Kapua Kaulia was excited. She was worried. Despite jitters, she pushed forward in the fall of 2017 with her plans to attend even though she knew it would be tough attending college as a mother of five juggling both family and academics.

Three years later, Kaulia is one of 584 students who earned associate degrees and certificates, and she’s ending her �鶹��ý CC career with a list of impressive accomplishments: Dean’s List each semester, student worker, student government president and a member of two honor societies.

Kaulia, 37, said her college journey wouldn’t have been possible without her family’s support, which included everything from words of encouragement to childcare.

“I want to tell my mom and my family, mahalo for the love and support,” Kaulia said.

Earning her Associate of Arts in and certificates in and has special meaning for Kaulia and her family as she’s the first in her family to graduate from college.

“Everybody’s proud of me,” she said.

Ēlama Scholar

Kaulia, who was born and raised in Kona, wanted to attend college ever since �鶹��ý CC outreach staff visited her school when she was in 9th grade.

“I always knew growing up that I needed to come to college, because they always say if you go to college you get paid better, so that’s kind of why I thought college was important,” she said.

However, the thought of enrolling seemed out of reach when she became a young mother.

Fast forward to 2017, and Kaulia learned about the . The unique scholarship program provides intensive student support and the full cost of tuition, books and fees for the first year of college for students who are considered to have barriers to entering and succeeding in college. After that year, students who persist are given guidance on how to apply for other scholarships and financial aid. The “13th year” scholarship program is supported by Kamehameha Schools, the Kukio Community Fund at �鶹��ý Community Foundation, the Oak Foundation and other organizations.

“I heard there was a scholarship that could help pay for me to go to college,” she said. “That’s what kind of ignited the fire: ‘Oh, I can come to school for free.’”

Bachelor’s degree plans

After graduation, it’s on to the next chapter, and for Kaulia that means enrolling in an online program with the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� to earn her bachelor’s degree in social work. Thanks to the , she’ll be able to receive student support services at the �鶹��ý CC–Pālamanui campus in Kona as she earns her bachelor’s degree.

Words from a classmate, Kalae Yonemura, inspired her to pursue social work.

“One day one of my classmates was like, ‘Hey, you know, you’re very good at helping people. You should be a social worker,’” Kaulia recalled. “From then on I just did that and made it my goal.”

Thanks to an anonymous donor, West �鶹��ý Island students pursuing marine sciences at the new campus now have more scholarship support. A $50,000 gift established the West �鶹��ý Marine Science Endowed Scholarship.

This scholarship will support undergraduate students enrolled in the marine science degree program at the �鶹��ý CC–Pālamanui campus. Until the Pālamanui campus marine science program is officially approved by the Board of Regents, students enrolled in the natural science program at �鶹��ý CC–Pālamanui are eligible. Preference will be given to West �鶹��ý residents who are/have been active in Native Hawaiian cultural activities and groups including language, hula, ancient trail restoration work, fishing practices and more and are also active in their community and performing well academically.

“We are very grateful for this generous endowed scholarship that will support West �鶹��ý students engaged in the marine sciences,” said �鶹��ý CC Chancellor Noreen Yamane. “It is critically important for us to move forward in marine sciences as we educate and prepare students to be employed in an area that has such great impact on all of us who live on the Big Island,” she concluded.

Kenneth “Marty” Fletcher, director of the University of �鶹��ý Center, West �鶹��ý added, “With the Pālamanui Campus now in place, we can lift West �鶹��ý from having the lowest college going rate in the State of �鶹��ý. Our students are in critical need of scholarships to stay in college and continue their educational journey. Marine science is a driver of West �鶹��ý’s economy and this scholarship will help our students be part of this momentum. Endowing this scholarship to support local young people on marine science career paths is visionary.”

“This is a wonderful example of a private donor recognizing a need and an opportunity, and partnering with us to bring about real change for our students and our community,” said University of �鶹��ý Foundation President and CEO Donna Vuchinich. “We are most grateful.”

More about �鶹��ý CC oceanography class

UH News: “New course opens up ocean of learning,” April 4, 2014

Congratulations to all the University of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� graduates that got their degrees at �鶹��ýSystemwide spring 2015 commencement ceremonies.

View photos from

• �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Community College
• Honolulu Community College
• �����辱ʻ�DZ����Ծ� Community College
• �����ܲ�ʻ�� Community College
• Leeward Community College
• Windward Community College
• UH Hilo
• UH ����ԴDz�
• UH Maui College
• UH West ��ʻ�����

For photos go to �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Community College’s Flickr album or the album.

For photos go the campus’

For photos go the campus’

For photos go the campus’ Ka ʻ���󲹲Բ� and .

