Sen. Hirono is an inspiration for immigrants and girls everywhere as a moral compass. She has protected the rights of minorities her whole career. 

She is the first person that spoke out against the Kamehameha Schools earlier known as the Bishop Estate. She was the leader of the small woman's caucus in the legislature at the time. She may have also been one of the founders of the caucus. Estate trustee Peters was running for Senate President to cement the power of the Kamehameha Schools in the legislature as one of its leading lobbyists.

Later as lieutenant governor she helped broker a critical contract with the teachers union when governor cayetano had lost the trust of the teachers. Money was very very tight. 

It was also a time when there was slack in many elementary schools and she started a program to use the excess capacity for good purposes. It helped to keep the schools open. It also enabled number of early education programs to find a cheap venue with a kitchen.