About
Curious by nature.
Hands on by habit.
I’m Aukai Kaai, based in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. I’m someone who likes understanding how things work, getting my hands dirty, and sticking with a problem until I can make it better.
Honolulu, Hawai‘i
Family, the outdoors, and projects that keep me grounded
Outside of school and work, I’m usually spending time with the people close to me, working on a vehicle or dirt bike, or finding a reason to be outdoors. I enjoy the process as much as the finished result, including the troubleshooting, the small improvements, and the satisfaction of bringing something back to life with my own hands.
Growing up in Hawai‘i shaped how I approach people and problems. I value humility, reliability, community, and being the person others can count on. Whether I’m traveling, camping, riding, or working in the garage, I’m happiest when I’m learning something useful and sharing the experience with family and friends.
A practical path into engineering
My engineering perspective developed through years of construction work, vehicle repair, fabrication, and learning from the people around me. Those experiences made engineering feel tangible: every dimension affects fit, every interface matters, and a solution is only successful if it works outside the drawing.
At the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, I built on that foundation through mechanical and aerospace engineering. My work now spans lunar regolith research, CubeSat systems and integration, controls, aerodynamics, test planning, and real world construction coordination. The individual projects are different, but the way I approach them is consistent: understand the system, test assumptions, communicate clearly, and follow the problem through verification.