Students cleared stream mouths, repaired fencing damaged by heavy rains, and learned traditional weaving techniques during June and July through the Summer Institute Pāpala Lele Early College Internship, hosted by Kauaʻi Community College. The five-week paid program engaged 10 high school and college students in hands-on conservation work, combining field experiences with three college credits while introducing participants to careers in natural resource management, food security and environmental stewardship.

For intern Kyra Tubon, the program provided a vital connection to her culture. She plans to study botany and environmental science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

“On Kauaʻi, it’s really hard to find Native and Indigenous people who know their culture and practice it,” Tubon said. “Having programs where even our keiki can come and learn is amazing because we don’t know what to do or where to go if we don’t have the people who already know it. Hopefully, we can continue to pass that knowledge down.”

Interns learned directly from community experts representing Kauaʻi CC‘s Nā Pua Noʻeau (an enrichment program for Native Hawaiian students) and Kukulu Aʻe (a federally funded student support program), Hui Makaʻainana o Makana (a non-profit that cares for the natural and cultural resources within the Hāʻena State Park) and Limahuli National Tropical Botanical Garden. Working in Hāʻena, they gained firsthand experience in how community organizations collaborate to mālama ʻāina (care for the land).

Nā Pua Noʻeau Program Coordinator Mālia Chun said the internship showcases the power of collaboration among ʻāina-based organizations working toward a shared vision. The program also helps students connect their passion for the environment with future careers by introducing them to professionals already working in conservation, restoration and resource management.

“This internship provides a foundation, or a kahua, of traditional knowledge and Hawaiian ways of stewardship while also exposing the interns to modern Western tools of conservation,” Chun said. “That combination of knowledge is what will carry us into the future. Our students are learning to build solutions that will benefit this community while addressing the challenges we face today.”

Read more at Kauaʻi CC.

—By Caitlin Fowlkes