“Community, family, and values.” This was my 13-year-old nephew’s response to his mom when asked why he wanted to attend Waianae High School rather than a private school. These are also the things that I feel have made me who I am today, which is why I was so disappointed to see USA Today’s low ranking of my hometown of Makaha and the coast where I grew up, as well as the subsequent reporting and sharing of this list in local news media.

While I’m more than OK with tourists and mainlanders rethinking a move to the West Side, basing a place’s value to its residents on costs and income definitely doesn’t count some of the most important stuff.

I was born and raised in Hawaii — Makaha is where I grew up and where I choose to live now. I am a Waianae High School graduate, sister, daughter, niece and granddaughter to educators and social workers who also live and work along the coast, and now a teacher at my alma mater. I strongly believe that I would not be who I am if not for the community that raised me.

What makes this place valuable, to me and others, is the people who live in it. High poverty and jobless rates exist here, that much was pointed out in the article, but so do generous hearts, open hands, and networks of people who support each other through any struggle. Neighbors that watch out for you without being asked, high school students who buy each other food without worrying about being paid back, strangers who pull over when they see you stuck on the side of the road, our community acts with the understanding of “today you, tomorrow me”; we are all stronger when we support each other.

High school students, not surprisingly, are generally skeptical of anyone who decides to be an educator. When one class found out I had not only graduated from college but got a master’s degree, their response was, “What are you doing here?” The answer was easy: There is no place else I’d rather be. Many people characterize teachers as selfless, but honestly, I feel pretty selfish at times; I am surrounded by the awesome people of Waianae daily, the young people no less, who have unlimited power and potential to change the world.

My students often get the impression that their community isn’t good enough, and many people have dedicated lives and careers to proving to them that it is. I don’t know who decides what a place is worth, or if those rankings matter much, but I do know that the people of the West Side rank No. 1 in toughness, heart, and pride. To me, that’s the only ranking that really matters.

Makaha resident Katie Kealoha is a school teacher in Waianae.