Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 10, 1 ʻOkakopa 2007 — Kaeo Duarte, part II: ʻplenty alohaʻ [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kaeo Duarte, part II: ʻplenty alohaʻ

My September eolumn was about Dr. Kaeo Duarte, a Kona boy who graduated from St. Louis High School at 18 and from MIT at 28 with a Ph.D. in engineering. With his credentials, Kaeo could have stayed on the mainland working for a notable engineering firm earning a six-figure salary or teaching at MIT or some other prestigious university. His tūtū, Sister Correa, told him he needed to "Come home and give back to others for all that he had been given." Here is what six students who were featured in the September issue have to say about their mentor, friend, unele and fellow scholar who is "uplifting" them through the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa: • Kamana Beamer, on the home stretch to a Ph.D. in geography: "Kaeo has been a great mentor. He has been a person that I have looked to often for support and advice through my graduate career and has always taken the time to talk story and share his mana'o with me. He really has plenty aloha." • Chelsie Javar, master's candidate in botany: "To have a Hawaiian as an educator and mentor has helped make the transition into graduate school a lot easier and more comfortable. All of Kaeo's advice and encouragement comes straight from his heart, and he's dedicated to helping us Hawaiians succeed. With his strong words of support, I'm committed to finish graduate school and be one more Hawaiian that succeeds." • Aurora Kagawa, master's eandidate in botany: "Kaeo has actually been a mentor to me from when I was an undergraduate student. His example kept me connected to home in a way that reminded me it was important to stay in school and move forward, but not forget my responsibilities to the

community. "His leadership shows in itself that Hawaiians ean excel and do great things for their communities through hard work and a sense of responsibility, and that it's possible to hold on to your values, mentor the next generation and really implement change in Hawai'i." • Malia Kipapa, master's candidate in botany: "To grow academically and culturally, in the aspect of balancing good science work and keeping in mind never to lose sight of your identity as a Native Hawaiian, has been my motivational drive to doing good academically. Looking at the larger picture/community and having a selfless positive attitude is important and this is what I've been instilled with while working with Kaeo." • Imiola Lindsey, master's in eleetrical engineering: "Kaeo, while being educated by the most prestigious universities in the western world, approaches academics and work in a way that is us, Hawaiian. In this way he is the ideal mentor to Hawaiian students, showing that you ean be educated and engaged in western society, but you ean do so in a way that does not compromise who we are. That we ean stand tall. Be proud of who we are, where we eame from and to dream impossible dreams. By example, Kaeo teaches us how to take something totally foreign and make it ours." • Ryan Okano, master's candidate in botany: "Dr. Kaeo Duarte has been critical in helping me understand the dynamics of groundwater and nutrients on coral reefs. Dr. Duarte understands the value of employing knowledge from the past with the technology of today to solve problems. To sum it up, Dr. Duarte is truly a visionary attempting to incorporate both traditional and western philosophies to make Hawai'i a better plaee." Mahalo nui e Kaeo. You have honored your tūtū and uplifted our young scholars at UH-Mānoa as our university celebrates its centennial year. May Ke Akua bless you, Mahina, Kamaku and your family always. □

Rūbert K. Lindsey. Jr. TrustEE, Hawai'i