As Hawaiʻi works to eliminate more than 83,000 cesspools by 2050, Hawaiʻi Community College and UH Maui College are preparing the workforce needed to help make it happen.

For most of his life, Troy Branco-Liu never imagined leaving Lahaina. But after the Maui wildfire upended his community and a University of Hawaiʻi scholarship opened a door he never expected, the Lahainaluna graduate found himself starting over at Hawaiʻi Community College on Hawaiʻi Island — pursuing an education that would ultimately change the course of his future.

“When I was in high school, I didn’t think about leaving,” Branco-Liu said. “I love the place I come from. I’m all about Lahaina. That’s always going to be home to me.”

Contact: UH News, (808) 490-3268 UH Office of Communications

University of Hawaiʻi faculty received top awards for their excellence in teaching and engagement and groundbreaking research.

Fifteen UH faculty members from across the state have been awarded the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching, and three received the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research.

For months, Franziska Bass lived inside a hospital room, fighting for her young son’s life.

She relocated to Oʻahu for six months, spending three of those months at Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children, where she witnessed both the fragility of life and the power of compassionate care. Despite every effort, her son, Cooper, passed away—an experience that would forever shape her path.

HILO, Hawaiʻi — As Hilo prepares to welcome the world for the Merrie Monarch Festival, Hawaiʻi Community College is highlighting its Associate in Arts in Hawaiian Studies with a concentration in hula—a program deeply rooted in the legacy of revered native Hawaiian kumu hula Edith Kanakaʻole.

Aunty Edith Kanaka‘ole’s philosophy: “Teach all who come to learn.”

Backyard Monkey owner and TEAM program alum Justin Barrios gives back to the program that shaped his career, strengthening pathways for local conservation and forestry students.

By: Mitchell K. Dwyer

HILO, Hawaiʻi — Justin Barrios, owner of the Hilo-based land care and tree services company Backyard Monkey, has established the TEAM Program Fund at Hawaiʻi Community College, supporting students in the Tropical Forest Ecosystem and Agroforestry Management (TEAM) program that helped launch his career.

Chris Ibarra’s journey from student to teacher is one fueled by perseverance, passion and a commitment to his community. The Hawaiʻi Island native graduated from Konawaena High School in 2000 and completed the two-year automotive program at Hawaiʻi Community College in Hilo in 2002, under instructors Ken Shimizu and Harold Fujii.

Today, Ibarra is giving back by teaching the next generation of mechanics through a partnership that he helped to establish between the Hawaiʻi Department of Education (DOE) and Hawaiʻi CC–Pālamanui.

Hawai‘i Community College’s Auto Body Repair and Painting Program—the only auto body program in the University of Hawai‘i Community College system—carries on a proud legacy of craftsmanship, innovation and career readiness that began in 1966.

The program, which has graduated almost 1,000 technicians, is helping to sustain Hawaii Island’s transportation trades community.

Hilo, Hawai'i – Hawai‘i Community College saw one of the largest enrollment increases in the University of Hawai‘i System this fall, rising 8.7% to 2,489 students—its highest headcount in years and a strong sign of renewed momentum across Hawai‘i Island and the UH Community Colleges.

The University of Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) today launched Direct2UH, a new initiative that simplifies the college admissions process and removes barriers to higher education for Hawaiʻi’s public high school seniors. The program was officially introduced on October 13 at a morning pep rally at Kauaʻi High School followed by a news conference at Farrington High School.