CTAHR recently held its 16th annual Meaningful Experience Trip to the island of Kaua‘i, when 18 student ambassadors and three ASAO staff headed out for their jam-packed trip on Saturday morning and returned late Sunday evening. The first stop was at Kipu Ranch, where they rode ATVs and toured their new diversified farm projects. They spent the afternoon touring Lydgate Farms, removing weeds from their cacao fields, and engaging with the owner Will Lydgate, a recent graduate from the Hawai‘i Ag Leadership Program who serves as a Board member for the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau. The group stopped at the Kaua‘i Research Station to meet Extension agents and check out the ongoing projects. The night ended with ambassador training and team-building activities led by senior student ambassador and entomology grad student Michelle Au.
Early Sunday morning, the group headed up to the north shore of Kaua‘i and hiked along the northern coast, cleaning the shores and mountains as they went. After stopping for a quick bite in Princeville, they headed to the Kaua‘i Humane Society for volunteer training and played with some adorable pups!
This is the sort of trip that memories are made of—the students will carry these experiences and relationships with them throughout their academic and professional careers!