A University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� academic advisor earned international recognition for outstanding contributions to student success. Jordan Abanto was one of three recipients of the , a professional organization that supports academic advisors and promotes effective advising in higher education.

Abanto, who is an undergraduate academic advisor in UH ��ā�ԴDz�’s , was recognized for providing personalized guidance to students, supporting their academic planning and promoting their overall success through College of Natural Sciences advising programs. The honor places Abanto among a select group of advisors acknowledged for excellence in the profession.

“Receiving this award is both humbling and motivating,” Abanto said. “Academic advising is about more than helping students pick classes—it’s about listening, understanding their goals and guiding them to opportunities that help them thrive. I’m grateful to be part of a community that prioritizes student success and development.”

The award honors early-career advisors who demonstrate exceptional skill and impact in guiding students through their academic journeys. NACADA’s Global Awards Program, established in 1983, highlights individuals and institutions that make significant contributions to the field of academic advising.

“Jordan’s dedication, empathy and expertise make a real difference in the lives of our students,” said Stephanie Kraft-Terry, College of Natural Sciences interim director of advising. “This recognition is well-deserved and highlights the individual contributions that contribute to the strength of our Student Academic Success Center in the UH Mānoa College of Natural Sciences.”

NACADA’s awards program also honored experienced advisors, faculty advisors and administrators, as well as exemplary advising programs.

Academic advising is a demanding profession that blends emotional, intellectual and personal mentorship. Advisors help students navigate complex academic decisions while also supporting their personal growth—an effort that can take a toll over time. Despite their pivotal role, advisor wellness is often overlooked.

Recognizing this gap, Comfort Sumida and Melanie Brokaw, academic advisors at the , have taken bold steps to change that.

With a $25,000 grant from the Stupski Foundation, Sumida and Brokaw launched the Hoʻolehua Advisor Wellness program in 2023 to strengthen the advising community across UH Hilo and . Their initiative promotes connection, professional growth and personal well-being among advisors, ensuring that those guiding students also receive the support they need.

Nurturing relationships

Sumida and Brokaw have gone beyond traditional policy discussions and best practices by organizing activities that nurture meaningful relationships among advisors. They have coordinated visits to the Honoliʻi Orchards Cacao Farm and Kona Salt Farm, hosted an advisor institute, toured other campuses and provided opportunities for advisors to cultivate personal wellness skills.

“We expanded the Hoʻolehua Advisor Wellness program to focus more on academic advisors and the support we can provide each other,” Sumida said. “And we do that across the two campuses with �鶹��ý CC and UH Hilo.”

Looking ahead, Brokaw hopes this innovative wellness program will inspire other campuses and institutions to prioritize the well-being of their advisors.

“We want to be the best support for our students, but to achieve that, we must first take care of ourselves,” Brokaw said. “You can’t be there for them if you’re not able to support and care for yourself in the first place.”

For some students, navigating their way to a degree can be daunting. One place that has made the journey easier is the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s (PAC). Offering free, walk-in guidance for students pursuing careers in health sciences and law, PAC helps turn professional aspirations into reality.

Two former advisees, now first-year students in their respective professional programs, credit PAC with playing a pivotal role in their journeys.

“Whether you’re just exploring your options or ready to apply, we’re here to guide you,” said PAC Director Kiana Shiroma.

Advocating for rural communities

Kaʻohi Gomera, a first-year law student at the , grew up in North Kohala on �鶹��ý Island. Inspired by her rural community’s healthcare challenges, she hopes to advocate for better healthcare policies in underserved areas.

Gomera first learned about PAC’s services through UH ����ԴDz�’s law school. Working closely with her advisor Tori Shiraki, a third-year law student, Gomera received step-by-step guidance on her law school applications.

“Tori helped me with everything—my resume, personal statement and essays. She was honest and gave unbiased advice, which was so valuable,” Gomera shared. Regular meetings helped her refine her applications, even when faced with the challenge of being waitlisted.

“The center created a safe space where I felt comfortable sharing personal experiences,” Gomera said. “They encouraged me and were always available to answer questions. Their support made a stressful process feel manageable.”

Now thriving in her first year, Gomera values the sense of community at the UH law school. “It’s a privilege to pursue higher education, and PAC made it more accessible for students like me, especially as a first generation college graduate, now first generation law student” she said.

A journey to medicine

Michael Ajimura, a first-year medical student at the (JABSOM), initially dreamed of becoming an engineer. However, his experiences with first aid as a Boy Scout sparked a passion for biology. After earning a degree in from UH ����ԴDz�, Ajimura turned to PAC for guidance on medical school applications.

“I wish I had gone to PAC sooner,” Ajimura admitted. “Even after graduation, I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know. Dr. Shiroma and my advisors, Jenny Nguyen and Juliana Tomitabroke broke everything down for me—from primary applications to personal statements and extracurriculars.”

Ajimura’s journey involved applying to 20 medical schools, a daunting task made smoother with PAC’s help. “Their advice was comforting and practical. They were there every step of the way, no matter how many questions I had,” he said.

