{"id":230907,"date":"2026-03-18T15:56:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T01:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=230907"},"modified":"2026-03-18T15:56:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T01:56:50","slug":"uh-maui-college-maui-strong-fellowships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/18\/uh-maui-college-maui-strong-fellowships\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> Maui College bolsters Lahaina’s recovery through Maui Strong Fellowships"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> < 1<\/span> minute<\/span><\/span>
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Students gather for water quality testing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Maui College is launching the 2026 Maui Strong Fellowship Program to empower its students and local residents to drive Lahaina\u2019s long-term recovery and resilience following the devastating wildfires. The initiative provides awards of up to $10,000 to develop and implement community driven programs.<\/p>\n

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Students get hands on experience<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n
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Hulihia Team members work on systems’ model (from left: Remy Romo-Valdez, Mariane Belfort, Tim Botkin)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

Fellows will collaborate with key UH<\/abbr> Maui College programs, including Puʻuhonua<\/span> Kauluwehi<\/a> (establishing a network of biocultural refuges supporting the cultivation of native plants), the Hulihia Center for Sustainable Systems<\/a>, or the UH<\/abbr> Maui College Water Quality Laboratory<\/a>. Projects include essential soil and water research, collaborative initiatives to build community resilience, and culturally rooted projects that support well-being.<\/p>\n

The program, now in its third year, is currently accepting open applications for fellowship spots with Hulihia<\/a> (contact: hulihia@hawaii.edu<\/a>) and the UH<\/abbr> Maui College Water Quality Lab<\/a> (email: Shawn Pedron spedron@hawaii.edu<\/a>). Applications are open to UH<\/abbr> Maui College students and Maui residents through March 27, 2026.<\/p>\n

Funded by the Maui Strong Fund of the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Community Foundation, the initiative directly supports residents who are focusing on critical areas such as post-fire recovery, sustainability initiatives and environmental restoration.<\/p>\n

“We are proud to support Maui\u2019s continued recovery by empowering residents to share their talents and voices,” said Jordan Hocker, sustainability specialist at Hulihia. “Through this fellowship program, we hope to inspire the next generation of leaders working toward a resilient future for Lahaina.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Up to $10K available for Maui residents to lead recovery projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":230916,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1597,73,71,60],"class_list":["post-230907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-maui-wildfires","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-maui-college","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