of Maui Family Magazine.
🦋 F.L.Y. Maui SEL Program™ Is Coming to Kahului
This fall, WMYFB is bringing our F.L.Y. Maui SEL Program™ — First Love Yourself to Kahului.
F.L.Y. is a research-informed, trauma-informed and culturally grounded social-emotional learning program designed to provide young people with a supportive environment where they can strengthen their relationship with themselves and others.
Through guided activities, meaningful conversations, reflection and connection, participants explore confidence, emotional awareness, communication, relationships, boundaries, resilience, decision-making and belonging.
Fall 2026 F.L.Y. Cohort
📍 Kahului Elementary School — Building M-8
📅 September 16, September 23, September 30 & October 7, 2026
⏰ 2:30–3:30 PM
🌺 Ages 11–14
💛 Limited to 12 participants
Once the program reaches capacity, additional interested families may be placed on a waiting list. The F.L.Y. program is offered at no cost to Maui County youth.
🌺 A Few Back-to-School Reminders for Our Girls
For the girls and young people heading into this school year, we want you to remember:
You don't have to have everything figured out.
Your worth is not determined by your grades, your clothes, your body, how many friends you have, or how many people follow you online.
Friendships may change. That doesn't mean there is something wrong with you.
It's okay to set boundaries.
It's okay to ask for help.
It's okay to outgrow people and situations.
It's okay to make mistakes and try again.
Pay attention to the people who allow you to be yourself.
Be thoughtful about what you consume online and how it makes you feel about yourself.
Find at least one trusted adult you can talk to when life feels heavy.
And remember:
There is room for you to grow at your own pace.
✨ Looking Back on a Beautiful Summer
Before we rush into everything ahead, we also want to pause and celebrate what has already happened.
This summer brought meaningful moments of recognition, growth and connection for WMYFB and the young people and community members surrounding our work.
Celebrating Kona 🌺
This summer, we were incredibly proud to see Kona recognized for her volunteer service with What Makes You Feel Beautiful.
Her commitment to giving back to our community was recognized by the County of Maui, where she received a certificate from the Mayor honoring her volunteer service.
Kona was also recognized by Maui Soroptimist, receiving a certificate and a financial award in recognition of her service and accomplishments.
For us, these recognitions represent something even bigger: what can happen when young people are given opportunities to serve, lead, discover their strengths and understand that their contributions matter.
Congratulations, Kona. We are so proud of you and the difference you are making in our community. 🌺💛
✨ Dreams Take Flight: Celebrating Shanti
One of the greatest joys of our work is watching young people we've had the privilege of supporting continue to grow, pursue their dreams and step into new opportunities.
This summer, we are especially proud to celebrate Shanti, a former MAUI GEMS participant, who was selected as one of only 18 Oregon State University students to participate in a faculty-led study abroad program in Italy. 🇮🇹
As an Art major, Shanti will have the opportunity to experience Italy's extraordinary art, history, architecture and culture while continuing to grow as a student and young artist.
To help support this exciting next chapter, What Makes You Feel Beautiful gifted Shanti a MacBook Pro for her college journey.
And this gift was made possible through community generosity.
We extend our heartfelt mahalo to Aha!, who generously donated the MacBook to WMYFB. By passing this resource forward to Shanti, their generosity is now helping a young artist pursue her education, creativity and dreams. 💻❤️
Congratulations, Shanti!
We are so proud of you and can't wait to see where your creativity and this next adventure take you.
❤️ From all of us at What Makes You Feel Beautiful
🌟 Celebrating Kailani Jackson
This year, we were proud to celebrate Kailani Jackson, M.S., Program Director of What Makes You Feel Beautiful, who was nominated for the 57th Annual Maui County Outstanding Older Americans Award.
Presented through the Maui County Office on Aging, this recognition celebrates individuals whose service and contributions have made a meaningful difference in our community.
Kailani was honored alongside fellow nominees at the Outstanding Older Americans Award Luncheon in Wailuku.
We are grateful for the experience, wisdom and commitment Kailani brings to WMYFB and especially to the continued development of our F.L.Y. (First Love Yourself) program.
Congratulations, Kailani, on this well-deserved community recognition. We are proud to have you as part of the WMYFB ʻohana. 🌺💗
🌺 Grateful to Be Part of Maui’s Community of Giving
This summer, What Makes You Feel Beautiful was honored to be selected as a 2026 Visitor Industry Charity Walk nonprofit beneficiary.