After finishing his first semester at JABSOM, Ajimura reflects on the challenges of medical school and the importance of support systems. “Dr. Shiroma was so happy when I got in, and her belief in me made all the difference,” he said.

A resource for all stages

Both Gomera and Ajimura encourage students to take advantage of PAC’s resources. “Even if you’re unsure about your path, PAC can help you figure it out,” Ajimura said.

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Reaching students to help them achieve their academic best can be challenging. What the at the hoped to do is gather advisors and educators from around the Pacific to share what works best and what can be done in the future. On July 11, about 160 participants from all 10 UH campuses and other institutions across the Pacific, such as Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau and the Marshall Islands shared insights, strategies, and best practices in academic advising at the virtual .

“The theme for this year’s conference was ‘Bridging Islands of Knowledge’ and highlights how we often focus on our own isolated areas of expertise,” said Derek Furukawa, director of the in the . “Whether geographically or within different divisions at our institutions, being in the same ‘space’ can spark communication and collaboration, bridging these islands of thought.”

Technology tools, wellness

Participants chose from professional development sessions, and topics ranged from bridging cultural learning and core advising values to strategies for supporting students at risk. An advisor from presented how UH uses technology to connect at-risk students with academic and support services. They demonstrated how advisors are alerted about at-risk students through UH’s online registration app, STAR ().

“Utilizing early alert systems to support students in making adjustments to their academic approaches (before it’s too late in the term to recover) has been proven to make a significant impact on students’ timely completion of their programs,” Furukawa explained.

The conference also featured sessions on promoting health and wellness among academic advisors. “Nurturing the Nurturers” highlighted wellness programs implemented across four different institutions: UH ����ԴDz�, , and University of Guam. Advisors at these campuses engaged in activities such as outdoor exercise and face-to-face interactions to promote well-being.

Bridging islands

For the first time, UH ����ԴDz�’s 14th annual summer conference was attended by advisors from a wide geographical range in the Pacific. Traditionally, the cost and time differences make it challenging for these advisors to attend professional development events. The virtual sessions were scheduled synchronously to accommodate participants from various time zones, from Chamorro to �鶹��ý.

Thousands of �鶹��ý public high school seniors will graduate in the upcoming weeks and enter the workforce or go on to college. For those still working out their plans, (�鶹��ý P-20) and �鶹��ý State Department of Education (HIDOE) have free help to choose a path for their future.

For the fifth straight year, the two institutions of education are teaming up to support every graduating public school student with the Summer Advising Program. Those who participate will be connected to a dedicated summer advisor who will provide one-on-one support to ensure that students complete the next steps towards their future plans. Students must sign up by May 31 by texting “nextsteps” to (808) 458-5550 or visiting . Service dates will vary by high school between June 3, 2024 and July 12, 2024.

“The spring months for seniors are known to be a critical time for important decision making, and although some have made their commitments, we are aware that many students who graduate are still leaving high school feeling uncertain about their life plans,” said Lynsey Bow, counseling program director for �鶹��ý P–20. “Access to advising support during the summer months ensures each student secures a plan and receives the necessary support to make informed decisions toward their immediate goal after high school.”

By participating in summer advising, advisors can help students explore all post-high school options which can include applying to college, completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), connecting them to job training and certifications, updating resumes, and addressing any concerns students may have during this transition period.

The summer program began as an emergency response to the pandemic to assist the class of 2020. Since then, the program has supported more than 4,636 graduating HIDOE seniors and has proven to make an impact on our local graduates. With questions about the program, contact nextstep@hawaii.edu or visit .

Many programs and departments at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� organize tours and site visits for elementary and secondary students to welcome and wow them about what their hometown flagship campus has to offer. The (ICS) has increased its efforts to showcase its STEM opportunities to �鶹��ý keiki, with a particular focus on those who may not otherwise have access to higher education.

In April, ICS students and faculty welcomed haumāna (students) from Farrington High School’s computer science club to the ����ԴDz� campus. Farrington is a Title I school meaning that the campus provides additional academic support and learning opportunities for their students due to its high percentage of socioeconomically disadvantaged children. Organizers of the visit said many of the students are first generation, and they wanted to show them that college is an option for everyone.

“At most field trips I have had at UH, I have had students who decide to major in computer science,” said Farrington High School club advisor Joshua Dimaya. “Some students, who had chosen not to go into college education, now are excited and motivated to go to school and start to work with our college counselor to apply for schools. Having presentations on and other support systems at UH ����ԴDz� also helps our students know that there are places to help them financially and emotionally when going to school, easing their decisions to go to UH ����ԴDz�.&�����ܴ�;

More than 1s and 0s

During the visit, the Farrington students met with Game Dev, an ICS student organization for gaming and game development. They also got a chance to visit Campus Center, Warrior Recreation Center, IT Center and the Office of Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity (SEED).

