The University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa ballroom dance team won its third consecutive national title at the (NCDC), in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 27–29.

Competing against 37 colleges, UH Mānoa once again took first place for “highest point average,” as well as a close second place for the overall team championship, asserting its place among the nation’s top ballroom dance college teams. Winning top honors in the highest point average requires most team members to perform exceptionally well in all events.

The dancers of the Ballroom Dance Club @UHM—a registered independent organization at UH Mānoa—are trained and coached by Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti. Narayan and Sumukti also represented �鶹��ý in the senior age division placing 1st in several events.

“We are no longer the underdogs, so all the other colleges are looking at us as the team to beat,” said Narayan, who is also an adjunct faculty member in the UH Mānoa . “The bar is getting raised higher and higher each year, but we prevailed once again. We are incredibly proud of the dedication of our dancers who put in many hours to prepare for this competition. We are grateful for the incredible support we have received from the entire ballroom community in the state of �鶹��ý.”

The Ballroom Dance Club @UHM was formed in September 2022, and the team took first place for “highest team average” in 2024 and 2025.

“Nationals was an amazing and eye-opening experience for me,” said Caleb Zerbe, who competed in the nationals for the first time. “Getting to see so many people dance and enjoy themselves on the floor made me realize how fun dancing can be, even at the highest stages. It was a moment that helped me build a lot of confidence, and one that I will never forget.”

Christopher Ramirez, who competed on all three victorious UH Mānoa teams, added, “Given the opportunity to compete at my third nationals, there is always something new to learn. Winning for the third year in a row has reminded me just how incredible it is to be a part of this team.”

Tough competition

NCDC is a grueling competition with events starting at 7 a.m. every morning. It consisted of multiple events based on proficiency (bronze, silver, gold, etc.). Each student danced in up to 32 different events at the bronze and silver skill levels. They competed in all four styles of ballroom dance including International Standard (waltz, tango, viennese waltz, foxtrot and quickstep), American Smooth (waltz, tango, foxtrot and viennese waltz), American Rhythm (chacha, rumba, swing, bolero and mambo) and International Latin (samba, chacha, rumba, paso doble and jive).

Several students took individual first place awards in their respective divisions defeating up to 70 other competitors in some events. This trip was designed to give the team exposure to a collegiate competition, as �鶹��ý has no statewide collegiate ballroom competitions.

More about the Ballroom Dance Club

The Ballroom Dance Club offers beginner classes to all UH Mānoa students, faculty and staff in studio 2 in the athletics department from 6—7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. No dance experience is required. For more information, or visit their Instagram page @bdcuhm.

The team would like to thank the Department of Information and Computer Sciences, UH Mānoa Department of Athletics, Student Activity and Program Fee Board, Associated Students of the University of �鶹��ý, USA Dance Honolulu and the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation for facility and financial support.

UH Mānoa 2026 nationals collegiate and adult team roster:

• Ravi Narayan, faculty (computer science), coach and alumnus
• Synthia Sumukti, coach and alumna
• ʻAulani Wagner, library science and American studies
• Alexander Picken, Earth science
• Amanda Kanthack, psychology and Japanese
• Caleb Zerbe, computer science
• Christopher Ramirez, linguistics
• Christopher Wright, electrical engineering
• Courtney Hisamoto, computer science
• D’Elle Martin, architecture
• Elijah Saloma, computer science
• Gregory Snyder, mechanical engineering
• Hannah Madiam, kinesiology
• Iris Calauan, pre-nursing
• Jonathan Bona, civil engineering
• Julietta Lopez, architecture
• Kanaru Ebi, psychology
• Karl Merritt, mechanical engineering
• Luis Hernandez, electrical and computer engineering
• Lyndsey Moku, political science
• Maya Ito, psychology
• Michaella Villanueva, computer science
• Noah Asano, computer science
• Samantha Reed, computer science
• Shaelyn Loo, computer science
• Tessa Heidkamp, journalism and political science
• Andrew Lin, computer science alumnus
• Sydney Kim, computer science alumna
• Jason Aguda, computer engineering alumnus
• Matthew Rummel, political science and business alumnus
• Ariel Ramos, cinematic arts animation alumna
• Yong-Sung Masuda, computer science alumnus
• Wilson Tran, computer science alumnus
• Florence Liu, faculty, mathematics

Luis Hernandez and Maya Ito dancing the American Cha-cha in the Collegiate Team Match where UH Mānoa placed 3rd. (Video courtesy: Calvin Ota)

Elijah Saloma and Michaella Villanueva dancing the International Quickstep in the Collegiate Team Match where UH Mānoa placed 3rd. (Video courtesy: Calvin Ota)

Coaches Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti dancing the Mambo in the Senior IV American Rhythm Championship final. (Video courtesy: Ravi Sundaram)

Students cheering for their coaches Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti (Video courtesy: Ravi Sundaram)

Fourteen University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa academic subjects were ranked among the world’s best in the 2026 , released on March 25.

Four subjects placed in the top 22 in the nation and top 100 in the world. Leading the way was geology (No. 19 in the U.S. and No. 51–100 in the world), geophysics (No. 19 in the U.S. and No. 51–100 in the world), Earth and marine sciences (No. 21 in the U.S. and No. 51–100 in the world) and linguistics (No. 22 in the U.S. and No. 61 in the world).

Ten additional subjects placed in the world’s top 2% (within top 500 in the world out of ):

• English language and literature: No. 28 U.S., No. 101–150 world
• Agriculture and forestry: No. 30 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Anthropology: No. 31 U.S., No. 101–200 world
• Modern languages: No. 41 U.S., No. 251–300 world
• Environmental sciences: No. 66 U.S., No. 351–400 world
• Communication and media studies: No. 68 U.S., No. 251–275 world
• Physics and astronomy: No. 70 U.S., No. 401–450 world
• Education: No. 78 U.S., No. 351–400 world
• Medicine: No. 99 U.S., No. 451–500 world
• Biological sciences: No. 100 U.S., No. 451–500 world

“These rankings highlight the exceptional work and commitment of our faculty, students and staff,” UH Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos said. “They showcase the university’s global standing and reinforce that UH Mānoa offers outstanding educational opportunities and experiences for both our local community and those joining us from around the world.”

