In ʻ¨lelo Â鶹´«Ã½ (Hawaiian language), kuleana represents a right, privilege, concern or responsibility to take care of one another and ʻ¨¡ina (land). The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ is launching “Finding Our Kuleana,” a collection of personal narratives that capture four haum¨¡na (students) who discover their purpose and sense of responsibility while pursuing college degrees.
UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ students Kahealani Acosta (College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources), Tate Castillo (Shidler College of Business), Beau Nakamori (School of Architecture) and Kelsey Maloney (School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology) are featured in the video profiles that will air on local TV programming, radio and social media. Each video highlights academic pathways and aspirations the students encounter on their UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ journey.
- Read more about Acosta’s journey: Grad student discovers ʻ¨¡ina-based kuleana at UH, December 17, 2021
“Our campus is on a journey of learning how to live into our collective kuleana to Â鶹´«Ã½ and the world,” said Kaiwipunikauikaw¨¥kiu Lipe, UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ Native Hawaiian affairs program officer. The four haum¨¡na who share their moʻolelo provide us tangible examples of what this journey looks and feels like. I am so grateful to them because their stories invite each of us to reflect on how we take part in this important work.”
In 2015, UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ launched its strategic plan, “ (PDF).” The new plan, , articulates how the university will strive to meet its mission statement—“E ³ó´Çʻ´Ç³¾¨¡±ô²¹³¾²¹±ô²¹³¾²¹ i k¨ m¨¡lama: Cultivating the potential within each member of our community,” and vision statement—”He lamak¨± o ke aloha ʻ¨¡ina: A leading light of aloha ʻ¨¡ina for Â鶹´«Ã½ and the world.”
²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ 2025 identified four goals:
- Becoming a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning
- Enhancing Student Success
- Excellence in Research
- Building a Sustainable and Resilient Campus Environment
“Finding Our Kuleana” is an opportunity to reimagine and illustrate how UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ can best serve our communities. The four video narratives help showcase real-life stories and experiences at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹.
“This video collection encompasses the overall mission and overarching vision of UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹—to help our students find how they can best serve their community, profession and planet long after their days at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹,” UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ Provost Michael Bruno said. “We strive to create, invent and change the way haum¨¡na see and interact with our world.”
The hope is to spotlight more UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ haum¨¡na, faculty, staff and alumni who are identifying personal kuleana. Anyone interested in sharing a story can use the hashtag #FindingOurKuleana on social media to strike up a conversation.
This campaign is an example of UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯s goal of (PDF), (PDF), (PDF) and (PDF) the four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.