{"id":237566,"date":"2026-07-19T08:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T18:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=237566"},"modified":"2026-08-03T11:17:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T21:17:41","slug":"high-school-counselors-experience-hidden-gems-of-uh-manoa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/19\/high-school-counselors-experience-hidden-gems-of-uh-manoa\/","title":{"rendered":"High school counselors experience the ‘hidden gems’ of UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"People
High school counselors explore UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For 29 high school and transfer counselors, the first University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa Summer Counseling Institute was an unforgettable, immersive experience. Held July 12–15, the program invited 27 local counselors and two from Northern California to step into the shoes of a college student and explore the incredible opportunities awaiting future Rainbow Warriors.<\/p>\n[vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/a3vPtNyamCI” el_aspect=”916″ align=”right” el_id=”wrap-video-right”]\n

Instead of a standard campus tour, participants spent three and a half days diving deeply into the heart of what UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa has to offer. They toured the world-renowned Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Institute of Marine Biology at Moku O Loʻe<\/span> in Kāneʻohe<\/span> Bay, went behind the scenes with UH<\/abbr> Athletics, and experienced hands-on sample classes. Participants stepped into nursing simulation labs, explored the Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center for innovation, and enjoyed a closing dinner at the Waikīkī<\/span> Aquarium.<\/p>\n

Steve Morales, a counselor at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama<\/span>, was blown away by the depth of the research facilities and the university’s strong focus on community building. <\/p>\n

“Think of it as a world-class education that you are getting,” Morales said. “It\u2019s a gem and I think students should\u2014no matter what high school they’re at\u2014really look at it. This is a great university to come to.”<\/p>\n

Limitless possiblities<\/h2>\n

The event was intentionally designed to showcase the authentic, vibrant life on campus. Nikki Chun, UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa vice provost for enrollment management, proposed the institute to highlight the university’s limitless possibilities.<\/p>\n

“What amazes me is that there’s so much here, so much richness,” Chun said. “You can spend years here, and there are things you never get to discover.”<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the university hopes to inspire more local talent to thrive in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. Malia Kau, a college and career counselor at Radford High School, said the immersive event changed some counseling colleagues\u2019 perceptions. <\/p>\n

“I think our local students can look to M\u0101noa as a place where they can meet all of the needs that they’re looking for in higher education,” Kau said. “They don’t have to go to the mainland… M\u0101noa has a lot of things that will help them be successful here.”<\/p>\n

\"Counsellors
Hands-on experience in a nursing lab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Educators explored vibrant campus life, uncovering boundless opportunities for future students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":237567,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[53,839,9,550],"class_list":["post-237566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-hawaii-institute-of-marine-biology","tag-school-of-nursing","tag-uh-manoa","tag-manoa-athletics","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