{"id":149522,"date":"2021-10-11T12:14:02","date_gmt":"2021-10-11T22:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=149522"},"modified":"2021-10-11T12:14:02","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T22:14:02","slug":"lgbtq-center-peer-mentorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/10\/11\/lgbtq-center-peer-mentorship\/","title":{"rendered":"LGBTQ+<\/abbr> Center offers new peer mentorship program"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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At Honolulu Pride in 2018. (Photo credit: Camaron Miyamoto)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Rainbow ʻOhana<\/span> Program, a new LGBTQ+<\/abbr> Center<\/a> service and honors society at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa, is a peer mentorship program that started in fall 2021 with 30 participants from across disciplines. Grounded in a mission of social justice, the program is designed to help students work together to address barriers to student success. Graduates of the Rainbow ʻOhana<\/span> Program will earn a rainbow honor stole that can be worn in the commencement ceremony.<\/p>\n

Students in the Rainbow ʻOhana<\/span> Program have a strong sense of responsibility to one another as they help create a sense of community, affirm intersectional identities and work toward an academic vision that creates more shared opportunities for interpersonal growth and academic success.<\/p>\n

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A rainbow honor stole. (Photo credit: Camaron Miyamoto)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“I have always wanted to initiate a peer mentorship program because I feel that students are uniquely qualified to inspire others to greatness,” said Camaron Miyamoto<\/strong>, director of the LGBTQ+<\/abbr> Center at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa. “I strive to create a learning community for the LGBTQ+<\/abbr> and allied students that I engage with to engender a sense of extended family. I continue to learn from the students I work for and this is an opportunity for our Rainbow Ambassadors, or peer mentors, to teach other students how they navigate success at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa.”<\/p>\n

The Rainbow ʻOhana<\/span> Program is currently accepting members for its next cohort that will start in fall 2022. Any student that is interested can register online<\/a>. All students are welcome to get involved with a weekly LGBTQ+<\/abbr> coffee hour, which meets every Wednesday, 4–5 p.m., on Zoom, students can email lgbtq@hawaii.edu for the password. It is an informal chance to hang out with other students, discuss the events of the week and make new friends.<\/p>\n

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(Photo credit: HMSA Island Scene Magazine)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Joining the Rainbow ʻOhana<\/span> Program has helped me meet fellow LGBTQ+<\/abbr> students,” said Jamie Rosario Advincula<\/strong>, a junior at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa. “I’ve been able to go to the group for help navigating the overwhelming amount of information and programs at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa. I’ve already learned from previous students about so many things on campus and on Oʻahu<\/span> that I wouldn’t have found on my own.”<\/p>\n

“With the Rainbow ʻOhana<\/span> Program, having such a diverse set of mentors including myself, I think we can begin to bridge that gap of generalized support to personalized support for our mentees,” said Micah Axalan<\/strong>, a mentor in the Rainbow ʻOhana<\/span> Program and a PhD<\/abbr> student in the School of Architecture<\/a>. “I think that’s why it is important for UH<\/abbr> to have a program like this for the community.”<\/p>\n

The program began because of support from the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Success<\/a>, including the Office of Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity<\/a>, and performance funding from the Office of the Provost<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This program is an example of UH<\/abbr> Mānoa\u2019s goal of Enhancing Student Success<\/a> (PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), one of four goals identified in the 2015–25 Â鶹´«Ã½<\/a> (PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Rainbow ʻOhana<\/span> Program, a new LGBTQ+ Center service and honors society at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa, is a peer mentorship program that started in fall 2021 with 30 participants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1466,911,208,9],"class_list":["post-149522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-program-recognition","tag-student-equity-excellence-and-diversity","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t