Jaira Pader, a computer science student and Farrington alumna, joined the tour as one of the leaders. Dimaya was Pader’s computer science teacher during her senior year.

“His class, by far, made a huge impact on my decision to major in computer science after learning about the potential careers I could get into and because of his passionate teaching,” Pader said. “Although I couldn’t get the same experience because of post-COVID regulations, I’m happy that he shows his students the opportunities they could have at ����ԴDz� as computer scientists. It was great talking to a former teacher of mine and seeing the fascination these high schoolers have on the field.”

Over the past several months, ICS also welcomed Liholiho Elementary, ʻAiea High, Hanalani Schools and Maryknoll School.

The ICS advising team, led by Kenny Kaʻaiakamanu-Quibilan and Marilou Matsuura, welcomes school teachers and staff with an interest in taking their students on a tour of ICS to contact: icsadvis@hawaii.edu.

“On behalf of the ICS advising team, we are excited to have hosted several �鶹��ý K–12 schools on campus!” Kaʻaiakamanu-Quibilan said. “It is our mission to inspire local talent and recruit underrepresented populations into the ICS field. More importantly, we hope these outreach events show students that college is possible and that there are people here to support them in their educational endeavors. We also want to say a mahalo nui loa to our campus student services like Warrior Recreation Center, SEED, TRIO ����ԴDz�, TIDES and iLab for collaborating with us.”

The Department of Information and Computer Sciences is housed in UH ����ԴDz�’s .

Self-care involves prioritizing activities and practices that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. While important for students, faculty and staff, self-care can be easily ignored and rarely talked about. A pair of University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� academic advisors are looking to change that on campus, across the state and nationwide.

Kenny Kaʻaiakamanu-Quibilan from the and RJ Ozoa-Aglugub from the earned the “best presentation” award at the (NACADA) Region 9 conference. Kaʻaiakamanu-Quibilan and Ozoa-Aglugub are also both PhD students in the in the .

Tragedy inspires self-care advocacy

For Kaʻaiakamanu-Quibilan, the issue of self-care goes much deeper. Since starting his position at UH ����ԴDz� in 2021, he has tragically lost two students in his program and spoke with a parent who wanted closure about their child’s last days.

“These were some of my most hardest moments as an advisor, but also some of my most defining moments,” Kaʻaiakamanu-Quibilan said. “There were days when I wondered what I could have done differently or if I saw any warning signs. It was also then that I saw that there was a need, and that need was self-care. As a consequence of those moments, I started actively discussing self-care more with my students and made it a talking point during advising meetings.”

Kaʻaiakamanu-Quibilan and Ozoa-Aglugub’s presentation had three objectives:

• Examine the act of radical self-care as a tool for preservation and rejuvenation
• Survey literature on the importance of practicing self-care for advisees and students in higher education
• Discuss strategies and techniques to incorporate self-care in academic advising practice

The demand for the presentation exceeded the room capacity, and participants had to be moved to a larger room. The award was chosen by conference attendees for the presentation they felt best represented the theme of the conference—systemic change through advising.

“Sometimes self-care is pushed under the rug and rarely discussed,” Kaʻaiakamanu-Quibilan said. “As a result, we see high rates of burnout, anxiety and mental health among students and advisors. RJ and I are aware that if students (or advisors) do not take care of themselves first, then excelling in academics (or work) is difficult. We believe that to advise holistically as advisors, we must incorporate and discuss self-care practices and resources with our students.”

After winning best in region, Kaʻaiakamanu-Quibilan and Ozoa-Aglugub will deliver their presentation at the 2024 NACADA national conference in October at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, representing region 9 (�鶹��ý, California, Nevada, Guam, American Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands).

The has been voted as the best university in �鶹��ý, and other UH campuses and programs have made the lists of , announced on August 20.

“We are gratified that the readers of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser have chosen UH ����ԴDz� as the best university in our state,” UH ����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno said. “This ranking reaffirms our commitment to serve the people of �鶹��ý by providing a high quality, affordable education at one of the world’s best universities.”

In addition to UH ����ԴDz�, the following campuses and programs with UH ties that were recognized are:

• (best community college, first place)
• (best community college, finalist)
• (best community college, finalist)
• (best tutoring center, first place)
• (best preschool, finalist)
• (best credit union, finalist)

The rankings were curated based on votes cast by Honolulu Star-Advertiser readers. More than 150 categories were included in this year’s �鶹��ý’s Best 2023 listings.

A free program is helping to prepare incoming University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� students for college-level mathematics across multiple disciplines.

Hosted by the UH ����ԴDz� , the in-person math boot camps are intensive non-credit courses for students who want to review the algebra and trigonometry concepts covered in the math placement exam. Students will strengthen their math skills through short lectures, group work and practice problems.

The math department requires an exam for placement in many courses for mathematics and other subjects, including atmospheric sciences, earth sciences, biology, oceanography, botany and physics. The department last hosted these boot camps in 2018, but this is the first time that the camps are free.

