Valdir Solera

State: Hawaii

City of Residence: Wailiku, Hawaii

Country of origin: Brazil

Arrival in the U.S.: 2013

Mr. Valdir Solera came to the United States from Brazil in 2013. He now lives in Wailiku, Hawaii where he works as a tourist guide and environmentalist. He volunteers every week to protect the endangered green Honu turtles at Ho’okipa Beach and educate tourists about them. In 2013 he created a Facebook community called “Brasileiros em Maui, Havai,” a space where Brazilians in Maui help each other look for jobs and housing, and provide other resources to each other. Mr. Solera’s most proud of contributing to his community by serving as a member of Hawaii Wildlife Fund, where he is dedicated to the conservation of Hawaii’s native wildlife through research, education, and advocacy.

Word for U.S.: Challenge