Kainoa Hughes chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about representing Hawaii in the 2026 Mister USA pageant.
American basketball coach John Wooden once said: “Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” This quote applies to Kainoa Hughes, 22.
“My name Kainoa actually means freedom of the sea, translated into English from Hawaiian. I’m a water baby,” he admitted.
Kainoa on turning 22
“I am excited about this year because I am fully turning into an adult, so I need to take care of everything now by myself. It is an exciting time,” he admitted.
Kainoa on Mister USA
Mister USA is an American beauty pageant, which is held annually, and the winner goes on to represent the United States in the Mister Universe competition. It is a celebration of culture, diversity, beauty, intelligence and empowerment.
It believes in the power of young leaders to make a difference in the world. It is not solely about outer beauty; it recognizes the inner beauty and intelligence of their contestants. The finals will take place later this month in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Representing Hawaii
On representing Hawaii in this year’s Mister USA competition, he exclaimed, “I am super excited to be representing Hawaii because I love my people and repping the state. I want to support Hawaii because the state has been going through a lot right now. It is constantly in the news.”
“I can’t wait to meet everybody in the organization, meet all the contestants that are in the show, and make connections. I can’t wait to actually experience everything while I am out there. I am super excited,” he elaborated.
Kainoa on his Hawaiian roots
On his Hawaiian roots, he shared, “Growing up in Hawaii, I was always very much surrounded by family and music. Family is of utmost importance to me. I am very family-oriented, and we are a super close-knit family.”
“I have so many aunties, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas to the point where there are too many to count,” he added.
Kainoa on his advocacy for this year’s Mister USA
On his advocacy for this year’s Mister USA pageant, he remarked, “Honestly, my advocacy is supporting kids who don’t really believe in themselves when they are younger. I used to be a clinically obese kid when I was younger. I used to look at myself badly. I would overplay my funny side so that people could overlook me being overweight. That’s the best way I can put it.”
“I just want to tell them that it’s not the end, and as a young man, you still have so much time to grow up and become whatever you want to be,” he added.
Plans for the future
On his future plans, he remarked, “When I win Mister USA, my plan is to go on to Mister Universe and win that too. I want to spread Hawaii to the world; that’s my mission. I want to raise awareness for Hawaiian people too because we are going through a lot right now.”
“If you guys haven’t kept up with the news, there was recently a big flooding from storms. We recently had fires in Maui too. It’s pretty heavy,” he added.
Defining moments
On his defining moments, he shared, “Honestly, I would say that my injury in rugby defined me. That started everything for me.”
“I was in a post-sport depression spot, and I ended up getting hit up by one of his friends who started her own agency called the Regal Agency. I got lucky because she knew a lot of brands over there already. I ended up making connections with brands out there and with brand owners too,” he elaborated.
“So, I just started networking and that’s how I started modeling out here. That defined a big part of my life because it cured my post-sport depression for sure,” he added.
Superpower of choice
His superpower of choice would be either “flying or time travel.” “I can’t decide because I would want to go into the future super bad and I would want to go back to the past super bad just to learn about everything,” he explained.
“I used to be a big history nerd,” he admitted. “Also, fun fact, I’m a big Marvel and DC Universe, and I’m a Trekkie, a huge fan of the ‘Star Trek’ franchise.”
“My grandpa raised me a Trekkie instead of ‘Star Wars,’ so I am loyal to that,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he revealed, “The beginning.”
“My goal is to become an actor and a model right now,” he admitted. “So, I’ve been cutting weight and I’ve been doing everything. I would like to be in feature films, and I would like to be noticed when I walk on the street.”
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, he said, “Becoming an actor and a star. I feel I was made for more. Success is being with family and loved ones in the end. I want to be financially stable, and I want to be surrounded by family.”
Message for his fans and supporters
For his fans and supporters, he expressed, “Aloha from Hawaii!”
“I really want to actually push the motive of being better for young men and making sure that they’re actually comfortable with themselves, especially when they are younger,” he concluded.
To learn more about 2026 Mister Hawaii USA contender Kainoa Hughes, follow him on Instagram.