“We welcome students who want to bridge their high school and college math courses with a review, revisit math concepts prior to taking the math placement exam, or who have already taken the math placement exam but want to place higher on the exam by reviewing concepts and taking the placement exam again,” said Mirjana Jovović, director of undergraduate studies in UH ����ԴDz�’s Department of Mathematics.

Students may register for algebra, trigonometry or both boot camps. Boot camp dates:

• Algebra boot camp (August 7–10, 2023, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. each day with lunch break)
• Trigonometry boot camp (August 14–17, 2023, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. each day)

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Tutoring in various subjects available

In addition, the UH ����ԴDz� is offering tutoring sessions throughout the summer, fall and spring semesters for a variety of subjects, including mathematics, information and computer sciences, chemistry, physics and astronomy. .

Jill Nakatsu, director of academic affairs in the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s , has received the 2023 Outstanding Advising Award–Primary Advising Role by the (NACADA).

The award is part of NACADA’s Global Awards Program for Academic Advising, which honors individuals and institutions making a significant impact on academic advising.

“I was not expecting to win so I was super stoked when I got the award notification,” Nakatsu said. “NACADA is an international authority on academic advising. I know there are so many advisors out there doing awesome work so I am truly honored to be recognized by them with one of their outstanding academic advisor global awards.”

The NACADA selection committee evaluated nominees based on 17 criteria, including evidence of student success rate by advisor or department; caring, helpful attitude towards advisees, faculty and staff; and monitoring of student progress toward academic and career goals.

Nakatsu earned a bachelor’s and master’s from UH ����ԴDz�’s College of Engineering. In between her degrees, she worked as a product engineer for Medtronic Inc. in Arizona. Nakatsu said her experience working in the industry has helped her as an advisor.

“I am able to provide detailed examples of what engineers do at work to students who are still deciding if an engineering major is a good fit for them,” Nakatsu said. “And I provide advice to our soon to be graduating students on how to approach applying for their first engineering jobs and navigating the start of their engineering careers. I focus on helping connect the dots between engineering school and career for my students because I remember it was not obvious for me back when I was an engineering student.”

Nakatsu wants to thank everyone at the college, her past and current advisors and mentors, the academic advisors and counselors at UH ����ԴDz� and the UH community colleges, and the students for helping her learn to be a better engineer and advisor.

“Choosing to attend the UH ����ԴDz� College of Engineering was probably one of the best choices I have ever made,” Nakatsu said. “It allowed me to get an excellent education and engineering research experiences at home. Then with that I was able to get a great engineering job on the continent after finishing my undergraduate studies. And because of the lasting connections I made in my undergraduate program, I was able to easily move back to �鶹��ý and transition to working in engineering education. I am a proud alum of the UH ����ԴDz� College of Engineering and hope I can help provide those same invaluable experiences for our current students.”

The and , together with community partners, will once again offer the program, to support �鶹��ý’s class of 2021 public high school seniors. Next Steps to Your Future will engage and guide graduating seniors in transitioning to their post-high school plans while connecting them to postsecondary education and training opportunities. Eligible students will also have an opportunity to take free summer career exploration classes from UH Community Colleges.

“As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge �鶹��ý‘s high school seniors in their final year, we are committed to providing the support they need to achieve their potential on their paths to better futures for themselves and our islands,” said UH President David Lassner.

Every student who opts in will be connected to an experienced UH �鶹��ý Advising Cadre member who will provide free personalized support and information to guide them in their next steps whether they plan to enroll in college, enter the military or workforce, or are still undecided. Support will consist of specialized text messages, access to relevant resources and one-on-one support from a dedicated advisor for eight weeks in summer 2021.

Eligible students will also be sponsored to participate in free UH Community Colleges summer career exploration courses. These courses will help students explore their career options, plan future steps and develop skills to be successful in college so they can focus on their goals.

Next Steps Class of 2021 participants will also be eligible for a Next Steps Scholarship to attend a UH campus in fall 2021.

“Our graduating seniors have spent the majority of their final year learning from home,” said Stephen Schatz, executive director for �鶹��ý P–20. “We will provide these students with one-on-one personalized advising and counseling support over the summer so they can successfully and seamlessly transition to their post high school plans.”

“We are excited to once again offer free summer Career Exploration classes to help our recent high school graduates develop plans and take the next steps toward their goals,” said UH Vice President for Community Colleges Erika Lacro. “These classes are an opportunity for students to develop plans for their future, become familiar with our community colleges across the state and get a head start on college classes in the fall.”

More on Next Steps

The program launched in summer 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a vision to provide class of 2020 graduates with the advising and support to plan for their futures. More than 2,100 students participated in the Next Steps program, which included summer advising, UH Community Colleges classes or both. Twenty advisors served more than 1,100 class of 2020 graduates via text, email and one-on-one Zoom virtual sessions. In addition, more than 1,400 graduates took online UH Community Colleges classes choosing from 121 classes offered by seven campuses. In addition, 370 Next Steps students were awarded Next Steps Stronger Together Scholarship funded by �鶹��ý Community Foundation and First Hawaiian Bank Foundation with an average award of $6,200.

