Alumni News

Had an extraordinarily challenging year? Bah! Humbug! You better not pout, cause ‘tis the season to be merry and bright, believe in the magic, and let it snow on Mauna Kea. This holiday season, the students of CTAHR bring you thanks for everything they’ve had in 2021, and wish that we all bring comfort and joy to the world in 2022, and have peace on earth.

UHM students hail from varying backgrounds, experiences, academic pathways, and childhood aspirations. What they have in common is a desire to find their purpose and sense of responsibility beyond themselves. And in the process, they are creating, inventing, and changing the way they see and interact with our world.

Finding Our Kuleana is a new collection of video stories in which four UHM students impart their personal narratives – and the first student to be featured is CTAHR’s own Kahealani Acosta.

“It's been a great privilege to share this journey of discovering my passion and purpose with CTAHR and the UH ʻohana!“ says the grad student in the Dept. of Tropical Plant & Soil Sciences. The theme of her story, “Connecting to Purpose and Identity – Sustainable Food Systems,” is beautifully told in this three-minute, must-see Video.

As the title suggests, Kahealani connects to her Native Hawaiian identity with purpose, exploring ways to heal our food systems by producing foods from Hawai‘i through organic and regenerative practices. As a farmer, she nourishes people with food, but also with knowledge to reconnect people to the idea of aloha ‘āina.

“Kahealani brings a lot of light and joy to our college, and we are all excited to see where this journey takes her,” says Tai Maaz of TPSS.

“Kahea is truly a shining star!” adds Jennel Sesoko of the UHM Provost’s Office. “It has been an honor to work with Kahea and showcase the UHM-azing work taking place within CTAHR. We couldn’t have done this without the great work of Johnathan Walk from 1001 Stories. It takes a village! Mahalo for the support and partnership from the very start of this journey.”

Finding Our Kuleana is part of UHM’s “Our Kuleana to Hawaiʻi and the World” strategic plan to reimagine how the general public connects and relates with university. It is through the unique, personal, real-life stories and experiences from students, faculty, staff, and alumni that the video series will illustrate and showcase these goals in an intimate and emotionally-captivating way.

Under a blessing of light rain and mist, the staff of U.S. Representative Kaialiʻi Kahele paid a visit to the Waimānalo Research Station on December 3.

The freshman member of Congress was represented by Dave Chun and Hanale Lee Loy, who toured the grounds along with CTAHR Dean Nick Comerford, Associate Dean for Research Walter Bowen, and faculty and staff. Despite the winter rain conditions, our guests managed to visit the incubators of GoFarm Hawaiʻi, CTAHR’s new and beginning farmer program. They also examined the installation of high-tunnel screenhouse systems available to farmers via USDA EQUIP/AMA cost-share programs, talked story with local practitioners involved with the Go Fish aquaponic systems developed in partnership with the UH Sea Grant College Program, walked through an active field trial conducted by the IR-4 Minor Crop Registration Program, and tasted papaya that was grown for seed by CTAHR’s Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center and Seed Lab. 

Dave Chun is no stranger to CTAHR as our 2019 Ka Lei Hano Award recipient and a long-time supporter of Hawaiʻi agriculture. The local boy has spent almost his entire career in Washington, D.C., working in the offices of U.S. Representatives and Senators from Hawaiʻi. The Ka Lei Hano Award is the highest tribute of CTAHR. It is bestowed on friends and benefactors whose lifetime commitment and decades of service have greatly enhanced the college’s efforts to support a diverse economy, healthy environment, and strong communities.

Congressman Kahele, whose district includes Waimānalo, has tremendous influence on the expansion of local agriculture in Hawaiʻi, due to his role on the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and as the former chair of the Committees on Higher Education and Water and Land for the Hawaiʻi State Senate. 

It is CTAHR’s kuleana to advocate for the unique needs of our local farmers, ranchers, and nursery growers. It was our pleasure to showcase some of the applied research trials and educational demonstrations that directly address the challenges brought forward by Hawaiʻi’s diversified agriculture industry.

Mahalo to everyone who participated in making their visit a success.

Three candidates will be interviewing this week for Junior Extension Agent, a position that includes managing the Oʻahu Master Gardeners and other volunteer programs at the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City. Please join the selection committee for these “Vision of the UH Master Gardener and Urban Garden Volunteer Programs” interviews. Candidates are: Kimberly Ellis

Wednesday, December 15 @ 12:00 p.m.  

Zoom: http://go.hawaii.edu/egV

Meeting ID: 864 8014 5048

Passcode: 535207

Tina Lau

Wednesday, December 15 @ 2:30 p.m.  

Zoom: http://go.hawaii.edu/Vgz
Meeting ID: 850 0473 0345

Passcode: 444337

Katie Kaizen

Thursday, December 16 @ 4:00 p.m.  

Zoom: http://go.hawaii.edu/ugV
Meeting ID: 832 1676 1437

Passcode: 341220

UGC also has a limited number of seats for in-person attendance. For questions or to RSVP, please contact Joshua Silva.

The 2021 Dean’s Award for Outstanding APT goes to Wayne Fujino in the Dept. of Family and Consumer Sciences Department. Wayne is the fiscal support specialist for FCS and, as anyone who has interacted with him in the course of his job can attest, he is a master at navigating the fiscal and procurement landscape at UH. In addition to his knowledge of UH fiscal processes, Wayne is always helpful and committed to supporting CTAHR faculty and staff in the FCS department. His attitude of service to others is greatly appreciated. Debbie Wong, secretary in the Office of the Dean, has been named as the 2021 Dean’s Civil Service Award recipients. Anyone who has worked at any level with Debbie Wong knows that if you need help or need to get something done, she is the person who can make things happen. Her dedication and commitment to her job is both obvious and highly commendable. Debbie couples her outstanding  support staff abilities with a constant smile and positive attitude to make it a good day for the people with whom she interacts.