Anna Nguyen '26 Fights Obsolete Zoning to Combat Housing Crisis

Beyond her academic achievements—including National Honor Society President, Model UN President, and being a Pueo Admissions Ambassador—Nguyen's dedication to her community led her to tackle Hawai‘i’s chronic housing shortage head-on.

Nguyen’s commitment was sparked after witnessing the county’s decades-old zoning and permitting processes firsthand following the 2023 wildfires. This spurred her to study the problem, engage with government officials, and publish a critical OpEd in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in June 2025.

In her piece, Nguyen argued the system requires a complete overhaul, stating, "Maui County’s obsolete zoning code is making life difficult for our community... We don’t live in 1960. We live in 2025." She highlighted that this bureaucracy significantly lengthens development times, noting that building affordable housing on Maui takes, on average, 10 years, with most of that time spent navigating red tape. She urged lawmakers to eliminate redundancy and stop the "internal stasis facing Maui County."

Her impactful work—which also includes achievements like securing 3rd Overall in HI Mock Trial and competing on the Varsity Canoe Paddling team—recently earned her a platform at the Housing Hawai‘i’s Future intergenerational conference in Honolulu.

Nguyen was the only non-adult speaker invited to share the stage with influential policymakers. Observers noted that the Model UN President’s insights frequently overshadowed those of her experienced co-panelists. As the sole representative for Lahaina, Nguyen powerfully advocated for future generations facing an uncertain housing reality, demanding action beyond incremental fixes to the outdated Title 19 zoning code.