Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This is a time to reflect on and celebrate the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) have played in American history, culture, and society.  We pay tribute to the generations of AANHPI people who enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success. 

SOEST joins the celebration in recognition of the cultural, technological, and scientific contributions of AANHPI people in STEM, in our community, and across the country. We asked the SOEST community to share experiences as an AANHPI person in STEM. Below are excerpts from the reflections our colleagues shared. 

Supporting sustainable fishing practices through pono science

Growing up in Pālolo, Oʻahu, surrounded by the ocean and one valley away from UH Mānoa, I was always conflicted when it came to STEM and research. Our islands have finite resources, and as a kanaka ʻōiwi it is my kuleana to care for ʻāina and protect what we have, but the extractive nature of research hasn’t been and oftentimes still isn’t conducted in a pono manner. Being an AANHPI in STEM hasn’t been easy, but I also know that if I want to see change, then I have to be the change, which is why my research requires working with kamaʻāina and local caretakers of the places and ecosystems I study.

Kekuʻiapōiula Keliipuleole
Graduate Student in Marine Biology Graduate Program
Kanaka ʻōiwi (Native Hawaiian)

Sharing the culture of Hawai‘i with colleagues 

Growing up in Hawai‘i and going to public school (go Riders!), a lot of my classmates in public school were AANHPI, so I usually wasn‘t insecure about being Hapa… For the most part at UH, it stayed that way. I was in Marching Band for four years and was mainly surrounded by other local students who were AANHPI. 

While I’ve been able to meet people in [the Earth Sciences] Department who share the experience of growing up in Hawai‘i, they’re far outnumbered by people who don’t have that shared experience. Regardless, I’ve been fortunate enough to be surrounded by people in my department who are open to trying new things and experiencing local culture and cuisine, and not just the stuff curated for tourists or travel influencers. At times I still feel isolated, but my colleagues’ willingness to experience Hawai‘i as it exists for those of us who have grown up here has made me feel somewhat less alone. And I will do my best to share what I love about Hawai‘i with those who want to try it.

Alan Toshio McFall
Graduate Student, Earth and Planetary Sciences/Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology 
Haole, Japanese, Okinawan/Uchianchu

Facing challenges, pursuing opportunities for connection

My educational journey consisted of beneficial opportunities and difficult obstacles. I was gratefully accepted for the NHSEMP Sophomore Success TRACs program [this summer]. I am deeply looking forward to this because it will allow me to gain hands-on experience, such as developing a network of STEM peers, professors, and industry; participating in cultural engagement and professional development workshops; comprehending the interconnection between Hawai‘i’s unique culture and STEM; along with conducting a formal and faculty-driven STEM research and delivering a research presentation. I have persevered through [multiple] hardships because I am eager to give back to the community and my family as a future meteorologist for the National Weather Service. Protecting and informing them through public weather forecasts and alerts in times of severe weather. 

Alex Gallardo
Undergraduate Student in Atmospheric Sciences
Filipino

Events and Resources

SOEST Maile Mentoring Bridge Program

The Native Hawaiian Place of Learning (NHPoL) Advancement Office offers information, references, and resources related to student support and opportunities to learn more about place and Hawaiian language and culture. 

Guidance on best practices for community-embedded research in Hawaiʻi can be found in the Kūlana Noiʻi.

UH Mānoa Native Hawaiian Student Services (NHSS)

Native Hawaiian Science & Engineering Mentorship Program at UH Mānoa 

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Geosciences, a grassroots, member-driven organization committed to building a community that supports AAPIs within geosciences. 

Nā Puke Wehewehe ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian dictionary and electronic library.

Asia Pacific Dance Festival through Sunday, June 1, 2025.