UH Mānoa was ranked in three broad subject areas and 14 narrow subject areas. The QS World University Rankings by Subject are calculated using five criteria: academic reputation (measures the reputation of institutions and their programs by asking academic experts to nominate universities based on their subject area of expertise), employer reputation (measures the reputation of institutions and their programs among employers), research citations per paper (measures the impact and quality of the scientific work done by institutions, on average per publication), H-index (measures both the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar) and international research network (measure of an institution’s success in creating and sustaining research partnerships with institutions in other locations).

The 2026 edition of the rankings by global higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds analyzed the performance of more than 18,300 university programs, taken by students at more than 1,700 universities in 100 locations around the world.

Other rankings

UH Mānoa also received these notable rankings:

• 2025 U.S. News and World Report best online programs, January 27, 2026
• 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, January 21, 2026
• 2025 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, January 4, 2026

At University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� athletic events, a new group of volunteers is helping more fans feel part of the crowd.

(ASL) students, with the guidance of experts from the Deaf and Native Hawaiian communities, are partnering with to sign the national anthem, cheerleader chants, and the university’s fight song at games. The effort gives Deaf and hard of hearing spectators a way to experience moments many fans take for granted in a state where demand for ASL services far outpaces the number of interpreters.

ASL volunteer signer Pumehana Holmes, an major who grew up with two Deaf parents, says the goal is simple: making sure Deaf fans feel included.

“I hope that the Deaf community is able to see themselves and see them being supported and that they’re not invisible in the crowd but are wanted in the crowd,” Holmes said.

Holmes has been signing since she was very young. Her mother, Christine Holmes, is an ASL instructor at .

Today, she is among a group of students helping expand access at UH ����ԴDz� games. It’s the first known partnership of its kind between ASL students and the athletics department. Students volunteer their time to stand alongside cheerleaders and performers, translating the energy of sporting events into sign language.

State shortage

The effort also reflects a broader need across the state. �鶹��ý faces a critical shortage of ASL interpreters. According to the �鶹��ý State Department of Health, there are approximately 2,800 ASL users in �鶹��ý and an estimated 500 visitors each day who rely on interpreting services.

There are currently about 30 ASL interpreters across all the Hawaiian Islands. Only 23 are credentialed by the State of �鶹��ý, with a handful of others holding national credentials.

To help address this gap, UH ����ԴDz� has already expanded ASL coursework and is planning to expand interpreter training opportunities for students interested in the field.

Personal connection

For fellow student volunteer Sabrina Gill, the experience also helps build awareness among hearing fans.

“Having student interpreter volunteers and interpreters are really important for building more access into our UH community, our UH games, but it’s also important for hearing people who might not know sign language just to have more visibility and awareness of sign language,” Gill said.

Gill is working toward her master’s degree in . She first took ASL as an elective but quickly developed a deep interest, continuing her studies through the advanced 302 level. She says the experience has fueled her passion for making spaces more accessible for everyone.

That work now includes interpreting one of the university’s most meaningful songs. The students perform a sign language interpretation of �鶹��ý Ponoʻī, taught to them by UH ����ԴDz� alumna Amber Lehano and ʻĀnela Lehano. The interpretation is believed to be the first standardized signing of the mele performed at UH ����ԴDz� games.

Expanding access

Several additional student volunteers are enrolled in ASL instructor Gisella Tomita’s classes. Tomita, who is one of three Deaf instructors of ASL at UH ����ԴDz�, says moments like this can make a big difference for spectators who rely on sign language.

“It gives me access. It’s amazing,” Tomita said through an ASL interpreter. “You know events, sporting events, there’s a person who is speaking but where’s my ability to get that information? Where’s the ASL? I don’t really know what’s going on or being said. And these students are motivated. They wanna be up there and it just touches me.”

Growing demand

Interest in ASL at UH ����ԴDz� has surged in recent years. Enrollment has grown by 1,400% in six years, from 19 students in Spring 2019 to 265 in Fall 2025. Demand continues to exceed capacity, with long waitlists for courses.

A 2024 survey also found that 94% of ASL students are interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in ASL-English interpreting.

Beginning in Fall 2026, UH ����ԴDz� will launch a new path for students, a standalone .

University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa researchers have made a significant advance in studying how artificial intelligence (AI) understands endangered languages. This research could help communities document and maintain their languages, support language learning and make technology more accessible to speakers of minority languages.

The paper by Kaiying Lin, a PhD graduate in from UH Mānoa, and Assistant Professor Haopeng Zhang, introduces the first benchmark for evaluating large language models (AI systems that process and generate text) on low-resource Austronesian languages. The study focuses on three Formosan (Indigenous peoples and languages of Taiwan) languages spoken in Taiwan—Atayal, Amis and Paiwan—that are at risk of disappearing.

Using a new benchmark called FORMOSANBENCH, Lin and Zhang tested AI systems on tasks such as machine translation, automatic speech recognition and text summarization. The findings revealed a large gap between AI performance in widely spoken languages such as English, and these smaller, endangered languages. Even when AI models were given examples or fine-tuned with extra data, they struggled to perform well.

“These results show that current AI systems are not yet capable of supporting low-resource languages,” Lin said.

Zhang added, “By highlighting these gaps, we hope to guide future development toward more inclusive technology that can help preserve endangered languages.”

The research team has made all datasets and code publicly available to encourage further work in this area. The , and the study has been accepted into the in Suzhou, China, an internationally recognized premier AI conference.

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

The Ballroom Dance Club at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� defended its national championship at the (NCDC), in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 28–30.

Competing against more than 40 colleges, UH ����ԴDz� won first place once again for “highest point average,” as well as second place for both the overall team championship and the formation team competition, asserting its place as the ballroom dance college team to beat in the U.S. Winning top honors in the highest point average requires all members of the team to perform exceptionally well in all events.

The dancers are trained and coached by Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti (choreographer and instructor). Narayan and Sumukti also represented �鶹��ý in the amateur USA Dance National DanceSport Championships in the senior age division.