For photos go to the campus’ .

For photos go the campus’

The University of �鶹��ý celebrates at spring commencement ceremonies systemwide.

Wednesday, May 6

Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Campus Center Ballroom

Saturday, May 9

Time: 9 a.m.
Location:UH West Oʻahu Lower Courtyard

Thursday, May 14

Time: 4 p.m. (), 5:30 p.m. ()
Location: �鶹��ý Convention Center

Friday, May 15

(East �鶹��ý)
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium

Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Waikīkī Shell

Time: 6 p.m.
Location: �鶹��ý Convention Center

Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Vidinha Stadium

Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Tuthill Courtyard

Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: George Hall 227

Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Andrews Outdoor Amphitheater

Saturday, May 16

Time: 9 a.m. Undergraduate Ceremony and 3 p.m. Advanced Degree Ceremony
Location: Stan Sheriff Center

Time: 9 a.m.
Location: Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium

Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keahuhou Bay

Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Pavilion at Hale ʻAkoakoa

Sunday, May 17

and
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Maui Arts and Cultural Center A&B Amphitheater

UH Mānoa
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Andrews Outdoor Amphitheater

UH Mānoa
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Location: Kennedy Theatre

The is providing a total of $896,232 to at the University of �鶹��ý. Nā Pua Noʻeau provides Native Hawaiian students kindergarten thru college with learning opportunities as a University of �鶹��ý center. Students have direct access to UH’s facilities and faculty where they are guided and supported in their educational and career goals.

Currently Nā Pua Noʻeau has staff and offices at University of �鶹��ý campuses across the state—, , and .

More about Nā Pua Noʻeau

In 2015, Nā Pua Noʻeau will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. Throughout the years the center has supported thousands of students in their educational and career goals and has made significant impacts in the recruitment and graduation of Native Hawaiian students at University of �鶹��ý’s campuses. In the fall of 2013, Nā Pua Noʻeau graduates made up 9 percent of the Native Hawaiian students enrolled UH and in the spring 2013 it was 13 percent.

Along with the enrollment and graduation of Native Hawaiian students, Nā Pua Noʻeau is also committed to creating opportunities and supporting Native Hawaiian students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and health career pathways. In the fall of 2013, Nā Pua Noʻeau students made up 11 percent of all of the Native Hawaiian students enrolled in STEM fields and 9 percent of all of the Native Hawaiian students enrolled in health fields in the UH System.

For more information on Nā Pua Noʻeau, including registration, contact representatives on the respective campuses:

• UH Hilo: (808) 974-7678
• UH Mānoa: (808) 956-9410
• Kauaʻi Community College: (808) 241-3238
• UH Maui College: (808) 984-3364
• ����Բ�ʻ�� High and Elementary School: (808) 565-9100
• UH Center, West �鶹��ý: (808) 322-4867

The University of �鶹��ý celebrated and honored graduates at spring commencement ceremonies systemwide.

View all the photos on the .

A humpback whale surfaces off the Kona coast of the island of �鶹��ý and glides past a group of students from the .

“It was playing with us today,” said student Natasha Machado. “It started going under our boat. It didn’t go down for a while.”

The close encounter with one of the largest mammals on earth happened during a lab course �鶹��ý CC started offering in spring 2014, Oceanography 201L–Introduction to Oceanography Lab.

“It’s designed to give the students experiential, hands-on learning on the ocean, so it’s not just a lab, inside a laboratory, inside a classroom,” explained �鶹��ý CC biology instructor Brie Day.

Students attend bi-weekly lectures in a classroom setting at the UH Center at West �鶹��ý that focuses on different aspects of oceanography, from sea floor mapping to ocean chemistry to reef ecology. Seven times during the semester, the students leave Keauhou Bay on state-of-the-art oceanography vessels for the weekly lab course where the students apply the concepts they learned on the open ocean.

“We learn about it in depth and then we got out on the ocean and we go, oh this is why we are learning this,” said student Eddy Rodrigues-Cho. “This is awesome!”

“This is what they call the high impact learning experiences,” said Day. “Anybody can think back to their childhood—do you remember all the lessons you learned sitting in the classroom or do you remember the field trips and special projects that you did when you were in third grade? Those are the things that you’ll remember forever.”

The community college students experience the type of fieldwork that normally only graduate students do thanks to a partnership with the (KCCEF). The non-profit provides the vessels, captains, an outdoor laboratory and equipment for hands-on marine education, all for free.

“Our mission is conservation, preservation education and ethical behavior of marine resources,” explained KCCEF President Patrick Cunningham.

“There’s no better way to excite somebody to want to conserve the environment then to actually have them out there, studying it, hands on, collecting real data,” said Day. “And it is thanks to the generosity of this non-profit organization, KCCEF.”

