Kauai is kind of my place where I go to get centered. It's always my place to come back and feel normal again.

It's funny because looking back at my first contest, I was 15 and surfing the Haleiwa contest wearing this tiny bikini. I remember not even thinking twice about wearing it - I just thought it was normal.

Every day is different when I'm home, but mainly I just surf. There's no nightlife or shopping, so it's pretty mellow but really nice to come back to after a trip or an event. If you're traveling, you're all stressed out, then you get to Kauai, and nothing matters anymore.

I always look up to girls like Beyonce or Anna Kournikova. Girls who do something well but also look good. I think every girl loves to feel sexy and, sure, there's some creeps out there, but I'm putting myself out there. I guess I'm just working with what I have.

You can always go back to the place where you were comfortable, the place where you're from.

I come from a place where we feel like we're not represented in the national media.