“It was an incredibly proud moment to defend our highest point average victory—it speaks volumes about our team’s dedication and passion,” said Narayan, co-instructor of the UH ����ԴDz� Ballroom Dance Club and an adjunct faculty member in the UH ����ԴDz� . “To finish second overall against such fierce competition is a testament to the discipline and the hundreds of hours of hard work that our students put into their training.”

Two years of success

This was just the second year the UH ����ԴDz� team competed at the national competition since the formation of the club in September 2022. Last year, the students took first place for “highest team average” and finished in fourth place overall.

“Nationals was one of the most challenging yet rewarding tasks I’ve ever accomplished,” UH ����ԴDz� computer science student Shaelyn Loo said. “Being able to dance and compete with such supportive coaches and teammates helped ease the nerves of competition so I could focus on having fun and performing.”

Andrew Lin, a UH ����ԴDz� computer science student, added, “Nationals was an unforgettable experience that evoked a whirlwind of emotions—excitement, frustration, acceptance, pride and gratitude. Despite the challenges, the friendships we forged, lessons we learned and our love for ballroom dancing made it all worthwhile.”

Endurance competition

The NCDC is a grueling competition with events starting at 7 a.m. every morning. It consisted of multiple events based on proficiency (bronze, silver, gold, etc.) and age level (youth, collegiate, adult, senior, etc.). Each student danced in approximately 15 to 32 different events in both the collegiate and adult age categories at the bronze and silver skill levels. They competed in all four styles of ballroom dance including International Standard (waltz, foxtrot, tango and quickstep), American Smooth (waltz, tango, foxtrot and viennese waltz), American Rhythm (chacha, rumba, swing and bolero) and International Latin (samba, chacha, rumba and jive). Several students took individual first place awards in their respective divisions defeating up to 70 other competitors in some competitions. The NCDC trip was designed to give the team exposure to a collegiate competition, as �鶹��ý has no statewide collegiate ballroom competitions.

An audience member and parent of a high school junior said, “Thanks to your team, my daughter (who has never done ballroom dance before) wants to join your team and is now seriously considering the University of �鶹��ý as an option for her undergraduate studies.”

More about the Ballroom Dance Club

The Ballroom Dance Club offers beginner classes to all UH ����ԴDz� students, faculty and staff in studio 2 in the athletics department from 6–7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. No dance experience is required. For more information, or visit their Instagram page @bdcuhm.

The team would like to thank the Department of Information and Computer Sciences, UH ����ԴDz� athletics department, Student Activity and Program Fee Board, Associated Students of the University of �鶹��ý and USA Dance, Inc. for facility and financial support.

UH ����ԴDz� 2025 nationals team roster:

• Ravi Narayan, faculty (computer science) and coach
• Synthia Sumukti, coach
• Florence Liu, faculty (math)
• D’Elle Martin, architecture
• Julietta Lopez, architecture
• Epsilon Austin, biotechnology
• Luis Hernandez, computer engineering
• Yong-Sung Masuda, computer science
• Courtney Hisamoto, computer science
• Elijah Saloma, computer science
• Shaelyn Loo, computer science
• Andrew Lin, computer science
• Michaella Villanueva, computer science
• Alexander Picken, Earth science
• Kyoko Suzuki, environmental science
• Mayumi Watanabe, hospitality
• Christopher Ramirez, linguistics
• Gregory Snyder, mechanical engineering
• Matthew Rummel, political science
• Andrea Siochi, psychology
• Sydney Kim, alumni, computer science
• Jason Aguda, alumni, computer engineering
• Wilson Tran, alumni, computer science
• Emily Pham, alumni, computer engineering

Formation team

Swing

Viennese Waltz

Waltz

Twenty two academic subjects at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� earned high marks in the 2025 , released on March 12.

Leading the way was linguistics, which earned a No. 11 ranking in the U.S. and No. 40 ranking in the world. Library and information management (No. 17 U.S., No. 51–100 world) and Earth and marine sciences (No. 20 U.S., No. 51–100 world) also placed within the top 100 in the world.

Eleven additional subjects placed in the world’s top 1% (within top 250 in the world out of ):

• Geophysics: No. 30 U.S., No. 101–150 world
• Geology: No. 31 U.S., No. 101–150 world
• Anthropology: No. 35 U.S., No. 101–170 world
• Agriculture and forestry: No. 34 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• English language and literature: No. 40 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Philosophy: No. 42 U.S., No. 201–225 world
• Geography: No. 34 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• History: No. 42 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• Politics: No. 43 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• Physics and astronomy: No. 45 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• Communication and media studies: No. 57 U.S., No. 201–250 world

“These rankings reflect the outstanding scholarship and dedication of our faculty, staff and students,” UH ����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno said. “They reaffirm our university’s reputation for excellence and innovation, not just in �鶹��ý, but on a global scale. For the communities we serve and the students considering UH ����ԴDz�, these rankings are a powerful endorsement of the exceptional education and opportunities we provide.”

UH ����ԴDz� was ranked in four broad subject areas and 22 narrow subject areas. The QS World University Rankings by Subject are calculated using five criteria: academic reputation (survey responses from academics), employer reputation (survey responses from graduate employers worldwide), research citations per paper (citations data sourced from Elsevier Scopus), H-index (measures most cited papers and the number of citations) and international research network (reflects ability to diversify the geography of their international research network).

The 2025 edition of the rankings by global higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds analyzed the performance of more than 18,300 university programs, taken by students at more than 1,700 universities in 100 locations around the world.

Other rankings

UH ����ԴDz� also received these notable rankings:

• UH ����ԴDz� earns highest national research designation, February 20, 2025
• 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, January 23, 2025
• U.S. News and World Report 2025 Best Colleges rankings, September 24, 2024

In a story of both serendipity and shared passion, two University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa alumni, Shoichi Iwasaki and Rumiko Shinzato, reunited after more than thirty years to co-author , the first textbook of its kind for English speakers.

The scholars bemoaned the lack of an Okinawan-language textbook in English and decided to write one themselves to preserve and teach the endangered Okinawan language. The resulting text was published by UH Press in May.