The subject of the lab during the whale encounter had the students four miles off the Kona coast collecting deep sea plankton.

“We basically took samples of plankton—of the zooplankton and the phytoplankton—and what that is, basically is animal versus plant plankton,” said Rodrigues-Cho.

Fellow student, Camie Richno explained that plankton help provide most of the oxygen for the earth.

“More so than rain forest believe it or not,” said Richno. “It’s what I would call the atmospheric engine so to speak, which we learned today in class and I thought was really interesting.”

Then the students return to shore and the KCCEF outdoor lab to look at the samples under microscopes.

“They are tiny little things and they’re just really, really cool because everything on earth basically stems from life at that basic size,” said Rodrigues-Cho.

The hope is that the course will inspire students to consider STEM fields; science, technology, engineering and math.

The students say its impact is immeasurable.

“After getting my liberal arts degree this semester, I am leaning towards more of this just because of how great an experience I had. It’s really fun,” said student Haley Delos-Santos.

“When we get to go out on the boat in the afternoon and go check out everything hands on, it’s amazing and the things we’ve been lucky with seeing, like whales,” said Machado.

announced that Kenneth “Marty” Fletcher has been appointed director of the .

“With the construction of underway, Dr. Fletcher joins us at an exciting time for higher education in West �鶹��ý,” said �鶹��ý CC Chancellor Noreen Yamane. “Dr. Fletcher’s talent and experience as an administrator will serve the college well as we continue to grow and provide opportunities for the people of �鶹��ý Island.”

Fletcher spent much of his youth on Oʻahu and still has family there. Prior to joining UHCWH, he was the senior lecturer (online education) and program director for Open Universities Australia at Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.

“I feel truly blessed to be joining the West �鶹��ý ʻohana of �鶹��ý Community College and the University of �鶹��ý System,” said Fletcher. “I’m excited to work with the college and the community to make sure we are delivering the excellent higher education opportunities West �鶹��ý deserves.”

Read the for more on Fletcher.

More than 80 youth, ranging from pre-school to seniors in high school, signed a promise to stay in school, graduate and attend college as part of an exhibit presented by the .

UH Center, West �鶹��ý made the push to keep kids in school during the held in Kailua-Kona on April 20.

The free community event, recognizing Earth Day, was presented by the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, Kealakehe High School, West �鶹��ý Community Health Center and the .

“This was a great event overall, and we were happy to be able to deliver our message about the importance of education,” said Beth Sanders, interim director of the UH Center, West �鶹��ý. “We hope that as these kids promised to stay in school, it impressed upon them just how significant education is for their future.”

—

The University of �鶹��ý celebrates spring commencement systemwide.

Wednesday, May 1

UH Mānoa Convocation
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Campus Center Ballroom, UH Mānoa

Friday, May 3

UH Mānoa
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Wist Hall 234, UH Mānoa campus, or at the Diamond Head Amphitheatre in the College of Education

Saturday, May 4

Time: 10 a.m.
Location: The Great Lawn

Thursday, May 9

UH Mānoa
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: �鶹��ý Convention Center, Liliʻu Theater

Friday, May 10

Honolulu CC’s
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: Norman W.H. Loui Conference Center, Honolulu CC

UH Mānoa
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Andrews Outdoor Amphitheater, UH Mānoa campus

UH Mānoa Recognition Ceremony
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: �鶹��ý Convention Center Ballrooms

UH Mānoa
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Kennedy Theatre, UH Mānoa campus

Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Tuthill Courtyard, Leeward CC campus

Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Waikīkī Shell

Time: 6 p.m.
Location: The Great Lawn, Kapiʻolani CC campus

Time: 6:15 p.m.
Location: Vidinha Stadium, ��ī���ʻ��

Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Edith Kanakaʻole Multi-Purpose Stadium

Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Maui Beach Hotel, Elleair Ballroom

Saturday, May 11

Time: 9 a.m.
Location: Edith Kanakaʻole Multi-Purpose Stadium

Time: 9 a.m.
Location: Stan Sheriff Center, UH Mānoa campus

Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Palikū Theatre, Windward CC campus

Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Stan Sheriff Center, UH Mānoa campus

Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Hilton Waikoloa Village, Kohala Ballroom

Sunday, May 12

UH Mānoa Convocation Ceremony
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Location: Kennedy Theatre, UH Mānoa campus

University of �鶹��ý
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Maui Arts and Cultural Center, Castle Theatre

UH Mānoa
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Andrews Outdoor Theatre, UH Mānoa campus

Monday, May 13

Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Kennedy Theatre, UH Mānoa campus