Over the years, students in the MA program have enlivened classes and enriched each other’s experience through the wide range of interests and talents they brought to the center. Center students have backgrounds in a variety of disciplines, and many have studied or worked or have family roots in the Pacific. After graduation, they undertake doctoral study or pursue their Pacific interests in fields such as education, journalism, regional government service, social work, and library and museum work. For a list recent theses, Plan B papers, and portfolios produced by the MA students, see Theses, Plan B Papers, and Portfolios.

Current MA Students

Christina Mauigoa Akanoa has a BA in political science from Brigham Young University–Hawai‘i Campus and an MA in political science, specializing in comparative and indigenous politics, from UH Mānoa. She is interested in the economic, social, and cultural changes taking place in the Pacific and how these changes, and the issues they give rise to, can be approached.

Susan Whitney Cooper Alletto graduated from California State Polytechnic University with a BS degree and an interest in marine biology. She is continuing her studies in marine sciences in the Pacific in the MA program.

Louisa (Sasa) Ching-Ling Anthony graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo with a BA in political science and took courses in international studies at Stanford University. She has strong environmental interests and a background in community organization and wants to work in the area of environmental policy in the Pacific.

Chai Blair-Stahn graduated from the University of Puget Sound, with majors in natural science. He is interested in exploring environmental issues, focusing on the traditions, values, and protocols associated with Pacific dance. He has a particular interest in Māori language and culture and is a recipient of a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) award for 2009–2010.

Kisha Ann Borja-Quichocho, who is from Guam, has a BA in English from Hawai‘i Pacific University. She is interested in the changes taking place in the Pacific and how Guam and its indigenous people have been affected by outside interests. After she graduates, she plans to return to Guam to teach.

Dominique Cordy graduated from the University of California–Davis with a BA in anthropology. She was born in Guam and lived briefly on Yap and Kosrae and in Aotearoa New Zealand before moving to Hawai‘i. She is interested in the interaction between globalization and local cultures and intends to look at literature and music as forms of resistance and cultural preservation.

Angela Cruz, who is from Guam, earned her undergraduate degree from Hawai‘i Pacific University. Simultaneously pursuing an MA in social work at UH Mānoa, she is working to develop creative scholarship focusing on domestic violence in Micronesian communities.

Keola Kim Diaz, who is from Palau, has a BA in communications from UH Mānoa. He is interested in the transformative power of the media, particularly visual media, and hopes to put his interest in different forms of media to work in addressing issues that confront the Pacific, Palau in particular.

Michelle Kamalu Dupreez graduated with a BA in anthropology and art (art history focus) from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. She began work at the Bishop Museum as a NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) intern. At the end of the internship, she moved to the Cultural Collections Department, which sparked a passion to explore issues of indigenous stewardship of cultural objects and curation. Her graduate studies focus on the contemporary practice of uhi (Hawaiian tattooing) as a visual means of asserting kuleana (responsibility/privilege) for 'Ōiwi (Native Hawaiians).

Nicole Llewella Dela Fuente was born and raised in Hawai‘i and has a BA from UH Mānoa in interdisciplinary studies. While working in the retail business, she because interested in the increasing demand for objects with cultural meaning. In particular, she is interested in the impact that Asian-made cultural reproductions have on Pacific artists and Pacific Islands art.

Ann Hansen has a BA and an MA (in special education) from Michigan State University. She also took Hawaiian studies courses at Windward Community College and Hawai‘i Pacific University and has been a teacher with the Hawai‘i State Department of Education since 1970. She is pursuing an MA with the intention of using her knowledge of the Pacific in the field of education.

Marianna Lucia Hernandez, BA in English literature, University of Guam. Marianna, who is from Guam, is dedicated to helping Chamorros maintain their language and other aspects of their culture and intends to teach. She was awarded an East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellow scholarship in support of her studies.

Asuka Hirabe, who is from Tokyo, Japan, has BAs in international relations and economics from Boston University. From visits that she has made to Upolu, Sāmoa, she has become aware of some of the issues that the Islands face. She is interested in increasing her knowledge of the region and applying it to international initiatives and agencies that respond to Islander-identified needs

Carla Hostetter has a BA from Brandeis University with studies in art history, sociology, and anthropology. Carla is interested in connections between the socially and culturally constructed self and the physical world, particularly in the context of the Pacific and through the discipline of art history.