The program has delivered promising results in increasing college enrollment rates for Class of 2020. Graduates who participated in the Next Steps program (texting, classes or both) had a 77.5% college enrollment rate vs. 44.3% for graduates who didn’t participate in the program. In addition, economically disadvantaged graduates who were part of the Next Steps program also enrolled in college at a higher rate than those who did not participate in the program—69.5% compared to 32.5%.

Class of 2020 data also showed that more Next Steps participants enrolled at an UH institution versus non-Next Steps participants: 66.4% of Next Steps participants enrolled at a UH campus in fall 2020 vs. 23.7% for those that didnʻt participate in the Next Steps program.

Next Steps to Your Future 2021 is generously supported by Harold K. L. Castle Foundation, the Stupski Foundation, GEAR UP �鶹��ý and federal CARES funding awarded to UH. Next Steps Scholarships are funded with support from Chenter Foundation, UH Alumni Association, and other UH Foundation donors.

To sign up for free summer advising, go to or text “nextsteps” to (808) 437-2719 by May 30. To sign up for free UH Community Colleges career exploration classes, go to .

A 47-year career of a champion for education at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� has come to an end. A fixture in the campus, who was well respected and critical to a variety of successful programs, Ronald Cambra retired from the university in January 2021.

The �鶹��ý Island native served in multiple positions for the university, most recently as assistant vice chancellor for since 2005. In that role, he oversaw operations and resources for undergraduate programs, including campus-wide academic advising, first- and second-year programs, honors program, ROTC, interdisciplinary studies, civic engagement, student success center, student learning center and other academic support services.

“The University owes Ron an enormous debt of gratitude, and we miss him already,” UH ����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno said. “Ron taught us all what it means to be truly dedicated to the university and to truly care about the success of our students, from the moment they are recruited through to graduation and success in their careers.”

Under Cambra’s leadership

Cambra helped realize a number of highly successful initiatives, including the STAR degree tracking program, 15 to Finish, mandatory academic advising and a consolidation of program sheets to help with the understanding of degree requirements. These initiatives resulted in UH ����ԴDz� increasing its four-year graduation rate from 16% to 32%, and national recognition for the campus’s degree completion projects.

• Related UH News story: Complete College America honors UH’s STAR and 15 to Finish programs, November 11, 2016

Cambra had three goals, “Number one, to find ways to actively engage students when they get here to ����ԴDz�. Number two was to find ways to form partnerships with students, and number three was to develop a sense of stewardship—that undergraduate students understand that this is their campus, that this is their basic footprint. And I think we’ve held true to those three things and that has tied the work together.”

Cambra added, “A lot of those initiatives were having the right people who are so dedicated and hard working that it was easy working with people who see the same kinds of things that you want to do. Strong leadership in STAR, , , Honors, , ROTC, , , , and Student Success Services all are led by very dedicated student-focused leaders. Our catalog’s work on the four-year academic plans and a new scheduler, have made it easier to transform the undergraduate academic experience for our students. It has been my privilege to have worked with these strong, dedicated leaders.”

Instrumental recruiter

Cambra was also an invaluable recruiter and ambassador for the university, attending accepted student receptions hosted by the .

“For 15+ years, he traveled with us across the state and on the continental U.S. sharing the ‘����ԴDz� Experience’—his signature Dr. Cambra presentation, sharing all the wonderful reasons why ����ԴDz� was one of the best universities in the world,” said Abigail Huliganga Hurgo, UH ����ԴDz� associate director of admissions. “His presence at our events was always a big hit with our prospective and accepted students and wouldn’t be surprised if he was one of the reasons why students chose ����ԴDz�.&�����ܴ�;

Building an award-winning career in education

Cambra was born and raised on �鶹��ý Island, and transferred from UH Hilo to UH ����ԴDz� in 1968. As a UH Hilo Vulcan, he was student government president and led a campaign to establish the third and fourth years at UH Hilo, which started in 1969.

He earned a BEd in secondary education and a MA in speech from UH ����ԴDz�, and a PhD from the University of Washington. Cambra became a member of UH ����ԴDz�’s faculty in 1974 and was promoted to professor of speech in 1987. He was the chair of the Department of Speech from 1983 to 1992. In 1992, he became the Colleges of Arts and Sciences associate dean of academic affairs and student academic services, before becoming an assistant vice chancellor in 2005.

Among the numerous awards, Cambra was named UH’s manager of the year in 2019 and went on to win the state manager of the year award the same year. In 2017, he won the Michael C. Holen Pacesetter Award for excellence in the field of advising from the National Academic Advising Association and was the co-author of a presentation that won the 2017 Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities degree completion award, a national honor for institutions with outstanding four-year degree completion achievements.