“I am passionate about letting people know the fate of the 3,000–5,000 languages that may vanish from the face of the earth in the next 100 years. Okinawan is just one of such languages,” said Iwasaki.

For Shinzato, the motivation was personal: “I wanted to give back something meaningful to my homeland, the people and our ancestors, as they have given me so much.”

While working on his master’s in at UH Mānoa, Iwasaki briefly met Shinzato, who was working on her PhD in . Years later, the professors reunited and co-wrote the recently published book.

Iwasaki credits Shinzato with the idea to structure the textbook around the story of an American exchange student living with a host family in Okinawa. Shinzato also recorded native speakers’ voices to supplement the book’s written dialogues.

Critically endangered language

According to the authors, the Okinawan language, part of the Ryukyuan language family, faces a dire future. Once the primary tongue of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawan was systematically suppressed after Japan annexed the region in 1879.

In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially declared the language “endangered.” Fifteen years later, many now consider the language “critically endangered,” as it is predominantly spoken by older generations and rarely passed on to children.

Cultural and educational impact

In �鶹��ý, the Okinawan diaspora remains an integral part of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s rich cultural fabric, with nearly 50,000 people of Okinawan descent living in the islands.

The textbook has been met with high praise from experts in the field. “I wish it had been available when I took my first steps in the language. With the learning of Okinawan made such a pleasant experience, this will become the standard English-language work, hard to beat in the years to come,” said Leon Serafim, a retired professor of Japanese and former director of the UH Center for Okinawan Studies.

The multidisciplinary center, based on the Mānoa campus, offers courses, sponsors cultural events, and supports exchange programs. UH ��ā�ԴDz�’s Hamilton Library houses the Sakamaki-Hawley Collection, one of the world’s most significant Okinawa-related archives.

This spring, the (KLFC) at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa secured $1.3 million to advance Korean language education. On May 1, the Defense Language National Language Education Office announced Flagship programs awarded a four-year grant. KLFC is the sole Korean language Flagship program bestowed the competitive grant and is one of just 19 language Flagship programs nationwide.

Among a plethora of opportunities KLFC extends to students is a one-year Capstone program in Korea. This July, five UH Mānoa students will participate in the Korean Flagship Overseas Program at Korea University in Seoul. Christine Mau and Keziah Yoo received the prestigious Boren Scholarship which will help fund their study abroad experience. The coveted award provides funds for undergraduate students embarking on international study in regions critical to U.S. interests. Both students follow a long line of Boren scholars from UH Mānoa.

Mackenzie Migdal, a dual major in political science and Korean at UH Mānoa completed KLFC’s program in 2023.

“I’m proud of who I have become. Learning different languages expands our linguistic abilities and broadens our cultural horizons, fostering empathy and understanding. Languages connect us to the world, and I’m thankful to the Korean Language Flagship for teaching me this,” said Migdal who graduated last summer.

Matthew Eteuati, currently immersed in the Korean Flagship Overseas Program, hopes to work for the federal government, where he can utilize Korean language skills to forge new connections and develop contracts that are mutually beneficial to multiple parties.

“The results achieved through international cooperation, regardless of the field, are exponentially larger than alone,” Eteuati said. “A superior proficiency in Korean language will allow me to bridge the two countries politically and industrially.”

More on KLFC

Since its inception in 2002, the KLFC has been a beacon of excellence in language education, aiming to cultivate specialists with superior-level proficiency in Korean. Through immersive language learning environments, tutoring programs and a one-year Capstone program in Korea. The center has nurtured a generation of professionals and scholars deeply connected to Korean language and culture.

The KLFC accepts applications year-round. Those interested in dual undergraduate degrees, Korean proficiency improvement, an overseas program and internship in Korea, or professional career opportunities are strongly encouraged to apply. Flagship applications can be submitted to the website.

KLFC is housed in the UH Mānoa .

Louise Pagotto’s story is one of following her heart, even when the path takes unexpected turns. Originally dreaming of becoming a veterinarian, Pagotto’s’s love for her home in �鶹��ý led her to change her plans when she discovered there was no veterinary school in the islands.

Arriving in �鶹��ý from Montreal, Canada in 1980, Pagotto pursued studies in linguistics at University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa, eventually earning her doctorate in 1987.

Her career took her on a fulfilling journey through the UH System, from teaching English at Leeward Community College to serving in various roles as an administrator at Kapiʻolani Community College, where she retired as chancellor in 2022.

But retirement didn’t mean slowing down for Pagotto. Inspired by her cat’s health struggles and her desire to be a volunteer at the Honolulu Zoo, she found a new calling: enrolling in the veterinary technology program at Windward Community College.

Describing the program as “rigorous and humbling,” Pagotto embraced the challenge with determination. Her goal? To excel and earn her certificate of achievement, which she received in May.

Check out more stories of our UH spring graduates

Drawing on her experience as an educator, Pagotto found herself on a different side of the classroom, learning from dedicated faculty who instilled in her values of integrity and professionalism within a medical context. “The depth of knowledge of technical skills taught is at a high level,” she said.

Yet, it was the support of her fellow classmates that truly made a difference. Despite initial challenges, Pagotto’s perseverance and newfound skills left her feeling empowered and accomplished.

Reflecting on her journey, Pagotto said, “I can do it!!” Her appreciation for the complexities of physiology and medical science has deepened, reminding her that there’s always more to learn.

“It’s not just about kittens and puppies; it’s about embracing the medical aspect with discipline and dedication,” said Pagotto.

As she prepares to embark on this new chapter, Pagotto encourages others to explore the veterinary technology program at Windward CC, emphasizing its selectivity and the supportive community it offers.

Pagotto’s story is a testament to the power of passion and resilience, reminding us that sometimes the most fulfilling journeys are the ones we never expected to take.

or email vettech@hawaii.edu.

—By Bonnie Beatson

The placed in the nation’s top 20 in eight subjects, the best performance by UH’s flagship institution in the .

