The byline for the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at Cal State San Marcos states, “Education is the Path to Self-Determination.” That phrase resonates here at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, too.
When I think about that line in the context of our mission, I think about the multiple meanings of “self-determination.” In a political sense, for a Native Hawaiian serving university, the term can mean the right of Native Hawaiians to reestablish the Hawaiian Kingdom and truly become the guiding force for the future of these islands. On a personal level, self-determination refers to one’s ability to make choices and manage their own life, and that is something we try to provide for every student, regardless of their race, gender, or national origin.
At universities, we often tout liberal education as our core mission because it can and should lead to that individual self-determination. Study in the major prepares a student for a career, but liberal education is the part of the degree that provides students with the tools for life and citizenship, regardless of their major field of study.
“Liberal” in the context of “liberal education” does not refer to political liberalism, but rather comes from the notion of liberation, meaning that education frees us. If we are free, we have the knowledge, tools, and abilities to make and follow life and career choices. We have self-determination. My wish for every student at UH-Hilo is that they find that their education frees them and prepares them for more than that first job. A university education should prepare students for their long-term career and life path, though those connections are not always readily apparent when the student is sitting in class wondering why we are asking them to take certain classes.
At our recent accreditation visit, the team commended us for our emphasis on high-impact practices, those experiences that take place outside the classroom that enhance the learning inside the classroom. These experiences are what often light the spark that gets students truly excited about their future opportunities. Indeed, research has shown that these experiences can turn “average” students into stellar students. Applying their classroom- and book-learning helps make education relevant and practical.
Those experiences sometimes lead to a change of major, like the one I experienced while completing a job-shadowing experience in a law office many years ago. A profession in law was not what I had seen on TV when I was young! It was still interesting and important, but not the exciting career I had imagined. Those experiences that lead us to change course are every bit as important as those that confirm our plans.
Of course, when it all goes right, the connection makes the student more excited about their chosen career path, and those experiences are what we work to provide our students. Those connections are often a team effort as faculty and staff on campus work with people in the community who can provide experiences. This team effort is especially true of internships
One of our students, Jodi, has a lot of experience with teams as a Vulcan women’s soccer player. Yet at UH-Hilo she discovered more teams that were here to support her on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. She recently told her story to the UH Board of Regents Intercollegiate Athletics Committee. One of our Vulcan Boosters had helped connect her to an internship opportunity linked to her business major. Always a strong student, she has thrived in her internship with Hilo Fish, and now may have post-graduation opportunities that she was not aware of when she first started her educational journey. As she described, “They helped me open doors that I did not even know were there.”
Athletics, academics, a local business have all come together to help this student along on her journey, to help her determine her life path to help her open new doors to the future.
Each student follows a different path at UH-Hilo, but regardless of the path, the goal is the same: self-determination. By opening those doors to opportunity, we set our students free.
Bonnie D. Irwin is chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Her column appears monthly in the Tribune-Herald.