{"id":157232,"date":"2022-04-01T14:21:12","date_gmt":"2022-04-02T00:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=157232"},"modified":"2022-04-01T14:21:12","modified_gmt":"2022-04-02T00:21:12","slug":"housing-hawaiis-future-sterling-higa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/04\/01\/housing-hawaiis-future-sterling-higa\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> alumnus hopes to develop young leaders to tackle Hawai\u02bbi housing crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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Helping more young Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> professionals find affordable workforce housing is the goal of a movement led by a University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa alumnus. Sterling Higa<\/strong> co-founded and serves as executive director of Housing Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s Future<\/a>, a nonprofit which seeks to create opportunities for Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s Generation Z and Millennials.<\/p>\n

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Sterling Higa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The overall goal is to end the workforce housing shortage and the way that we want to achieve that is by educating and organizing students and young professionals, providing them with the skills and knowledge that they need for effective civic engagement,” Higa said. “…The leadership is not going to come from the people in power now. It\u2019s up to the future generations to take charge and steer Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> in the direction we\u2019d like to see it moving.”<\/p>\n

Higa earned his associate\u2019s degree from Honolulu Community College<\/a> in 2011, and his bachelor\u2019s degree in communicology<\/a> with a minor in English<\/a> from UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa in 2013. He also holds a master\u2019s degree in education from Harvard University. It was after earning his bachelor\u2019s degree that he was inspired to get involved in fighting for more workforce housing.<\/p>\n

“Since graduation I\u2019ve watched my classmates leave Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> to pursue opportunities elsewhere, in part because the cost of housing is so high,” Higa said. “…Sustainable means to me that our children and grandchildren can afford to stay. In order to create that sustainable Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, young leaders, students, and young professionals need to take action today.”<\/p>\n

Higa plans to reach out to all 10 campuses in the UH<\/abbr> System, and is targeting students who have led other movements for social change, such as the civil rights movement and the environmental movement.<\/p>\n

“We plan to work with student governments at the UH<\/abbr> System campuses, the RIO<\/abbr>s (registered independent organizations) and professors to reach students,” Higa said. “Ideally we want to see UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa students and students across the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> System serve as community leaders and advocates for workforce housing. On campus, we are happy to host informational sessions and also have talk story and brainstorming sessions.”<\/p>\n

Higa added, “We want to make sure that the interests of what students are facing are represented in the conversation around housing.”<\/p>\n

Interested students are encouraged to visit the Housing Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s Future website<\/a> or email Higa at sterling@hawaiisfuture.org.<\/p>\n

Nationally ranked debate team<\/h2>\n
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UH<\/abbr> Debate Team competed at the state Capitol.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Higa credited his time in the communicology and English departments with developing his communication skills, saying, “I feel equipped to write and to speak and advocate for the causes that I believe in.”<\/p>\n

In addition, Higa was part of a nationally ranked debate team, housed in UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Department of Communicology.<\/p>\n

“At UH<\/abbr>, I competed on the British Parliamentary debate team and got to travel the country, travel the world, meeting articulate and passionate people from other universities and practicing the advocacy skills with them in the format of debate,” he said.<\/p>\n