She grew up in Hauula, Hawaii, of Samoan and Filipino heritage, and has spoken openly about what it meant to carry that background into a sport where Pacific Islander representation at the elite level is limited. She chose Oklahoma over other programs and became part of a Sooner dynasty that won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2021 and 2022, providing the lineup protection that allowed the team's pitching to work with leads. Her individual production was extraordinary, but it existed inside a team context that she was consistently careful to acknowledge. She was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022, the two seasons in which Oklahoma won national titles. After completing her college career she signed with Athletes Unlimited and joined the professional softball circuit.

She has been public about her faith and about the role her family and Hawaiian roots play in how she carries herself as an athlete and a public figure. Her parents and extended family were a visible presence at Oklahoma, and she has described the support structure they provided as central to her ability to perform under the sustained pressure of chasing a record that the sport was tracking in real time for the better part of two seasons. She entered the professional game as the most decorated home run hitter in college softball history, in either division, at any level.