Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2012 — OHA grant to promote educational pathway for Native Hawaiian students [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA grant to promote educational pathway for Native Hawaiian students

By David Sing \ā Pua No'eau and the University of Hawai'i have been awarded a grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to increase Native Hawaiian participation in higher education. The two-year award totaling $2.4 million will provide a pathway for Native Hawaiian students to the various University of Hawai'i campuses. Nā Pua No'eau, a Native Hawaiian Education Center at the University of Hawai'i, has offices and staff strategically located on six islands, working closely with UH campus programs and the Hawaiian community. The program provides students an opportunity to access UH facilities and faculty. The Native Hawaiian Education Center plays a significant role in creating opportunities for Hawaiian students to see higher education as a means to serve their families and their communities. The pathways created in STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) are showing significant results, especially at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, where there are currently 92 Nā Pua No'eau

students majoring in STEM fields. "By the time I eame to UH-Hilo, I had taken classes on campus for years. I had already lived in the dormitory through Nā Pua No'eau's Summer Institute, and engaged in research in the field of study I was interested in," said Nakoa Goo, who took part in Nā Pua No'eau programs from grades 3 to 12. "Most importantly, through Nā Pua No'eau, I had a picture of what I wanted to do and how I was going to accomplish that," he said. A recent marine science graduate, Goo is employed with the National Oeeanie and Atmospheric Administration as Program Coordinator at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in Hilo. For more information or to register for Nā Pua No'eau, contact a representative at one of the following campuses: UH-Hilo, (808) 974-7678; UH-Mānoa, (808) 956-9410; Kaua'i Community College, (808) 241-3238; UH-Maui College, (808) 984-3364; Moloka'i Education Center, (808) 5539993; Lāna'i High and Elementary School, (808) 565-9100; University Center West Hawai'i, (808) 322-4867. ■ David Sing is Director ofNā Pua No 'eau.

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Nakoa Goo at the Mālama Kanaloa Oeean Day Festival at University of Hawai'i at Hilo. - Photo: Courtesy ofthe University of Hawai'i at Hilo