Cambra’s work is a prime example of UH ����ԴDz�’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

—By Marc Arakaki

While �鶹��ý’s public high school class of 2020 achieved the highest on-time graduation rate ever recorded with 86% of students graduating on time, it also experienced the steepest decline in college enrollment over one year, with 50% for the class of 2020 enrolling in college immediately after graduation, as compared to 55% for the class of 2019. That’s according to the annual (CCRI) which is published by .

The pivot to virtual learning, compounded with the public health and economic crisis and other disruptions caused by the pandemic affected all students; however, those with fewer resources to begin with may have experienced greater hardship. Thirty-eight percent of students from economically disadvantaged households enrolled in college in 2020, compared to 44% the year earlier, and students who identify as Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, also experienced larger declines in college enrollment. Thirty-five percent of Native Hawaiians in the class of 2020 enrolled in college compared to 44% in the class of 2019, and 29% of Pacific Islanders enrolled, compared to 35% the year before.

“This pandemic’s negative impacts were not equal across socio-economic and demographic groups. The good news is that this data is being used by public high schools and UH campuses as the basis for shared and immediate planning and action,” said Stephen Schatz, executive director of �鶹��ý P–20 Partnerships for Education.

�鶹��ý’s public school graduates enrolled in college at higher rates than students across the nation. A preliminary study by the National Student Clearinghouse found that enrollment of high school seniors immediately after graduation decreased to 27.7%, from 35.3% the year before. �鶹��ý’s public school class of 2020 graduates’ college enrollment decreased to 50.2% from 54.7% for the class of 2019. Despite this drop, enrollment of �鶹��ý’s senior class to UH campuses remained steady throughout the previous year, at 32%.

Next steps

As schools transitioned to virtual learning in March 2020, �鶹��ý P–20, UH Community Colleges, the �鶹��ý State Department of Education and community partners quickly devised a program called to support the class of 2020’s transition to higher education. Students were offered the opportunity to take free summer career exploration courses at the UH Community Colleges, and if they opted, were teamed with academic counselors and advisors for one-on-one support through virtual meetings and text messages. All of the 2,154 students who participated in Next Steps to Your Future were also eligible for $2 million in scholarships, funded by the �鶹��ý Community Foundation and First Hawaiian Bank.

“Vital work continues to advance our high school graduates toward achieving their college aspirations, despite the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Department of Education Superintendent Christina Kishimoto. “Collaborations with �鶹��ýcampuses and community partners have helped our college readiness programs to keep students motivated and focused on their higher education goals.”

for free classes at UH community colleges, free advising and the opportunity to receive scholarships designated for participants.

“We continuously work to smooth the pathways for �鶹��ý’s public school graduates to advance themselves by enrolling in a University of �鶹��ý campus,” said UH President David Lassner. “Next Steps to Your Future is an amazing program for the classes of 2021 and 2020 that provides free support, encouragement and a head-start on college to help our recent high school graduates continue on pathways that lead to better futures.”

Collaborative efforts

UH and �鶹��ý P–20 have been working with the �鶹��ý State Department of Education for more than a decade, collaborating to strengthen alignment between high school and college so that more students make a successful transition to postsecondary education. Efforts have included reviewing and revising placement policies to allow students to be placed in college-level courses based on their achievements in high school, offering dual-credit courses that allow high school students to earn both high school and college credits while in high school, and a number of other programs and activities to boost student achievement and success in higher education.

are continuously recognized by national organizations, including the Data Quality Campaign, Achieve, and the National Governors Association, as a leading example of collaboration between K–12 and higher education and for providing useful information on college readiness.

Tutoring services offered at the have shifted gears this fall and transitioned to an online format to help keep students safe during the pandemic. These changes, though trying, have proved to be an opportunity for the UH Hilo community to showcase resiliency and commitment to reaching its educational goals despite the challenges brought by the coronavirus.

Typically, services are physically located throughout campus, but the center has adapted its tutoring sessions—which offer assistance in writing, science and math—to fit with the “new normal” of virtual instruction through Zoom. Students can check the for fall 2020 tutor schedules and other helpful links. To request tutoring, students need to email justasc@hawaii.edu.

Organizers ask students to state the course alpha and number in the subject line so appropriate Kilohana students and staff on duty can respond.

The center’s primary mission is to offer peer support so students become confident, independent and self-motivated learners who will eventually be able to do their own work. Karla Hayashi, director of the center and Corin Kim, academic support specialist, are the management team behind the online transition.

“We will make adjustments and accommodations along the way to ensure we are being responsive and adaptive,” Hayashi said.

UH Hilo English major Braden Savage is a writing tutor at Kilohana. “Surprisingly, online tutoring this semester feels sort of close to tutoring in the actual Kilohana center,” said Savage. “We all sit down in a Zoom room and wait for tutees to filter in and out. When a tutee enters, they are brought into a breakout room with one of the tutors, similar to how the tutee might walk over to their own table to have their quiet study space in the physical center.”

