Persistence pays off

Moani Hara has all the beauty and poise you’d expect from a Miss Hawaii USA.

The 24-year-old Nuuanu woman is stunning, with long, wavy brown hair crowning a flawless 5-foot-7-inch frame. She oozed confidence as well as humility when she stopped by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser newsroom for a photo shoot and interview.

But her best feature has nothing to do with physical beauty.

After a few minutes talking about her life story and her hobbies, the subject of food came up. And Hara’s honesty was refreshing.

"I love to eat but right now I can’t eat," she said with a bit of sadness before breaking out in laughter.

"You know what, you should really try — and this is not changing the subject — if you go to Japengo, you should try their coconut creme brulee. Oh my god, it’s so yummy," she said before launching into a detailed description of the dessert, which is served in a half-coconut.

"I don’t know, I’m goofy," she then said with a laugh.

Goofy? Perhaps. Open, warm and personable? Absolutely.

Hara’s bubbly disposition and approachability could take her a long way in the Miss USA pageant, which starts Wednesday with the preliminaries in Baton Rouge, La. The finals are June 8, with the delayed telecast at 7 p.m. on NBC.

No Miss Hawaii USA has taken the national title since 1997, when Brook Lee won and later captured the Miss Universe crown. Hara, a University of Hawaii communications/public relations major, might just have what it takes to break the 17-year drought.

"I’m just me," she said. "I don’t try to be someone I’m not. I’m goofy, I’m funny, I’m dedicated, I’m focused. And I also know what it feels like to overcome something and to really work hard."

When she was a fifth-grader at St. Andrew’s Priory, Hara started to have difficulty keeping up with other students in the classroom, particularly in math.

"I was just slower than the other kids," she recalled. "And the other kids started to notice, and I was getting frustrated that my friends were noticing.

"It was very hard because of my confidence. I was getting teased all the time in school. You’re on the first step of a math problem and others are already on the third or fourth. So I would get called stupid: ‘What’s wrong with you?’"

At the age of 10, Hara was diagnosed with dyslexia. She enrolled at Assets School starting in the sixth grade. The school, which specializes in teaching children with learning disabilities, helped Hara regain her confidence.

"I just loved it there because everybody was fighting their own personal battle," she said. "Everybody was the same, everybody was equal."

On the advice of friend and former Miss Hawaii Malika Dudley, Hara entered and won the Miss Hawaii Outstanding Teen pageant when she was 16. Two years ago she placed first runner-up in the Miss Hawaii pageant, the qualifying event for the Miss America contest.

There’s no talent competition in the Miss USA pageant, which is too bad since Hara won’t be able to wow the judges with her diverse dance skills. She’s been a Rainbow Warrior dancer at UH and member of 24-7 Danceforce in Kaneohe, and although she’s taking a year off due to her Miss Hawaii USA duties, Hara usually dances hula with Halau Hi’iakainamakalehua, which competed in April’s Merrie Monarch Festival.

Despite missing Merrie Monarch, Hara has been happy with her busy schedule of public appearances since being crowned Miss Hawaii USA in October, including a guest spot on an episode of "Hawaii Five-0." She’s also gone back to Assets a few times in the past year as role model to show the students they can overcome their struggles and achieve their dreams, just like Hara did.

"That’s what I talk to them about: Don’t let a learning disability, like dyslexia, hinder the goals or aspirations that you have for yourself. Because at the end of the day, you only have one life to live. So if you’re going to use that as an excuse, well, you’re not living."