Advocacy and Building Sustainable School Counseling Systems (Webinar) - Registration Coming Soon

Leka Anitema is a nationally recognized school counselor and 2026 finalist for the American School Counselor Association School Counselor of the Year. At Maui High School, Leka serves as post high counselor leading college, career, military and workforce readiness across schoolwide and statewide. Sometimes known as “Mama Leks,” shaped by her years as a soccer goalkeeper and protective leader, and “Auntie Aloha” for the care she shows to everyone, Leka is also known for pioneering efforts in early college access, Seal of Biliteracy advocacy, service as the Hawaii Association for College Admission Counseling Maui County representative, supporting workforce-bound graduates, and leading the growing MHS Foundation Scholarship Committee.

Raised on Maui as the child of an immigrant in a rural island community, Leka grew up with early responsibility and limited access to opportunity. No stranger to non-traditional education and life experience, she earned a degree in linguistics yet began her professional career as a human physiology teacher and science department chair before transitioning into school counseling during COVID, expanding her impact across educational systems and student pathways. A mother of four, she is a pioneer in expanding access, committed to removing barriers and ensuring opportunity is shaped by positive relationships, not geography or circumstance.