Kāko‘o Connections
"Before this, I didn't have any idea what colleges were like and which colleges to go to. Now that I did this program, I have a better understanding of my future. I also realized how different fields... can be connected with the environment." — Skye, Hawaiʻi Technology Academy
Kākoʻo Connections links Hawaiʻi youth to people and professional development resources that can help them achieve their college and career goals in the islands’ unique natural resources field. Students in 11th/12th grade and recent high school graduates visit Hawaiʻi’s college and university campuses, connect with environmental organizations, learn and practice job readiness skills, and mālama ʻāina.
Applications are now closed.
Please contact education@kupuhawaii.org for more information.
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Two program sessions per year
Summer 2-week program during Hawaiʻi DOE summer break
Fall 1-week program during Hawaiʻi DOE fall break
Benefits
Participants enhance their network and community through engagement with professionals in the natural resources (NR) field during college/university and NR organization visits (e.g., mālama ʻāina and career journey talks).
Participants engage in college and career readiness activities and have opportunities to practice what they learn throughout the program (e.g., informational interview skills and how to fill out college applications).
Participants learn about support available to participants and their families that can make pursuing a career in NR more manageable (e.g., FAFSA and scholarship information).
Program completion stipend
Qualifications
11th-12th grade DOE students/recent high school graduates on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi island
Has a passion for Hawai’i’s ʻĀina, which can take various forms. Some examples include: anyone looking to find their place in environmental science or sustainability, a dedicated hula student, a graphic designer who wants to use their art for environmental conservation, etc.
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Since launching in Summer 2022:
31 participants
9 schools
4 cohorts
5 colleges/universities
21 partners organizations
Fall 2023 Report
Kākoʻo Connections Cohort Reports
Summer 2023 Report
Fall 2022 Report
Summer 2022 Report
Mahalo to our Partners:
ʻĀina Wellness Academy ● Ānuenue Fisheries, DLNR-DAR ● Army Natural Resources Program, Oʻahu ● Conservation International Hawaiʻi ● Commission of Water Resources Management, DLNR ● Division of Forestry and Wildlife, DLNR ● Division of Aquatic Resources, DLNR ● Elemental Excelerator ● Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance ● Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies ● Ka Papa Loʻi o Kānewai ● Ke Kahua o Kualiʻi ● Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo (KUA) ● Leeward Community College ● Mālama Learning Center ● Mālama Pūpūkea Waimea ● Mālama Puʻuloa ● National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ● Paepae o Heʻeia ● The Indigenous Soap Company ● The Uluniu Project ● University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo ● University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa ● University of Hawaiʻi at West Oʻahu (UHWO) ● U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ● Waimea Valley ● Windward Community College
Mahalo to our Funders:
Kākoʻo Connections launched in 2022 and is supported by the Clayton Christensen Institute, Hawaiʻi P-20, Alexander and Baldwin, and a partnership between the Stupski Foundation, the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, and GEAR UP Hawaiʻi.
