Jayden Maiava hosts USC Hawaii alumni & friends pa’ina with focus on mental health awareness

As the college football season approaches, Hawaiʻi native and Southern California quarterback Jayden Maiava returned home over the weekend to connect with the local community while promoting mental health and childhood trauma awareness.The Kaimukī High School alum joined USC teammate and running back Waymond Jordan at the Alohilani Resort in Waikīkī for a USC Hawaiʻi Alumni and Friends Pāʻina. The event celebrated the Trojans ahead of the 2026 season while also highlighting the work of Aloha 1st Athletics, an organization focused on supporting Hawaiʻi’s youth.Maiava, who enters his senior season as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks and a Heisman Trophy candidate, said raising awareness about adversity and mental health is a cause that resonates with him.”I think a lot of people go through a lot of different adversity throughout childhood,” Maiava said. “A lot of people come from different backgrounds, and it’s super important to me. I’ve dealt with a little bit of adversity myself.”Maiava also shared his approach to handling the heightened expectations that come with leading a national championship contender.”One thing I say about pressure is to take the opportunity as a privilege,” he said. “See it as an opportunity to flip the script and not see it so much on the negative side, but see the positive out of everything.”David Tautofi, founder of Aloha 1st Athletics, Maiava’s uncle and the former Kaimukī High School football coach, said increasing awareness is a critical first step in helping young people overcome trauma.”Most people are not prepared, and they go through trauma that forces them to go in a different direction,” Tautofi said. “But there are a lot of resources and a lot of help out there. Just bringing awareness that we’re aware of it is the first step. Most of us are not aware of it until it’s too late.”Tautofi also emphasized that young athletes should not define themselves solely by their performance in sports.”Your identity is not in sports,” he said. “Sports is a platform and an opportunity for you to better yourself. There’s something greater than ourselves in this world. Sports is a blessing and it’s a gift, but it’s not our identity.”