{"id":225606,"date":"2025-11-18T14:23:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T00:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=225606"},"modified":"2025-11-18T15:55:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T01:55:51","slug":"hilo-sociology-3rd-national-finish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/18\/hilo-sociology-3rd-national-finish\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> Hilo sociology students shine with 3rd-place national finish"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Four
From left: Evan Merz, Haukea Valdez, Danielle Murphy and Tavan Nakamura<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sociology<\/a> students from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo proved they can hold their own against some of the nation\u2019s top universities, earning high marks in a national problem-solving competition. One team placed third, standing out for a solution rooted in Indigenous values from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The students competed in the Client Problem Competition<\/a>, held in mid-October at the annual conference of the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology in St. Louis, Missouri. UH<\/abbr> Hilo students participated remotely while other teams presented in person.<\/p>\n

Team 1, which earned the third-place finish, included Johry Graceta, Evan Merz, Danielle Murphy, Tavan Nakamura and Haukea Valdez. Team 2 included Kassidie Hayashida, Starlye Koehler, Ella Munroe, Lilika Talamai and Erika Torres.<\/p>\n

“Having the chance to work on an applied project was a good experience to use what we learn in classes,” Valdez said.<\/p>\n

Real-world challenge<\/h2>\n

Each year, student teams receive a real-world challenge from a community organization. Their task is to analyze the issue and present a solution using sociological skills and methods. This year\u2019s client was Healthcare NOW, a national group advocating for a single-payer healthcare system. Their question: how to better connect with local organizations that may not already support their mission.<\/p>\n

The UH<\/abbr> Hilo team responded with “Ke Hoʻoikaika<\/span> Nei i\u0101 Healthcare–NOW” (Strengthening Healthcare NOW), a plan centered on Indigenous values. Hern said that focus helped set their work apart.<\/p>\n

“They only had a few days to develop their solutions, so it\u2019s excellence under pressure for sure,” said Lindy Hern, associate professor and department chair of UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s sociology department who organized the conference as president of the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology.<\/p>\n

Faculty from UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s sociology department supported both teams: Assistant Professor Ellen Meiser advised, and Associate Professor Alton Okina funded their participation.<\/p>\n

For more go to UH<\/abbr> Hilo Stories<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

—By Susan Enright<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> Hilo students placed third against some of the nation\u2019s top universities, devising a solution rooted in Indigenous values from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":225724,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[261,660,14,907],"class_list":["post-225606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-sociology","tag-student-recognition","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-hilo-stories","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