Former Nā Pua No'eau student Rebecca Kapolei Kiili says the enrichment program helped shape her identity and build her confidence. - Photo: Courtesy of Kapolei Kiili

By Jazzmin Cabanilla / Special to Ka Wai Ola

Nā Pua No'eau enables Native Hawaiian students to travel, explore and learn about different areas of the island that they live on by working with local educators. The opportunity for students to learn more about the island they reside on helps them to gain a sense of self and cultural identity.

Hawaiian immersion school teacher Rebecca Kapolei Kiili, who attended various Nā Pua No'eau programs as a youth, is a good example of a former student whose experiences at Nā Pua No'eau helped her understand more about herself, community, culture and life goals.

By attending the center's programs, Kiili was given the opportunity to camp and learn about different areas of Maui, her birth island. She was also able to travel to the neighbor islands as well, including Kaho'olawe and Hawai'i Island.

In a recent survey she says: "The experiences of camping, swimming, hiking, cooking, traveling, chanting, dancing, singing, learning and playing taught me so much about myself and my own interests, talents, strengths and passion. All these experiences helped shape and influence my identity and created the confidence I needed … in setting and accomplishing my goals."

While attending the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, Kiili would fly back to Maui during school breaks and work with Nā Pua No'eau during Summer Institute as a residential counselor. "I flew home to Maui to work for the program because I thoroughly enjoyed all of it," she recalls.

Kiili is working on her master's degree in educational foundations and continues to use the experiences and knowledge she gained as a student at Nā Pua No'eau to educate her own students about Hawai'i. She believes that "the enrichment opportunities that students get at Nā Pua No'eau is nothing like learning in the classroom setting at regular schools. Students need to explore their own communities and have their learning experiences be more relevant to their daily lives and their 'ohana."

The significance of learning about oneself and culture through educational opportunities and experiences is immeasurable. For Kiili and many other Native Hawaiian students, their participation in Nā Pua No'eau programs has been life changing. Mahalo nui loa e Kapolei!

Jazzmin Cabanilla is a volunteer at Nā Pua No'eau, which is one of the organizations that receives funding from OHA to conduct educational enrichment programs for Hawaiian children. This is the second in a series of articles featuring Nā Pua No'eau students and kumu leading up to the center's 20th anniversary Hō'ike to be held Dec. 11, 2009. To learn more about Nā Pua No'eau programs and the upcoming Hō'ike, call the Nā Pua No'eau office in Hilo at (808) 974-7678 or visit its page on Facebook.