{"id":234862,"date":"2026-05-22T09:55:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T19:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=234862"},"modified":"2026-05-22T10:02:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:02:57","slug":"voyaging-experience-to-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/22\/voyaging-experience-to-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> alumnus brings voyaging experience to the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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Ian Kekaimalu Isami Lee aboard the Hōkūleʻa<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Windward Community College<\/a> instructor Ian Kekaimalu Isami Lee has sailed far and wide aboard the vessel Hōkūleʻa<\/span>. Now, the Leeward Community College<\/a> and University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa<\/a> alumnus uses the experiences gained on open waters in his class on the basic principles and theories of modern non-instrument navigation, the same navigation used on the Hōkūleʻa<\/span>.<\/p>\n

“It brings a lot of context for my students because when we talk about things or when I try to explain things to them,” Lee said. “I tell them stories of things that I have personally experienced. That brings it to life for them, and it makes it easier for them to understand the concepts.”<\/p>\n[vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/4rh1oSN-Xfw” el_aspect=”916″ align=”right” el_id=”wrap-video-right”]\n

After graduating from Leeward CC<\/abbr> with an associate\u2019s degree in liberal arts in 2011, Lee enrolled at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa. In 2014 Lee sailed from Samoa to Aotearoa and in 2017 from Tahiti to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> aboard Hōkūleʻa<\/span>.<\/p>\n

His master\u2019s thesis revolved around voyaging and canoe culture. The journeys were instrumental in his growth as a person and navigator, allowing him to share experiences with his ancestors who crossed the sea thousands of years prior. Lee earned bachelor\u2019s (2014) and master\u02bbs (2017) degrees in Hawaiian studies.<\/p>\n

Community on campus<\/h2>\n

It was not always smooth sailing. After spending his first semester skipping classes, Lee says he found community at Leeward CC<\/abbr>. This inspired him to engage more in his studies and take advantage of free tutoring and other support. <\/p>\n

“I just found myself having a blast and learning along the way,” said Lee. “It was the community that I surrounded myself with. We had the program Hālau<\/span> ʻIke<\/span> O Puʻuloa<\/span>, which is now known as Kīpuka<\/span>, Native Hawaiian Student Services. There were so many people who created a very comfortable environment. That made me not want to leave.”<\/p>\n

Lee remembers being greeted with a smile and treated with aloha on campus, which felt like a home away from home. Now, he tries to encourage his students to build community.<\/p>\n

“My students do their course in groups, they do everything as a group,” Lee said. “I try to shift their thinking to a broader, global thinking that all of our actions are interconnected and affect each other. If we all thought that way, I think this world would be a much better place.”<\/p>\n

\"people<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Connecting ancestral sailing to community inspires Leeward CC<\/abbr> and UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa graduate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":234866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[90,65,271,71,319,9,66],"class_list":["post-234862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-alumni","tag-leeward-community-college","tag-uh-alumni-association","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-foundation","tag-uh-manoa","tag-windward-community-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