—By Emily Burkhart, a senior double majoring in English and gender and women’s studies at UH Hilo

and are launching a new summer onramp initiative called “,” designed specifically to support �鶹��ý‘s class of 2020 public high school seniors. The “Next Steps to Your Future” initiative will engage and guide seniors in transitioning to their post-high school plans for careers and connect them to postsecondary education, training and/or employment.

Every student who opts-in will be connected to an experienced UH �鶹��ý Advising Cadre member who will provide free personalized support and information to guide them in their next steps whether they plan to enroll in college, enter the military or workforce or are still undecided. Support will consist of specialized text messages, relevant resources and opportunities to receive one-on-one support from a dedicated advisor over the eight weeks of summer.

Eligible students will also be sponsored to participate in free summer onramp courses for career exploration. These courses will help students focus on their goals, explore career options, plan future steps and develop skills to be successful in college.

“We want to help the graduating seniors who have spent the final quarter of their K–12 careers at home,” said Stephen Schatz, executive director for �鶹��ý P–20. “April and May are critical months for students to develop plans and take steps towards college, job training programs or employment, and we will provide personalized advising in transitioning to their post-high school plans.”

Letters are being sent home to all public high school seniors from UH President David Lassner inviting them to participate in this initiative. There will also be a media campaign and school and community outreach efforts to advertise this opportunity to students.

To join, students should text “nextsteps” to (808) 460-8360 or by May 20.

For more information, go to the .

This message was shared with the faculty and staff of the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� on March 17, 2020.

Aloha UH ����ԴDz� Faculty and Staff,

First, thank you again for your continuing efforts to ready your courses for remote delivery starting next Monday. We are doing our best to assist you and the students. In fact, you will soon see a separate message describing a new online platform, Learning During an Emergency, to assist our students.

With the aim of remotely meeting the advising needs of our students, we are strongly recommending that you use the functionality that is now available to UH ����ԴDz� faculty and staff for advising and other appointments.

is an online platform that allows students to use STAR to schedule virtual appointments with faculty and staff. These appointments will appear on faculty/staff and student Google Calendars.

Through STAR Balance, students may schedule virtual appointments with faculty and staff for advising, office hours, and other student services related appointments. Students will be able to book appointments for the virtual office hours, and faculty and staff will be able to interact with the students through their Google Calendars, and can even click to enter into a virtual appointment/video conference with the student using Zoom.

Activate STAR Balance

To set this up, faculty and staff are asked to send to the STAR Team their name, email address, office hours available, and Course Record Numbers as applicable (for faculty). The STAR Team will notify you when you are ready to accept appointments from students through Zoom (or in person, if required). Please contact STARhelp@hawaii.edu. This will allow STAR to offer students a one-stop schedule of appointments with faculty and staff as they register to be available on Balance (e.g., academic advising, financial aid, and tutoring).

To be clear, faculty/staff would set availability for appointments in STAR, and the appointments would be populated in their Google Calendar. One of the additional benefits is that STAR Balance can create a Zoom appointment for each appointment scheduled via STAR Balance.

A is available online.

If you have any questions, please email STAR at STARhelp@hawaii.edu.

Mahalo,
Michael Bruno

Kailua High School graduate Tiana Pittler has a lot more going on than the typical college coed. The 18-year-old single mother of two-year-old son Zachary is working on her associate’s degree at with the help of a program designed to increase college enrollment and graduation, called or “Support of the Koʻolau.”

“It has really allowed me to use my [financial aid money] for him because they pay for my first year of college,” Pittler said. “It’s really helped me financially going to college because I was afraid that I was going to have a hard time paying for school.”

From 2013 to 2019, Paipai O Koʻolau has provided self-described “intrusive counseling” and high-touch wrap-around services to 316 students like Tiana, who have demonstrated financial need that creates a barrier to entering college.

“It’s amazing to see their journey and help so many individuals that maybe don’t think college is possible. Maybe timing, or for other reasons, and see them thrive and love it,” said Sarah Akina, advisor and director for Paipai O Koʻolau.

The program works. Paipai students graduate and transfer at rates almost double those of the general community college population. Many Paipai students are older, non-traditional students, 78 percent are Native Hawaiian and more than 95 percent are considered low-income. There are many success stories such as 38-year-old Duane Nalu Dias, a former drug addict who was incarcerated for two years and now wants to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work to help others who are trying to turn their lives around.

“People have faith in me and it gave me a better perspective of what I want to do and how to achieve it,” Dias said.

More than $2 million total

Paipai O Koʻolau recently got a big boost. The has committed a rare second-round of funding of $1.2 million on top of the more than $900,000 it gave to seed the program in 2013, for a total commitment of more than $2 million.

“This was a special impact grant and for us to do a second round of funding is unique,” said Castle Foundation’s Windward Program Officer Georgianna DeCosta. “It is because this partnership with Windward Community College is strong, the results are strong and Windward Community College is not afraid to be bold. The leadership, the team members are innovative and they are brave, and we are so proud to be their partners in this work.”