Released April 10, QS’s 2024 version of the rankings listed UH ����ԴDz� among the nation’s best in the following categories:

• Linguistics: No. 10 U.S., No. 22 world
• Hospitality and leisure management: No. 15 U.S., No. 46 world
• Anthropology: No. 19 U.S., No. 51–100 world
• Modern languages: No. 19 U.S., No. 101–150 world
• Geophysics: No. 20 U.S., No. 47 world
• Geology: No. 20 U.S., No. 49 world
• Earth and marine sciences: No. 20 U.S., No. 51–100 world
• Geography: No. 20 U.S., No. 101–150 world

“These rankings are a testament to the excellence of our faculty and the dedication of our entire staff,” UH ����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno said. “To the communities that we serve, they affirm that this university represents the very best in scholarship and education. And to our prospective students and their families, the rankings are a strong endorsement of the quality and value of an education from UH ����ԴDz�.”

UH ����ԴDz� also placed in the nation’s top 50 in nine additional subjects:

• English language and literature: No. 30 U.S., No. 101–150 world
• Archaeology: No. 30 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Agriculture and forestry: No. 34 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Physics and astronomy: No. 39 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Sociology: No. 42 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• Politics: No. 44 U.S., No. 201–250 world
• Communication and media studies: No. 46 U.S., No. 151–200 world
• Arts and humanities: No. 47 U.S., No. 210 world
• Environmental sciences: No. 49 U.S., No. 251–300 world

UH ����ԴDz� was ranked in four broad subject areas and 24 narrow subject areas. The QS World University Rankings by Subject are calculated using five criteria: academic reputation (survey responses from academics), employer reputation (survey responses from graduate employers worldwide), research citations per paper (citations data sourced from Elsevier Scopus), H-index (measures most cited papers and the number of citations) and international research network (reflects ability to diversify the geography of their international research network).

The 2024 edition of the rankings by global higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds analyzed the performance of more than 16,400 university programs, taken by students at more than 1,500 universities in 96 locations around the world.

Recent rankings

UH ����ԴDz� also received these notable rankings:

• 2024 U.S. News and World Report’s Best Graduate Schools rankings, April 9, 2024
• QS World University Rankings: Sustainability, December 11, 2023
• 2023 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects released by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, October 29, 2023

For more information on rankings, see the .

—By Marc Arakaki

There are more than 6,000 languages across the world and nearly half of them are spoken in the Asia-Pacific region—a geographic focus of the in the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s .

The department was founded in 1963 as an active research and teaching unit dedicated to the scientific study of language. Since then, it has become the only department in the nation that offers a graduate program in language documentation and conservation, and is well-known for both observational and experimental approaches to the study of language. Several linguistics faculty are also internationally recognized for their research on the languages of the Pacific and Asia.

These are some of the factors that have contributed to the Department of Linguistics being named as the 10th-ranked linguistics program in the U.S. and the 19th-best program worldwide in the 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

“We are delighted and honored to learn of our top-10 ranking this year. It means a lot to our students, faculty and staff to be recognized in this way, and it speaks volumes about the support our college and the university have given us,” said Andrea Berez-Kroeker, chair of the Department of Linguistics.

Why study linguistics at UH ����ԴDz�?

Linguistics is the scientific study of language, with a focus on how it is acquired, is used, changes over time, and is represented in the brain. Threats to linguistic diversity can be addressed through documentation and conservation efforts. According to the Department of Linguistics, there are unique reasons to study linguistics in �鶹��ý:

• Language and multilingualism are more noticeable here than in many places in the country, because of the state’s unique diversity of languages—more than 100 languages from all over the world are spoken here.
• �鶹��ý offers a natural laboratory for trying to understand multilingualism, code-mixing (changing from one language to another mid-sentence), language learning and acquisition, language endangerment and revitalization (of the Hawaiian language, for example), and pidgins and creoles.
• Languages are closely tied to cultural, geographic and ethnic identity, issues that are central to �鶹��ý’s education and politics.

The department offers MA and PhD degrees, and a BA in linguistics major through the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. The MA program has tracks in language documentation, experimental linguistics and linguistic analysis, and the PhD program offers similar opportunities at a more advanced level.

“Our department has had working relationships with language communities throughout the Pacific for a long time, and looking ahead, we are eager to also build stronger partnerships with the many diasporic language communities who live here in �鶹��ý, especially from Micronesia,” Berez-Kroeker said. “As globalization and climate change cause more people to be displaced from their homelands, academia will need to seek opportunities for meaningful engagement. Language is a promising locus for social justice because it’s such a central part of the human experience.”

“I really appreciate that everyone in the Department of Linguistics, the faculty, the staff and the students are willing to support each other in their goals,” said third-year PhD student Anupama Reddy. “Apart from academic research, I’ve been lucky to receive a lot of guidance in terms of career and professional development, like introductions to researchers in the field whose work aligns with mine. I’ve also been given the opportunity to try new things, like design curricula for new classes. The Department of Linguistics has given me a lot of confidence and experience with the career I hope to have in the future.”

—By Marc Arakaki

More than 25 subject areas earned international honors, including a top 10 national performance by the , according to the .

UH ����ԴDz� placed in the nation’s top 20 and the world’s top 100 in five narrow subject areas:

• Linguistics: No. 10 U.S., No. 19 worldwide
• Anthropology: No. 18 U.S., No. 51–100 worldwide
• Geophysics: No. 19 U.S., No. 44 worldwide
• Geology: No. 19 U.S., No. 44 worldwide
• Earth and marine sciences: No. 20 U.S., No. 51–100 worldwide

In addition, UH’s flagship campus ranked in 17 other narrow subject areas, all in the nation’s top 100.

UH ����ԴDz� also received the following broad subject area rankings: arts and humanities (No. 33 U.S., No. 125 worldwide), (No. 50 U.S., No. 225 worldwide), and (No. 71 U.S., No. 393 worldwide), and and (No. 100 U.S., No. 400 worldwide).

UK-based QS is considered one of the most highly regarded ranking entities in higher education. QS selected 1,594 institutions to evaluate out of for its 2023 World University Rankings by Subject using the following factors: academic and employer reputation, research citations per paper, international research network and the h-index, which measures the productivity and impact of an academic researcher or department.

