| In 2011, The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (UHM) marked the start of a new school year by implementing the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan entitled Achieving our Destiny. Of the five values listed in this plan, the value of making UHM a “Hawaiian Place of Learning” was foremost. The plan reported that 57% of UHM’s students were of Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry and 56% were women (Hippensteele et al. 7). According to the 2010 Native Hawaiian Student Profile, UHM enrolls the largest number of Hawaiian students compared to any other campus in the UH system, enrolling 2,866 Hawaiians in 2010 (Balutski, Freitas, and Wright 5). Majority of the Hawaiian students enrolled were women (Balutski, Freitas, and Wright 5). Yet none of the proposals presented in the Strategic Plan addressed Hawaiian women, or even mentioned Hawaiian mothers, who will be referred to as Mākuahine Scholars, at UHM.;This paper highlights Mākuahine Scholars as a segment of UHM students. Information gathered from interviews with Mākuahine at UHM provided insight into the experiences, significance, and needs of this unique student population. This paper challenges UHM’s stance as a “Hawaiian place of learning” by calling for the recognition and support of an essential group of Hawaiians on campus, the Mākuahine Scholars. This project seeks to 1) Identify Mākuahine Scholars as a unique group of students at UHM, 2) Analyze and voice the experiences of Mākuahine Scholars within the university system, 3) Document services currently available to Mākuahine Scholars, and 4) Develop a series of resolutions or suggested services that will acknowledge and support this marginalized group. With hopes to elucidate the challenges before Mākuahine Scholars in order to highlight a path towards improved achievement and success at UHM, this paper is written for all mothers, those of the present as well as those who will consequently make their mark. |