The is also a Paipai “cornerstone” funder. Windward CC and have provided additional Paipai scholarship funding.

Paipai O Koʻolau students have already earned a total of 123 degrees, including 11 bachelor’s and two master’s degrees. The goal is to expand the program’s impact on student, college and community success.

Growing Paipai O Koʻolau

With the new five-year grant to expand the program’s infrastructure and with the support of other scholarship funders, Paipai plans to grow from a 50-student annual cohort to a hundred students. And Paipai’s best practices will be shared and implemented to help all Windward CC students succeed.

“This innovation, this type of work, is game changing,” said the Castle Foundation’s DeCosta. “We really see this as changing the lives and trajectory for not only the individuals, but families.”

Akina added, “Now we can dream bigger and think about how we can help or impact more lives and help more people come to college.”

student Joshua Villaro wanted to become a doctor but needed serious, specific academic advising on how to get into medical school. So, in 2017, he turned to the UH (PAC), which offers informational events and workshops like one on the at the (JABSOM).

It was the first time Villaro learned of ʻImi Hoʻōla, a 12-month post-baccalaureate program in the designed to provide educational opportunities to students from disadvantaged backgrounds deemed capable of succeeding in medical school.

“The workshops were invaluable in providing me guidance for my medical school journey, as well as introducing me to the ʻImi Program,” said Villaro. “I am very grateful to PAC.”

Chalk up another success story for the center under the . PAC holds a series of pre-health and pre-law workshops every September and October at UH Mānoa, with events offered in collaboration with the . The events are intended to help college students and non-traditional applicants explore, prepare for and apply to schools in health fields like medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, and the law.

PAC’s services and workshops are open to the public.

“Before deciding if a career in law or health is right for them, we want students to learn about these fields and what it takes to be competitive for these types of schools,” said PAC Director Kiana Shiroma.

Upcoming workshops in pre-health are Pre-Medical Orientation, Practice for Your Interview and Health Professionals Panel, while those in pre-law include Applying to Law School, LSAT 101 and Financing Your Legal Education.

“These workshops will help attendees learn more about various fields and ensure that they are taking the correct prerequisite courses, as well as gaining valuable experience and honing skills that will help them prepare for a career in health or law,” said Shiroma. “These events will also help attendees prepare their best applications possible to enter professional schools,” said Shiroma. UH professional schools include JABSOM, William S. Richardson School of Law, Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work’s Office of Public Health Studies and the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy on �鶹��ý Island.

Schedule an , call (808) 956-8646 for more info, or walk into the at Sinclair Library room 108.

.

The fall 2019 semester doesn’t officially start until August, but incoming Oʻahu freshmen at the can get a jumpstart with 14 early academic advising workshops beginning in June.

The new pilot initiative, , runs from June 17 to July 5 and is spearheaded by the in collaboration with nearly all .

There are for Oʻahu freshmen and , which are designed to benefit all incoming students but especially those from the neighbor islands and continental U.S.

Leilani Takeuchi Harjati, coordinator of Summer Advising, said the timing of workshops is intentional.

“Our hope is to connect freshmen with their respective undergraduate advising offices early in the summer to finalize their registration schedule,” she said. “Students can then whole-heartedly participate in welcome activities such as and other events through their schools and colleges.”

By attending the interactive workshops, incoming freshmen can review, create and finalize their fall course schedules and meet with academic advisors from prospective majors and colleges. Each workshop runs three hours in . There are also concurrent involvement sessions available for family members.

The was selected to participate in the first cohort of the Excellence in Academic Advising comprehensive advising strategic planning process, which will establish the aspirational standards for institutions to evaluate and improve academic advising and acknowledge the central role of advising in promoting student learning, success and completion.

The Excellence in Academic Advising program was created by (NACADA): The Global Community for Academic Advising and the .

“This is a tremendous opportunity for us to improve the way we guide and work with our students here at UH ����ԴDz�,” said Ron Cambra, UH ����ԴDz� Office of Undergraduate Education assistant vice chancellor.

“Academic advisors play a key role in ensuring the success of our students,” he said. “We are excited to embark on the first-ever comprehensive evaluating and evidence-driven improvement of all facets of academic advising for undergraduate students at UH ����ԴDz�. The more we can improve in this area, the better the undergraduate experience for our students and the more satisfied they will be when they graduate and move on into their careers.”

In the first year of the program, UH ����ԴDz� will partner with an Excellence in Academic Advising (EAA) fellow, who will guide the school through an institution-wide, evidence-based decision-making, planning and implementation process to improve its academic advising efforts. Using EAA’s nine Conditions of Excellence in Academic Advising, the university will refine, validate and establish the standards or benchmarks to guide a reflective self-study and strategic assessment of academic advising.

Leading the EAA process at UH ����ԴDz� is Jennifer Brown, chair of the , and Stephanie Kraft-Terry, interim director of advising for the . Anyone interested in participating may contact them directing at jb26@hawaii.edu and kraft2@hawaii.edu.