I am a student at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Five years ago, I moved to Oʻahu with my family. Before I started pursuing my bachelor’s in political science, I took a year and a half off from school and worked full time while earning less than a living wage in Honolulu.

As a young adult responsible for her living expenses in the most expensive state of the U.S., I know first-hand the challenges of barely getting by despite living very frugally. I know if it weren’t for my parents’ assistance with insurance and phone bills, I would not have been able to make ends meet.

Unfortunately, many students and young professionals do not have the safety net that I had, and face far more challenges while working several jobs. I would like to implore our lawmakers to improve the minimum wage and give us a real living wage bill sooner rather than later.