Dr. Kamuela Yong, the first Native Hawaiian to earn a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, serves as an associate professor of mathematics at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu. Recognized for his exceptional teaching, he received the 2019 Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the 2020 University of Hawai‘i Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Yong is a co-founder of IndigenousMathematicians.org, where he is building a global community for Indigenous mathematicians. Integrating Pacific ancestral knowledge, such as navigation, into his curriculum, he authored the freely available trigonometry textbook "Trigonometry Through Wayfinding and Navigation Across the Pacific," accessible on his website. Dr. Yong's research interests include mathematical modeling of biological, ecological, and epidemiological systems using diffusion.