Meet Our Fall 2020 Mentoring Pairs
Participants in the Maile Program are prospective, current, alumni or professionals associated with SOEST. Our mentors support Native Hawaiians, kama‘āina and other underrepresented undergraduate students through mentoring relationships that offer encouragement and the sharing of knowledge.
To see pairs from previous years, visit our Archived Pairs Page
Jahsten Campbell-Lacasandile & Ashley Hiʻilani Sanchez
My name is Jahsten Campbell-Lacasandile. I was born and raised in Ewa Beach on Oahu. My major is GES and I am interested in cars, motorcycles, and bicycles. I feel that learning about the environment is a nice contrast to internal combustion engines, and motor vehicles can take me to some pretty scenic places.
My name is Ashley Hiʻilani Sanchez, and I was born and raised on Oʻahu. I graduated from Mililani High School, got my AA and ASNS from Leeward Community College, and got my BS from UH Mānoa in Global Environmental Science. I’m currently a graduate student in Physical Oceanography where I’m studying sea level and nuisance flooding at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau on Hawaiʻi Island.
Keanu Rochette-Yu Tsuen & Cuong Tran
Ia Orana! My name is Keanu Rochette-Yu Tsuen. I come from the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia. I came to Hawaii in 2017 to study biological sciences at Kapi’olani Community College. In July 2020, I was successfully registered as a Global Environmental Science (GES) major at UH Mānoa. I am currently following the sustainability pathway of the B.Sc. GES.
Raised in Lahaina, Maui, Cuong experienced King Tide events, devastating flooding, and the erosion of his favorite childhood beach. Cuong, a UH Mānoa graduate student in the Urban and Regional Planning program, is determined to lead Hawai‘i in becoming 100% renewable as well as bouncing forward to coastal and marine climate change impacts in the near distant future. Cuong is pursuing a career in disaster planning to help teach urban and rural communities to adapt to natural and human disasters. Additionally, he plans to join opportunities that include environmental outreach for sustainable practices to the younger generations, to gain new knowledge on how to plan for climate change, and to conserve Hawai‘i’s resources for future generations.
Alexander Santos & Shaun Wriston
Alexander is currently attending UH Mānoa working towards a Bachelors in Global Environmental Science (GES). He is interested in water quality in both surface and ground waters, and how human activities affect it. Once Alexander graduates, he would like to get a master’s in Geology. When Alexander is not busy he likes to spend his time in the ocean or hiking.
In summer 2020, Shaun completed his B.S. in Global Environmental Science. He is currently working on his master’s in Environmental Planning through the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Shaun is interested in integrating water-quality management and land use planning.
Eric Klingberg & Noah Howins
Noah Howins (mentor): Noah is a 2nd year masters student in chemical oceanography studying plastic degradation in the marine environment. He graduated from the Global Environmental Science Program in 2019 where he studied ocean acidification and coral reef calcification. As an undergraduate, Noah spent four years as a Maile mentee before becoming a mentor. Noah has completed the UH Scientific Diving Program, conducted outreach at his alma mater, Lahainaluna High School on Maui, and lead a workshop on ocean acidification monitoring for scientists from developing nations in the South Pacific. For the 2020 – 2021 academic year, Noah has been elected President of Nā Kama Kai, the University of Hawaiʻi’s oceanography graduate student organization.
Eric Klingberg (mentee): Eric is a Global Environmental Science (GES) student and pursuing the Coupled Systems track in Sustainability Science. His current work is focused on deep sea ecosystems potentially threatened by deep sea future mining operations, while his broader interests involve sustainable resource management based on multidisciplinary knowledge from scientific understanding and community engagement, particularly when it applies to fisheries and planning for the challenges of a changing climate.
Kelsey Nichols & Brytne Okuhata
Kelsey’s love for the ʻāina led her to the Global Environmental Science (GES) program at UH Mānoa. Through her studies and internships, Kelsey has discovered an exceptional interest in oceanography which she likes to connect back to the community through her studies in anthropology.
Brytne was born and raised on Maui. She received her bachelor’s degree from Scripps College and is currently a graduate student in the Dept. of Earth Sciences, where her research focuses on the hydrogeology of island aquifer systems.
Tina Huynh-Nguyen & Kammie Tavares
Tina Huynh-Nguyen is a Global Environmental Science undergraduate, who enjoys
learning about the marine ecosystem, invasive species management and limu. She is
focused on becoming a marine/natural science teacher one day, to help make science feel less intimidating and more inspiring to all youths. After completing her bachelor’s program, Tina would like to earn a Master’s in Secondary Education/SPED education.
Kammie is a Master’s student in Earth and Planetary Sciences. Her research focuses on sandy beaches and sea level rise. As a kanaka ʻōiwi, she is interested in weaving cultural knowledge with the knowledge she is gaining in her degree program. After completing her Master’s, Kammie would like to pursue a PhD.
Tehani Malterre & Honour Booth
Tehani is from Maunalua on the island of Oʻahu. She is currently in her second year of college as a Global Environmental Science major and Maile Mentee at UH Mānoa. Tehani graduated from Kamehameha Schools Kapālama in 2019. She is interested in conservation and ecology in Hawaiʻi and she hopes to apply her degree in the islands after graduation. She also hopes to attend graduate school after her years as an undergraduate. In her free time, Tehani enjoys being outdoors, exercising, and spending time with family and friends.
Honour is from Kaluaolohe, an ʻili ʻāina located in modern day Kapahulu. As a former Maile Mentee, she is honored to continue to participate in a program that supported her during her own undergraduate journey. Honour is a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry at UH Mānoa, focusing on analytical organic chemistry and toxicology. Her research investigates the presence of organic ultraviolet filters from personal care products and plastics in aquatic ecosystems. She is currently a Sea Grant Graduate Research Fellow, where she contributes to a project examining land-based pollutants in coastal ecosystems. In her free time, Honour enjoys surfing, skating, reading and volunteering at mālama ʻāina restoration sites.
Naomi & ʻAleʻalani
Naomi was born and raised in Kailua. She is about to graduate with her AA in liberal arts and Hawaiian Studies, with a certificate in Ahupua’a. She will be transferring to Manoa next Spring for her BS in Environmental Science.
ʻAleʻalani is a PhD student in the Biology department at UH Mānoa. She is from Mililani and works at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology in Kāneohe in the ToBo lab. Her research focuses on zoanthids (an order of cnidarians, commonly found on coral reefs) in particular the evolution, population connectivity, and toxicity across Hawaiʻi and the Central Pacific. This research has allowed her to travel throughout the Pacific and Europe and collaborate with scientist in Okinawa.