We joined nonprofit organizations from throughout Maui County at the 47th Annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk Maui Reception & Grant Distribution, held at the beautiful Fairmont Kea Lani.
This year, more than $1.7 million in grant funding is being distributed to Maui County nonprofit beneficiaries—an incredible investment in organizations serving our islands and the people who call them home.
We are deeply grateful for the support of WMYFB and our continued work with girls, youth, women and families throughout our Maui community.
Mahalo to the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association, the Visitor Industry Charity Walk, participating businesses, walkers, donors and volunteers who made this possible.
We are proud to stand alongside so many organizations committed to caring for Maui and grateful to everyone who continues to believe in the work of What Makes You Feel Beautiful. 🌺💗
Mahalo nui loa for investing in our community.
🌺 Community Giving in Wailea
We are grateful to Lilly Pulitzer at The Shops at Wailea for selecting What Makes You Feel Beautiful to participate in its Community Giving Event Program earlier this year.
On February 21, the Wailea store opened its doors for a special day of shopping, community and giving, with a portion of the day's sales benefiting WMYFB and our work with girls, youth, women and families on Maui.
Beyond the financial support, opportunities like this introduce our mission to new members of our community and remind us of what is possible when local businesses choose to stand alongside nonprofit organizations.
Mahalo to Lilly Pulitzer at The Shops at Wailea, their team, and everyone who shopped, shared and supported the event. Your generosity helps us continue creating opportunities and providing meaningful support for our Maui community. 🌺💗
🌱 Growing Stronger to Serve Our Community
This summer, What Makes You Feel Beautiful proudly graduated from Maui United Way’s Kahua Grants Cohort, alongside 11 incredible nonprofit organizations serving Maui County.
Over several months, the cohort strengthened our organization through grant writing, capacity building, mentorship, technical assistance, and meaningful connections with fellow nonprofit leaders committed to serving our community.
As a grassroots organization, opportunities like this help us build a stronger foundation for the future. The knowledge, tools and relationships gained through the Kahua Grants Cohort will support WMYFB as we continue strengthening programs such as Maui GEMS, ʻOhana Care Outreach, and F.L.Y. (First Love Yourself) and expanding our impact throughout Maui.
Mahalo to Maui United Way, the mentors, presenters and our fellow cohort organizations for investing in Maui’s nonprofit community and creating opportunities for us to learn and grow together. 💗
We’re grateful for how far we’ve come—and excited about what’s ahead.
💗 To Our Community of Supporters — Mahalo
Everything we have shared in this newsletter has one thing in common: community.
What Makes You Feel Beautiful continues to grow, learn and show up for Maui’s youth and families because people believe in this work.
To every donor who has contributed, every volunteer who has given their time, every business and organization that has partnered with us, every parent who has trusted us, and every community member who has shared and supported our work—mahalo.
Some gifts are financial. Others come through donated resources, professional expertise, mentorship, introductions, volunteer hours, encouragement, or simply opening a door.
Every form of support matters.
We are deeply grateful for your continued belief in What Makes You Feel Beautiful and the young people and families at the heart of our mission.
Mahalo for being part of the WMYFB ʻohana. 🌺
🌱 Looking Ahead
As we move into fall, we’re excited to welcome our next F.L.Y. cohort and continue serving Maui’s youth and families.
There is much more ahead for WMYFB, and we look forward to sharing more with you as we close out 2026.
💌 A Message From Our Executive Director
As I reflect on this season, what stays with me most is not any single recognition, event or milestone—it is the people.
It is watching a young woman we have known through MAUI GEMS prepare to take her creativity and education all the way to Italy.
It is seeing members of our team recognized for the ways they serve our community.
It is sitting alongside other Maui nonprofits and being reminded that none of us does this work alone.
It is the donor who gives because they believe in a young person’s future. The volunteer who gives their time. The business that chooses to give back. The parent who trusts us with their child. And the young person who allows us to become a small part of their story.
Those moments remind me why What Makes You Feel Beautiful exists.
As we begin another school year, my hope is that we continue looking beyond accomplishments and asking deeper questions about our young people:
Do they feel seen?
Do they feel heard?
Do they know they belong?
Do they know their lives have value and possibility?
That is the work I want us to keep doing together.
To everyone who has walked alongside WMYFB, supported our programs, encouraged our team, invested in our young people, or simply believed in this vision—thank you.
With aloha and deep gratitude,
Monica Marrow
Founder & Executive Director
What Makes You Feel Beautiful
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