Growing up on Rapa Nui, Maile alum Noah Paoa spent his summers camping by the shore, bodyboarding, and exploring the island’s landscape with his family. A pivotal moment occurred in 2010 when, at fifteen years old, a massive earthquake in Chile triggered a tsunami warning for the island. Paoa watched the shoreline recede so far it seemed as if the ocean had never been there. In addition to his deep connection to place, this experience highlighted how closely life on an island is tied to the forces of the sea, eventually guiding him toward a historic academic milestone.

Graduating with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Class of 2026, Paoa earned a landmark achievement as the first Rapa Nui person to go through the Rapa Nui school system and earn a doctoral degree. While he is careful to honor those who paved the way—including Dr. Sonia Haoa Cardinali, who received an honorary doctorate, and Fr. Francisco Nahoe, who is of Rapa Nui descent but was born and educated in the U.S.—Paoa’s degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) is significant personally and for his community. 

Read more about it in the May 28, 2026 SOEST News item.