Austin Haleyalpiy is the son of Micronesian immigrants and the first-generation born US citizen in his family. His mother comes from the village of Chol in Ngaraard state in the Republic of Palau, as well as the island of Satawal in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). His father is from the islands of Faraulep also in Yap State, FSM. Austin was raised in the continental US, moved to Hawaiʻi after high school in 2013, and earned his bachelor’s in social work at UH Mānoa.
Austin is an advocate for the Micronesian community and aspires to address the trauma experienced by those like him raised in the diaspora having to be the bridge between cultures, while holding onto pieces of a fragmented cultural identity. Through his own experiences, he hopes to pay tribute to his ancestors by helping his community navigate through this new age of existence.
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