Keonekai, born and raised in Maui, pursued his AA degree at UHMC, discovering a passion for Pacific and Medical Anthropology. He later transferred to UH Hilo, earning a BA in Anthropology, completing the medical anthropology track, and obtained a Pacific Island Studies Certificate. Keonekai has further taken osteology related courses and has spent time examining human skeletal anatomy, covering identification of age/sex indicators, studying skeletal population differences, and analyzing pathology and trauma demonstrated on bone, spending over a 100 hours with human skeletal materials. His independent studies included research on the resiliency and recovery of the Lahaina community following the August 8th fires and the application of Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry on lithic artifacts from Leeward Hawaiʻi Island. Keonekai has interned doing archaeological and microbial research at Kapoho Pond in Waihe‘e Maui, analyzed the geochemistry of lithic materials from across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, and prepared a cultural background for Kapalua, West Maui. He further served as a student research assistant for two years, working on a sub-collection of the Barrera collection for lineal and cultural descendants of Kekaha on Hawai‘i island. A hula dancer for nearly a decade, he also enjoys hiking, camping, and swimming, and as a descendant of Honua’ula Maui, he advocates for place-based education.