HONOLULU – Happiness comes in all shapes and sizes. 

Look no further than University of Hawai’i senior Rachel Radona, a 4-foot-10 ball of energy on the cheer team who is known by some as the “Chee Hoo Queen” and by others as a rising star in the art world.  

From bringing the charge to sold-out sports arenas to adding some extra artistic beauty to scenes on an everyday O’ahu walk, the local girl has a knack for producing big smiles and standout memories for all – and that’s by design. 

Radona has always had an affinity for being cheery, but she didn’t start out as a cheerleader – her background was in band as she grew up in the Kamehameha Schools system. After getting into middle school, she was drawn to the positive energy that radiated from the KS-Kapālama cheer team and quickly joined the program. 

Rachel Radona (back right) pictured with teammates from KS-Kapalama | Photo Credit: Rachel Radona

She helped power the passion at many different nights of high school competition, but her positive reach started to spread further than the local gyms and football fields as she took her artistic abilities outside of her own house. 

The daughter and niece of a variety of artists, Radona had been honing her skills for years while making connections with local community members. As she got older and her skills matured into deserving even bigger audiences, she started to do projects for local businesses while continuing with other works. 

Some of her creations can be found on her Instagram account, @raay.chel_art, illustrating a grasp on a variety of different pieces and designs. When asked about her style, Radona described it as “art that really pops” with a few common themes intertwined. 

“I love fun, bright colors because people are fun and bright,” she said smiling.  

Another common theme in her art is to add in traces of her cultural backgrounds, sharing mo’olelo [stories] with Hawaiiana and Japanese heritage-inspired murals and pieces. To Radona, it’s part of her responsibility as an artist. 

“Art is about sharing mo’olelo, and you can share mo’olelo culture about everything,” Radona said. “That’s what really drove me to this passion of art … the art that I do also focuses on the cultures that I have and that I want to share. My mission in art is to contribute to the lāhui of Hawai’i.” 

With that desire to continue representing and sharing culture through art, a foundational group of people that already were familiar with her work and a chance to be close to her family, staying in Hawai’i for her college education was an easy choice. 

“I understand that a lot of artists move away to the mainland for bigger opportunities,” Radona said when asked of her decision to attend UH. “Honestly, I found the most opportunities here because of the lāhui of Hawai’i. Everybody knows everybody, so if you do one thing for someone, somebody else is talking around the corner and will hire you again.” 

Despite a dedication to cheer in high school, Radona did not plan on continuing her career once she got to the University of Hawai’i. The focus was going to be on her career and continuing to improve her skills in the art world. 

Photo Credit: Rachel Radona

After taking a year off from her sport though, one of her friends convinced her to attend an open gym by UH cheer team and she quickly felt her love for the sport rush back. 

“It was just so much fun,” Radona recalled. “I felt like I was back in high school again … all of the aloha that [the team] had made me feel like I was at home already so [joining] felt like the right thing to do.” 

It provided another outlet and more opportunities for the Waipahu native to spread her positivity to everyone she could. While most of her memories in a Hawai’i cheer uniform come within the friendly confines of the Stan Sheriff Center or the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex, the most memorable and noteworthy moment came all the way out in Baton Rouge. 

Traveling with the Rainbow Wahine basketball team for the 2023 NCAA Tournament opening round, Radona and the cheer squad stepped into a raucous arena with fans of the LSU Tigers ready to cheer against anything in green. Despite knowledge of the hostile environment, her team went into the day with the goal of contributing to a bigger, more fun atmosphere for everyone in attendance for the first-round game. 

It was noticed by the LSU fanbase, too. 

“I think they were really surprised that a team that was going against their team was trying to be nice to them and sharing aloha,” Radona remembered of the opposing fans. “Even though we lost, as we were running out, the whole arena like stood up and started clapping for us … They all wanted pictures, and they were just saying how awesome it was to have those spirits so high. They said how they had never felt that much energy before [from an opposing team] and that’s honestly what we’re striving for at Hawai’i cheer.” 

That same positive energy is continuously exuded by Radona as she continues expanding her knowledge about art and culture. Despite a variety of outstanding works, the senior doesn’t have a favorite piece of art – at least not yet. 

“I don’t think that I’ve made it,” Radona said. “I don’t think I ever will [have a favorite] … well, until I’m old and tired.” 

(Radona did say that a small mural at the Beer Lab that she did on Beretania would rank towards the top of her projects that have been completed, if she was forced to give an answer.) 

To Radona, every day is another opportunity to push her creative boundaries and share the positivity of life through art.  

It just so happened that cheer became another outlet for her to spread that same wonder.