April 13, 2011
Feature by: Allison Filbert, ASU Media Relations
TEMPE, Ariz. -- In a world where most people depend on the Internet and rapidly-developing technology for almost everything, Arizona State gymnast Kahoku Palafox is striving to live a more balanced life, and we’re not talking about on the beam.
Junior Palafox was born in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, a third world country in the chain of islands known as Micronesia where her father was providing healthcare to the country’s impoverished population. One of six, Palafox and her siblings were raised in Kailua, Hawaii.
“My family is really down to earth,” said Palafox with a smile. “We have a pretty unique situation at home, I guess you could say. We’ve gone back [to Micronesia] where my dad does a lot of Pacific Islander healthcare work. When I was younger we would always go with my dad to help less fortunate people and get a look at the bigger picture. I think it is important that I be exposed to that side of life.”
Because of her down-to-earth upbringing, Palafox finds it important to limit her personal reliance on technology. This idea finds its way into her everyday life in different ways, one of which being the use of her cell phone.
“I grew up not necessarily independent of technology but I was raised to not be too dependent on material items. I don’t see anything wrong with the Internet or computers or technology, I think it is an amazing tool and it makes life a lot easier. I would never be able to communicate with my family without it and I would never tell anyone not to use it but I don’t want to be entirely dependent on it,” explained the gymnast who uses Skype to communicate with her family in Hawaii.
“I don’t like the fact that you have to have Internet on your phone nowadays. I don’t like it just because I feel like it makes people lose personal contact. As texting has become more popular, you’ll be sitting at a table with somebody and they’re texting someone else and I’m thinking, ‘What happened to you and I talking?’”
But the limits she puts on her own uses of technology don’t stop there. Palafox has opted out of having a Facebook, after previously having one for a few months. Although she thinks it’s a great tool to keep in touch with people, she feels that all of the other information that Facebook offers is unnecessary for her to know.
“I don’t want to spend time hearing about things that I don’t need to, like all of the gossip and stuff,” said Palafox about her time on Facebook. “I just realized that I didn’t want to get caught up in all of it.”
The emphasis that Palafox puts on her personal relationships is demonstrated by the genuine and caring exchanges that she has with her teammates as they warm up for practice in the John Spini Gymnastics Center. When asked what her favorite thing about being on the ASU gymnastics team was, her answer was right in line with her own philosophy.
“The girls, I love the girls,” replied Palafox immediately. “Overall it has been a really unique experience, you know, one that a lot of people don’t get to have.”
Palafox has not been able to compete in the 2010-2011 season due to an ACL injury but has continued to participate in a coaching capacity. In previous years she has been a driving force for ASU on the uneven bars.
A sustainability major, Palafox is figuring out what she wants to do after graduation in 2012.
“I want to find something that has to do with being healthy, conserving and creating a well-rounded lifestyle for people,” said Palafox. Like her father, she wants to work in the health field with an emphasis on an environmentally-aware and conservationist lifestyle.
“I like being part of the athletics program and it’s nice to continue with gymnastics because its what I’ve known my entire life,” explained the athlete. “But the best thing about being on the ASU gymnastics team, to me, is that it’s a true combination of school and athletics and that’s really great.”