Former teacher and current member of Hawaii’s state House of Representatives Della Au Belatti. Photo credit: Della Au Belatti.

Many talented educators also pursue a career in politics. One of these is Della Au Belatti, a high school teacher from Hawaii who has been elected to serve in her state’s House of Representatives.

Della, a Filipino American, was born on March 14, 1974, in Manoa, Hawaii. As a young woman, she garnered a position as an intern in the officer of US Senator Daniel Akaka. Akaka himself was an educator before his election to the US House of Representatives. Della worked in the Senator’s office from 1993 to 1996. During these years, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in History at Princeton University in 1996. She completed the requirements for her student teaching program at Trenton Central High School in Trenton, a public school located in New Jersey, also in 1996. She later earned a law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law connected with the University of Hawaii, Manoa (2003).

Once she completed her internship with Senator Akaka, Della accepted a position as a Social Studies teacher at her alma mater, Maryknoll High School, in Honolulu. Maryknoll is a Catholic, co-educational high school. She taught there from 1996 to 2000.

In 2005, Della was elected on the Democratic ticket to the Hawaii State House of Representatives. She has represented District 24, which encompasses Makiki, McCully, Tantalus, Papakolea, Pawa‘a, and Manoa, since 2006. There she has served on several important committees, including Education; Higher Education and Technology; Economic Development; Labor and Tourism; Legislative Management; and the Select Committee on Covid-19 Economic and Financial Preparedness. She has also served as the Majority Leader since 2017. During her years as a legislator, Della has been involved with drafting and passing legislation that impacts families, children, and women. She is specifically interested in furthering marriage equality and reproductive health care rights for women.

For her tireless work in support of her state’s public library services, Rep. Belatti earned the Friends’ Mahalo Award. In addition, the former teacher was named a co-winner of the Amy C. Richardson Award in 2002.

To learn more about Della, see her page at the Hawaii State Legislature.