International recognition

These rankings are the latest in a series of high marks from QS. In QS’s latest World University Rankings released in June 2023, UH ����ԴDz� placed No. 66 nationally and No. 386 out of more than 25,000 colleges and universities worldwide (or the top 2%).

Recent rankings

UH ����ԴDz� also received these notable rankings:

• World’s top 2.5% in the Global 2000 list by the Center for World University Rankings, May 15, 2023
• Sixteen graduate programs recognized in the 2023–24 U.S. News and World Report’s Best Graduate Schools rankings, April 24, 2023

For more information on rankings, see the .

—By Marc Arakaki

gave a total of $1.395 million to more than a half dozen programs at the University of �鶹��ý in 2022. �鶹��ý Pacific Foundation is a Native Hawaiian organization whose mission is to empower Native Hawaiian communities through programs that create opportunities for success.

The gifts support programs and scholarships at UH ��ā�ԴDz�’s (JABSOM), (SOEST), , and , as well as programs at .

• $260,000 to support the Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence at JABSOM, including the creation of a new endowed fund.
• $80,000 to support a graduate assistantship and efforts to foster a Native Hawaiian place of learning at SOEST.
• $200,000 to support the �鶹��ýnuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, including the creation of a new endowed fund.
• $100,000 to support research on Native Hawaiian-English bilingualism in the linguistics department.
• $380,500 to support the Ke Aʻo Mau graduate assistantship, fellowship, scholarships, stipends and interdisciplinary clinic at the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health.
• $375,000 to support various programs at UH West Oʻahu.

“We’re proud to partner with UH to support these programs that nurture the future leaders within the Native Hawaiian community,” said retired Brig. Gen. Edwin A. “Skip” Vincent, an alumnus of the UH Mānoa Shidler College of Business and the group’s chairman. Vincent founded the �鶹��ý Pacific Foundation after retiring from a long career in the �鶹��ý Air National Guard. “These students return to their communities with solutions to social, economic and cultural issues that address the source of problems.”

The 2022 gifts represent the greatest support from �鶹��ý Pacific Foundation since the organization made its first gift to UH at the end of 2017, $3,000 to purchase bus passes for high school students enrolled in a program at UH West Oʻahu. Prior to 2022, �鶹��ý Pacific Foundation had given more than $1 million to the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, �鶹��ýnuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, the College of Engineering at UH Mānoa, UH West Oʻahu and the UH System.

“We’re grateful for the support from Native Hawaiian organizations such as the �鶹��ý Pacific Foundation,” said Tim Dolan, vice president of advancement at UH and CEO of the . “Their mission to improve lives through education within Native Hawaiian communities is an inspiration.”

More on the �鶹��ý Pacific Foundation

The mission of the �鶹��ý Pacific Foundation Inc. is to empower Native Hawaiian communities through programs that create opportunities for success by focusing on education, primarily in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics—STEAM.

�鶹��ý Pacific Foundation holds a majority ownership in five Native Hawaiian-owned small businesses that engage in federal contracting and reinvests its profits from the businesses in supporting the economic, social and cultural issues within the Native Hawaiian community.

The University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s —held December 17, at the Stan Sheriff Center—featured student speaker Dannielle A. Farrall. An estimated 860 students participated in the commencement ceremony.

Farrall, also known as Dannie Farrall, received her Master’s Degree of , in the Language Documentation and Conservation stream. She has taken part in many different corners of UH ����ԴDz�—from making smoothies at Paradise Palms, to working as a graduate assistant in the ’s Media Center; helping with Linguistic Department events and volunteering with the UH’s esports community.

• See photos from UH fall graduations!

With many possibilities at her feet, and interests in her hands, Farrall is curious to see what her next adventure will be after graduation. She encouraged her fellow graduates to look back proudly at the challenges they have overcome to get to this moment in their lives and embrace any twists and turns they may face in their future.

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Emily Jo Noschese is the first deaf student to earn a doctorate from the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�. The Department of Linguistics in the (CALL) recognizes the recent graduate.

“I feel honored,” expressed Noschese. “The linguistics department made this happen and took a chance on me. The linguistics department and KOKUA worked with me, accommodating needs for me to be successful. I can’t express my gratitude enough!”

More highlights from the commencement ceremonies and our amazing graduates

Noschese comes from a fourth generation of a culturally Deaf family of American Sign Language (ASL) users, and is the first person in her family to receive a full university education. After graduating from The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, she attended Gallaudet University, the world’s only liberal arts university for deaf people, and earned a BA in American Sign Language and an MA in linguistics. Noschese said she waited to pursue a PhD until she found the right program at the right university.

After several years of teaching ASL in various colleges and universities, Noschese moved to Honolulu and began teaching ASL classes at Kapiʻolani Community College. She soon began transcription work on the Endangered Languages Documentation Program project on �鶹��ý Sign Language (HSL) at UH ����ԴDz�. Impressed by her knowledge and enthusiasm, the HSL project staff encouraged Noschese to apply to the PhD program in CALL’s linguistics department. In her application, she stated that she had wanted to get a PhD since she was 10 years old, and that UH ����ԴDz� was the perfect place, given its expertise in language documentation and revitalization.

“We are honored that Emily Jo chose to build upon her academic interests and passion here at ����ԴDz�,” said UH ����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno. “I know that her extraordinary success and lasting contributions to the university will inspire many haumāna (students) who have yet to begin their own journey of discovery.”

Noschese’s groundbreaking dissertation focuses on language ideology in younger ASL users. Her work also helped the department create and teach ASL courses that are taught by other deaf instructors today.

“Noschese’s dissertation is a valuable resource for ASL-based education programs, especially because it targets the attitudes of the young parent generation, who, along with teachers and schools, play a role in deaf education curricula,” said Andrea Berez-Kroeker, professor and graduate chair of linguistics, who co-chaired Noschese’s dissertation committee with Woody Woodward, an adjunct professor.

The has been internationally recognized as one of the world’s top universities across multiple subject areas, including linguistics, anthropology and geology, according to the released on April 6.

