Meet the team

Nikhil Wong is a sophomore at Punahou School. Ever since he was a child, he has always had an active imagination, which grew into a love of creative writing and storytelling. Being of half-Chinese and half-Indian descent and raised in Hawaii, he saw the need to have more stories centered around people with complex racial identities like himself. So he founded Keiki Stories, to help kids like him find stories that they could relate to, and for children of all backgrounds to gain a broader perspective of their peers and the world.

Nikhil Wong

FOUNDER

  • Candes Gentry

    BOARD MEMBER

    Former Miss Hawai'i, Candes Meijide Gentry, holds a BA in Travel Industry Management from the University of Hawai'i, an MBA from the Shidler College of Business, and a Certificate in Healthy Living from Cornell University.  She has been recognized by the Shidler College as a featured community leader where she created an endowed scholarship for aspiring entrepreneurs.  Candes has served on several corporate boards at the Gentry Companies in addition to serving as past President of Gentry Pacific, Ltd. Candes has also served on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Hawai'i, Diamond Head Theatre, and Miss Hawai'i Organization, and acted as Co-Chair of the Miss Hawai'i Princess Program. Professionally, Candes dedicates herself to real estate investment, having served as a Real Estate Associate licensed with the Hawaii Board of Realtors for 23 years. 

  • Joe Manfre

    BOARD MEMBER

    Joseph Manfre is a mathematics educator at Punahou School and has served as a teacher, coach, and mathematics educational specialist. He is a Distinguished Modern Classrooms Educator (DMCE) and has a B.A. in mathematics, M.Ed. in instructional leadership, and GCERT in ethnomathematics.

    Joseph is passionate about advancing equitable and intentional classroom structures, student empowerment, ethnomathematics, and data science. In 2018, he was co-awarded a Hawai‘i Innovation Fund grant for Student-led Heterogeneous Learning Communities (SHLC), an instructional routine designed to empower student leaders in a semi-autonomous classroom environment.

  • Ryan Oishi

    BOARD MEMBER

    Ryan Oishi is a Honolulu-based educator, writer, and community advocate. A Punahou School graduate with a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Hawai‘i, he has contributed to publications like Tinfish Press and Bamboo Ridge. As executive director of Reach Out Pacific (REPAC), Oishi led efforts to deliver medical and educational supplies to Micronesia.

    He currently teaches English at Punahou School and is a founding member of Fat Ulu Productions. Oishi’s work reflects a deep commitment to Hawaiian culture, education, and community service.