{"id":156171,"date":"2022-03-08T08:00:54","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T18:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=156171"},"modified":"2022-03-07T14:38:42","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T00:38:42","slug":"finding-our-kuleana-castillo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/03\/08\/finding-our-kuleana-castillo\/","title":{"rendered":"<abbr>UH<\/abbr> experience helps Native Hawaiian grad student discover kuleana, purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_88874\"  width=\"676\" height=\"380\"  data-origwidth=\"676\" data-origheight=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZH1Es0SIu_E?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Tate - Finding Our Kuleana, University of Hawai\u02bbi at M\u0101noa\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>Native Hawaiian entrepreneur <strong>Tate <span aria-label=\"Leleiohoku\">Lele&#699;iohoku<\/span> Castillo<\/strong> grew up in <span aria-label=\"Kaneohe\">K\u0101ne&#699;ohe<\/span> on the island of <span aria-label=\"Oahu\">O&#699;ahu<\/span>. Through his experiences in the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> System, he found his kuleana (responsibility) and purpose: to perpetuate Native Hawaiian culture in business and in our community while working toward a better future for the people of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As I made friends with folks with different backgrounds from community college to law school, I realized that everyone\u2019s definition of &lsquo;local&rsquo; is just as diverse as our various ethnicities and felt I broadened my understanding of what being &lsquo;local&rsquo; really means,&rdquo; Castillo said. &ldquo;It\u2019ll always be important for me to stay rooted in my Native Hawaiian culture because that\u2019s something that I bring to the table and feel is my responsibility, so I\u2019m trying to use my background and skills to make <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> a better place for everyone who lives here.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_156173\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-156173\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/manoa-admissions-finding-our-kuleana-tate-castillo-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"person looking at another person with text on the right side of the photo\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-156173\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/manoa-admissions-finding-our-kuleana-tate-castillo-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/manoa-admissions-finding-our-kuleana-tate-castillo-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/manoa-admissions-finding-our-kuleana-tate-castillo.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-156173\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tate Castillo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The 2014 Kamehameha Schools Kap\u0101lama alumnus dedicated lots of effort in the <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> System. Castillo earned an associate\u2019s in pre-business from <a href=\"https:\/\/windward.hawaii.edu\/\">Windward Community College<\/a> in 2016, graduated with bachelor\u2019s degrees in finance, entrepreneurship and international business from <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/shidler.hawaii.edu\/\">Shidler College of Business<\/a> in 2018, earned his juris doctorate from <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.hawaii.edu\/\">William S. Richardson School of Law<\/a> in 2021 and is finishing up his master\u2019s in business administration from Shidler this fall.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I feel very fortunate having taken the path that I did at <abbr>UH<\/abbr>. I got to stay in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, be at home with my friends and family, and get a great education that gave me opportunities to travel to Japan, China and Vietnam,&rdquo; Castillo said. &ldquo;&#8230;I never felt like I needed to leave to get all that, and I\u2019m glad that I didn\u2019t.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Castillo is one of four students featured in <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s &ldquo;Finding Our Kuleana&rdquo; campaign, a collection of personal narratives that capture haum\u0101na (students) who discover their purpose and sense of responsibility while pursuing college degrees. It is an opportunity to reimagine and illustrate how <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa can best serve our communities.<\/p>\n<p>Related <em><abbr>UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> stories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/01\/31\/discovers-kuleana-architecture\/\">Grad student discovers kuleana through architecture<\/a>, January 31, 2022<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/12\/17\/grad-student-discovers-aina-based-kuleana\/\">Grad student discovers <span aria-label=\"aina\">&#699;\u0101ina<\/span>-based kuleana at <abbr>UH<\/abbr><\/a>, December 17, 2022<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/12\/17\/students-discover-share-kuleana\/\">Students discover, share kuleana at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa<\/a>, December 17, 2021<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Entrepreneurial roots began at <abbr>UH<\/abbr><\/h2>\n<p>Castillo works at Goodsill Anderson Quinn &#38; Stifel, one of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s oldest law firms, and is a young ocean leader for Sustainable Ocean Alliance. He is also the <abbr title=\"Chief Executive Officer\">CEO<\/abbr> and founder of two companies he started as a student at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa. Launched in 2018 through a Shidler entrepreneurial marketing class, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kopesoap.com\/\">Kope Soap<\/a> upcycles coffee into artisan soaps and scrubs with the help of his friends and business partners, <strong>Matthew Yoshioka<\/strong> and <strong>Kirk Urada<\/strong>. Kope Soap partners with Honolulu Coffee Company to help reduce their environmental footprint. The company was kickstarted through Shidler&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/pace.shidler.hawaii.edu\/\">Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship<\/a> (<abbr>PACE<\/abbr>) programs, including the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Business Plan Competition and the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Summer Startup Launchpad.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It meant a lot that <abbr>UH<\/abbr> is really trying to set us up for success.<br \/>\n&#8212; Tate Castillo<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Castillo also started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.poluenergy.com\/\">Pol\u016b Energy<\/a>, a renewable ocean energy technology company that has the potential to balance wind and solar while making seawater desalination cheaper and cleaner. Created in 2020, its mission is to accelerate the world\u2019s transition to 100&#37; clean energy. Pol\u016b Energy won third place and a prize package totaling nearly $10,000 in <abbr>PACE<\/abbr>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/05\/07\/project-may-speed-up-rail-construction\/\"><abbr>UH<\/abbr> Venture Competition in spring 2021<\/a>, and took second place and a $2,500 prize in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/11\/20\/predicting-cloud-cover-innovation-project\/\"><abbr>UH<\/abbr> Breakthrough Innovation Challenge in fall 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I tried my best to make use of all the resources available at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> to make sure I stayed committed to all my goals,&rdquo; Castillo said. &ldquo;It\u2019s kind of surreal thinking back, but a year or so after graduating high school I\u2019d made it my goal to one day complete the <abbr title=\"Juris Doctorate\">JD<\/abbr>\/<abbr title=\"Master of Business Administration\">MBA<\/abbr> program at M\u0101noa. While still at Windward <abbr title=\"Community College\">CC<\/abbr>, I went through the <a href=\"https:\/\/windward.hawaii.edu\/how-to-apply\/admissions-records\/kaieie-transfer-program-overview\/\"><span aria-label=\"Kaieie\">Ka&#699;ie&#699;ie<\/span> Transfer Program<\/a> just to make sure I was doing everything right. Then at Shidler and Richardson, I feel there were more than enough resources&#8212;internships, job opportunities and networking events. It meant a lot that <abbr>UH<\/abbr> is really trying to set us up for success.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Castillo\u2019s work is an example of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s four goals of <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=20\">Enhancing Student Success<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=12\">Becoming a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr>PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=25\">Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr>PDF<\/abbr><\/span>) and <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=28\">Building a Sustainable and Resilient Campus Environment: Within the Global Sustainability and Climate Resilience Movement<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr>PDF<\/abbr><\/span>) identified in the <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf\">2015&#8211;25 Â鶹´«Ã½<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr>PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tate Castillo is featured in the &ldquo;Finding Our Kuleana&rdquo; campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[498,734,1505,154,1466,1467,1465,1363,1314,425,146,660,73,71,9,68,66],"class_list":["post-156171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-business","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-innovation","tag-law","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-native-hawaiian-place-of-learning","tag-manoa-research","tag-manoa-sustainability","tag-pacific-asian-center-for-entrepreneurship","tag-shidler-college-of-business","tag-student-recognition","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-manoa","tag-william-s-richardson-school-of-law","tag-windward-community-college","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156171"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156182,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156171\/revisions\/156182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}