UH ����ԴDz� placed in the world’s top 100 and the country’s top 25 in five narrow subject areas:

• Linguistics: No. 34 worldwide, No. 12 U.S.
• Anthropology: No. 51–100 worldwide, No. 18 U.S.
• Geology: No. 51–100 worldwide, No. 22 U.S.
• Geophysics: No. 51–100 worldwide, No. 22 U.S.
• Earth and marine sciences: No. 51–100 worldwide, No. 23 U.S.

In addition, UH’s flagship campus ranked in 14 other narrow subject areas. UH ����ԴDz� also received the following broad subject area rankings: arts and humanities (No. 157 worldwide, No. 41 U.S.), (No. 262 worldwide, No. 54 U.S.), and (No. 451–500 worldwide, No. 78 U.S.), and and (No. 451–500 worldwide, No. 117 U.S.).

“It is very satisfying and appropriate that so many of our programs are recognized by Quacquarelli Symonds as among the top in the world. This recognition is a testament to the high level of academic and research excellence displayed by our faculty, students and staff,” �鶹��ý����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno said. “While we are always pleased to be ranked highly, it is important that we focus on the fact that �鶹��ý has, right here in the islands, a university that is among the world’s leaders across a wide variety of disciplines. You don’t have to leave �鶹��ý to get a world-class education.”

United Kingdom-based QS is considered one of the most prestigious ranking entities in higher education. QS selected 1,543 institutions to evaluate out of more than 26,000 colleges and universities for its 2022 World University Rankings by Subject using four factors: academic and employer reputation, number of research citations per paper, international research network and the h-index, which measures the stability and impact of published work.

International recognition from QS

These rankings are the latest in a series of high marks from QS. In QS’s latest World University Rankings released in June 2021, UH ����ԴDz� placed No. 62 nationally and No. 340 out of more than 26,000 colleges and universities worldwide (or the top 2%).

Other rankings

UH ����ԴDz� has also received these notable rankings:

• U.S. News and World Report’s 2023 Best Graduate Schools rankings, March 28, 2022
• 2021 Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities, January 18, 2022
• 2022 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education U.S. college rankings, September 21, 2021

For a full list of QS subject rankings and for more information, visit the .

These rankings are an example of UH ����ԴDz�’s goals of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

—By Marc Arakaki

A paper by a linguist who specializes in ʻōlelo �鶹��ý (Hawaiian language) challenges conventional understandings about the origins of Hawaiian and other East Polynesian languages.

William H. “Pila” Wilson, a Hawaiian studies professor at recently published his research in in June. The publication is the only one of its kind devoted exclusively to the study of Indigenous languages of the Oceanic area and parts of Southeast Asia.

“The paper provides data that Hawaiian (language) is not most closely related to Marquesan, but is related more closely to a group of languages that includes Tahitian and New Zealand Māori,” said Wilson. “Within that relationship Hawaiian is still distinct. I propose based on the data that �鶹��ý was first settled from the Northern Line Islands. My paper provides further evidence that East Polynesia was settled not from Sāmoa but from the Central Northern Outliers.”

Wilson’s ongoing research that East Polynesia was settled by people from small Polynesian outlier islands, meaning islands outside the main region of Polynesian influence. His latest article confirms that people from those outliers sailed directly east into the Phoenix and Line Islands and that �鶹��ý was then settled from the Northern Line Islands. The Line Islands, also known as the Teraina Islands or Equatorial Islands, are a chain of coral islands and atolls located nearly 2,000 kilometers south of �鶹��ý at the equator.

“For some 50 years Polynesianists believed that East Polynesia was settled from the Sāmoa area with �鶹��ý then settled from the Marquesas,” Wilson explained. “However, no one could connect the archaeological or linguistic record from Sāmoa directly with that of East Polynesian.”

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Challenging conventional beliefs

Wilson’s work published this summer shows the step-by-step development of East Polynesian languages from ancestral languages spoken in the outliers.

“Linguists began to accept my proposal but questions remained as to exactly where in East Polynesia did those initial outlier-derived people first settle,” Wilson said. “Now in the journal Oceanic Linguistics, I provide linguistic evidence answering that question.”

Wilson also identifies the specific area within that homeland from which the Hawaiian language originated. He has determined that the original settlers of East Polynesia sailed nearly 2,000 miles directly east from the Central Northern Outliers to colonize a formerly uninhabited swath of the Central Pacific stretching some 2,300 miles west to east and some 1,200 miles north to south. This area includes the Phoenix Islands, Line Islands and Marquesas Islands. Wilson said there is evidence that colonists of this area continued to keep in contact with each other. However, the huge distances involved resulted in linguistic differentiation.

Wilson does not dismiss a Marquesan connection to Hawaiian language. He provides evidence that although the Marquesas were not the immediate source of the first Hawaiians, the navigational skills of the early East Polynesians resulted in continued contact and the borrowing of some words between different East Polynesian languages.

“Hawaiian borrowed some words from Marquesan, but those words are marked as such by reflecting a Marquesan sound system rather than the sound system characteristic of Hawaiian,” Wilson said. “That core sound system of Hawaiian provides the evidence of its ancestors living in the low coral Line Islands and before that in the Central Northern Outliers far to the west.”

For more go to .

The is among the world’s best for academic and research excellence across numerous subject areas, according to the released on March 3. These rankings are examples of UH ����ԴDz�’s goals of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

After being ranked No. 62 nationally and No. 333 out of more than 26,000 colleges and universities worldwide (or the top 2%) in QS’s latest World University Rankings released in June 2020, UH ����ԴDz� was ranked in the top 50 in the world in four narrow subject areas: geology (No. 24 worldwide, No. 15 U.S.), geophysics (No. 26 worldwide, No. 16 U.S.), linguistics (No. 28 worldwide, No. 11 U.S.) and earth and marine sciences (No. 34 worldwide, No. 18 U.S.).

UH ����ԴDz� also received the following broad subject area rankings:

• Arts and Humanities: No. 172 worldwide, No. 43 U.S.
• : No. 203 worldwide, No. 49 U.S.
• and : No. 401–450 range worldwide, No. 78 U.S.
• and : No. 401–450 range worldwide, No. 113 U.S.

