Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 1, 1 January 2014 — MEASURING UP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MEASURING UP

By David Sing \ā Pua No'eau eontinues to be a main contributor to one of the University of Hawai'i Strategic Outcomes, namely, increasing the number of Hawaiian students graduating from the University of Hawai'i. In its latest report, NPN students made up 13 percent of all Hawaiian students who earned degrees from a UH-system college during the 2012-13 academic year. At the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, where NPN has its headquarters, NPN students represented 29 percent of Hawaiian students earning degrees in the 2012-13 academic year. At Hawai'i Community College, NPN students represented 22 percent of the Hawaiian students earning two-year degrees in that same timeframe.

Our educational pathway allows us to facilitate our students' success fromkindergarten through grade 12 and then to see them graduate with degrees in medicine, law, education, environmental science, agriculture, Hawaiian lifestyles, Hawaiian language, architecture, engineering, etc. The success of our Center is in strengthening the students' commitment to learning. In the past few years, Nā Pua No'eau has designed pathways for students into the STEM and health careers areas. The idea is to increase the representation of Hawaiians in the professions that most impact our Hawaiian communities. According to Kinohi Gomes, director of operations: "We want learning for eaeh student to be very personal. We want the students to understand that their learning and education is directly connected to

serving their family and eommunity." Toni Mallow, NPN site coordinator at UH-Hilo, states: "We design theme-based projects that are rooted in real life situations and challenges faced by the Native Hawaiian community and the community in general. As the students research the issues, it sparks their interest. This results in students taking ownership and having kuleana for the project." NPN students at Kaua'i Community College represent 3 1 percent of the Hawaiians receiving degrees in 2013. Malia Chun, NPN site coordinator at Kauai CC, says: "Exposing our haumāna to a variety of career and educational pathways through progressive, challenging, hands-on experiences, within a cultural context, makes their learning experiences at NPN real and relevant. This represents just one of the many pillars of NPN that inspire lifelong learners and lifelong educators." Nā Pua No'eau, a Center within the University of Hawai'i, is in its

23rd year of operation. Centers are located on the following campuses: UH-Hilo, Kaua'i Community College, UH Maui College, Moloka'i Education Center, Lāna'i High and Elementary School, UH-Mānoa and

UH West Hawai'i. To participate in Nā Pua No'eau events, go to http:// npn.uhh.hawaii.edu. ■ David Si.n g is executive director of Nā Pua No 'eau.

y HO'ONAAUAO > EDUCATION ,

Laurence Walsh, left, and Myles Walsh, right, hoisted Nathan Walsh at his graduation in May from the University of Hawai'i-Mānoa. All three brothers participated in NPN in their middle and high school years. Nathan participated in NPN's pre-engineering program in Puna, earned an engineering degree and was hired by Boeing Co. Myles, a 2012 UH-Hilo computer science graduate, owns a web design company. Laurence is studying environmental scienee and geography at UH-Hilo. - Courtesy photo