United Kingdom-based QS is considered one of the most prestigious ranking entities in higher education. QS selected 1,453 institutions to evaluate out of more than 26,000 colleges and universities for its 2021 World University Rankings by Subject using four factors: academic and employer reputation, number of research citations per paper and the h-index, which measures the productivity and impact of published work.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the contribution of a world-class university to a brighter future for �鶹��ý. The QS rankings affirm UH ����ԴDz�’s resilience and commitment to excellence in a wide range of disciplines,” UH ����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno said. “The world is undergoing dramatic and in many ways permanent change as a result of the pandemic, and I believe that our graduates will be among those helping to shape it for the better thanks to the strong education our world-class faculty provide.”

Other rankings

UH ����ԴDz� has also received these notable rankings:

• Elite international rankings in 2021 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by subject
• High national ranking in U.S. News and World Report 2021 Best Colleges rankings
• UH ����ԴDz� in top 1% of worldwide universities by the 2021 Times Higher Education World University Rankings

For a full list of QS subject rankings and for more information, .

—By Marc Arakaki

The University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� is a leading voice in an effort to deliver reliable information about the COVID-19 pandemic to more people around the world.

Assistant Professor Bradley McDonnell teamed up with experts from the University of London and State University of New York at Buffalo on , a project aiming to provide marginalized communities with accurate COVID-19 information in their own languages so their people are informed about how to prevent the spread of the virus. The volunteer team focuses on endangered languages and started by developing resources for nearly 20 languages spoken in Cameroon. The team has also covered languages in Ghana, Indonesia and Pakistan, with more expected.

“The virALLangauges team partners with language communities all over the world, and the larger numbers of resources in languages of Cameroon, Ghana, Pakistan and Indonesia represent existing connections that members of the virALLangauges team had already developed,” McDonnell said. “For example, I have been conducting linguistic fieldwork in Indonesia for over a decade, so I reached out to language communities and academic linguists in Indonesia.”

Team members were inspired to create the project because written information in majority languages is not well-understood or well-received by many minority communities, especially in areas where information is mainly communicated orally. The team created and a in different languages with basic health information on COVID-19, tutorials on making hand sanitizer and advice on adjusting one’s social life amid COVID-19.

“This is an excellent example of how the Department of Linguistics works to address real-world problems for communities that are often overlooked in the world today,” Department Chair and Professor Kamil Deen said. “Professor McDonnell, as a representative of the Department of Linguistics at UH ����ԴDz�, is the perfect ambassador for that ethos.”

UH ����ԴDz� students Jacob Hakim, Khairunnisa, Jessica Charest, Shirley Gabber, Leah Pappas, Sebastian Ohara-Saft and Katherine Strong have contributed to the project. McDonnell also worked closely with Yanti, the head of the Center for Language and Culture Studies at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia; and Ika Nurhayani, the head of the linguistics graduate program in the faculty of cultural studies at the University of Brawijaya in Malang, Indonesia.

Information source

The team’s main information source is the World Health Organization with assistance from the Community for Global Health Equity at the State University of New York at Buffalo. After gathering the latest COVID-19 information, team members shared it with native speakers for them to create video and audio recordings in their own languages.

“The most rewarding part of the project for me is seeing the willingness of people to help their own communities in spite of the challenges they are currently facing,” McDonnell said. “We’ve had medical doctors, nurses and professors volunteer their time to record heartfelt messages in their own languages to reach their own communities.”

Recruiting collaborators

The team is recruiting speakers of minority or endangered languages around the world who are willing to assist with the project. The team is also looking for researchers, activists and travelers familiar with communities who speak a marginalized language and can establish a connection with team members. .

“Our biggest challenge remains recruiting people who are able to make the recordings of reliable and memorable information on COVID-19,” McDonnell said. “In many cases, we are simply unable to identify people in a number of communities. In Indonesia alone, linguists have identified over 700 different languages, and so reaching people from each community is a real challenge.”

Translation video by Lusi Susianti, the team Leader and speaker for Kapuas Hulu in Indonesia.

—By Marc Arakaki

“It’s a longer battle than we really understand,” Michael Bennett said addressing the fight to end racism and the Black Lives Matter movement in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.

The author, humanitarian and NFL Super Bowl champion was the featured panelist in a virtual forum on June 17. Reclaiming Humanity: Racism, Violence, Resistance, Love was moderated by Associate Professor Robert Perkinson.

Bennett has a growing connection to UH ����ԴDz�. He co-taught AMST 440 with Perkinson in spring 2020 and served as the spring 2019 commencement speaker, while still an active player in the NFL.

Bennett is also the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Things That Make White People Uncomfortable. He said he felt a need to speak out long before becoming one of the first NFL players who joined in the national anthem protests before games.

“My first reaction was just as a human being, what is it that I see when I see a person losing their life and how am I connected to that even though I’m distant and this may not be my relative,” Bennett said. “My experiences being involved visiting families who were suffering from police brutality or suffering from injustices around the world was there was a certain empathy that creates a certain anger towards you.”

Charitable work

As the co-founder of the Bennett Foundation, which promotes health and nutrition in underserved and minority communities, he constantly sees these issues on a daily basis and turns to his spirituality to keep from getting overburdened.

“It’s overwhelming to walk into some of these rooms and really feel the anger and really feel the pain of the families…your spirit has to be right,” Bennett said.

“Bennett is amazing,” Perkinson said. “He’s a star athlete, a Super Bowl champion. He’s also a best-selling author, an activist and a deep thinker on a range of issues, from food justice to Native Hawaiian rights. In the classroom, he’s a compelling, dynamic, thoughtful teacher. The students really liked him.”

Panel members

Joining Bennett on the panel were Akiemi Glenn, a UH ����ԴDz� PhD and MA in graduate, and the founder and executive director of the Pōpolo Project; and Ken Lawson, faculty specialist and co-director of the �鶹��ý Innocence Project.

“Now, it’s socially acceptable to have a radical idea,” Bennett said. “Before, to have a radical idea, you were kind of an outlier, kind of standing alone in this open forum. But now, everybody’s there because now companies are buying into it and everybody is seeing the importance of Black lives.”

See the entire conversation on the .

—By Marc Arakaki