Naoko Imoto, BA in social science, Hosei University. Naoko, who is from Japan, is interested in Pacific peoples’ perceptions of the Second World War period in the Pacific, how they interpret their historical experiences, and how they present these experiences to younger generations.

Healoha Johnston, who is from Hawai‘i, has extensive work experience in the art world, as a consultant, gallery director, and museum curator. She recently completed her BA in art history and economics at UH Mānoa and is also working on an MA in art history. She is interested in exploring issues of art and the representation of Pacific peoples, as well as the relationship between art and social change.

Patrick Kaiku, who is from New Ireland, in Papua New Guinea, completed an honors degree in political science at UPNG in 2004, and has been a research at the National Research Institute in PNG. He is interested in a ranged of governance, development, and public policy issues in PNG and is a recipient of the Asian Development Bank–Government of Japan Scholarship, administered by the East-West Center.

Kaeo Kaleoaloha graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with a BA in Hawaiian studies. In his MA studies, he is pursuing his interest in the resource management practices of the people of old Hawai‘i.

Ann Marie Nalani Kirk graduated from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa with a BA in liberal studies. Since her graduation she has worked in media, particularly film, in the Pacific, as a director, producer, writer, and editor. She is using her graduate study to broaden her knowledge of the Pacific, with the ultimate goal of helping Pacific Islanders tell their stories in films.

Daniel Maile recently completed a BA in anthropology at Hawai‘i Pacific University. He is an intern at Bishop Museum and has also been developing his skills as a carver, working with other Hawaiian artists. He is interested in issues of identity, representation, and power, with a particular focus on Hawai‘i.

Christine Manarpaac, from Hilo, Hawai‘i, graduated from UH Mānoa with a BA in interdisciplinary studies and a focus on the Pacific Islands. Her volunteer activities as an undergraduate led to her interest in studying Micronesian immigrant social issues. She hopes to assist with the development of programs to aid this segment of the population in the areas of education and employment.

Laura Leiali‘i Mano‘i graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with a BA in liberal studies. As a hula dancer, Leiali‘i has had the opportunity to travel in the Pacific, which sparked her interest in Pacific cultures and the social and economic challenges that the region faces.

Ian Akahi Masterson has a BA in anthropology from Hawaii Pacific University and is a surf consultant and instructor. He is interested in continuing his research into Hawaiian archaeology and the importance of surfing in pre-contact Hawai'i and expanding the scope of his studies to include surfing in other parts of the Pacific.

Ebil Matsutaro, who is from Palau, earned a BA in English at the Dominican University of California and also earned a law degree at Lewis and Clark Law School and has been admitted to the California bar. An East-West Center degree fellow, she is interested in furthering her longstanding interest in cultural and environmental issues in Palau.

Rachel Leah Miller, who has a BA in anthropology from Vassar College, recently spent a year teaching on Namdrik Atoll, in the Marshall Islands, and a year working in a Majuro-based non-government organization, Waan Aelōñ in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands). She is using her time at the Center for Pacific Islands Studies to prepare for a career in the community-based sector in the Pacific.

Lauren Michelle Morawski has a BA in anthropology from UH Mānoa and has been working with the State Historic Preservation Division, Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources. She has also worked on an archaeological project on Huahine, in French Polynesia. She is interested in how historic preservationists can work hand-in-hand with local communities throughout the Pacific.

Koreen Nakahodo graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with both a BA and an MA in English. She is an instructor in English at Chaminade University and is pursuing her interest in postcolonial literature in the Pacific and its role in reestablishing culture and identity.

Junko Nishida, from Yamaguchi, Japan, studied at the University of California–Berkeley and graduated with a major in English from Sophia University, in Tokyo. Her interests lie in the area of socioeconomic development and globalization, with a particular focus on Micronesia.

Kamoa Jade Quitevis is Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) and has a BA from University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu. He served in the US Navy for eight years and more recently studied Hawaiian healing arts and performing arts under a number of respected local practitioners. He is interested in the protection, preservation, and preservation of Hawai‘i’s unique cultural and environmental resources.

Joanne Sheng, from California, has a BA in media studies from Pomona College, with an emphasis on indigenous self-representation in the media. Her interest in Pacific Islands studies was fueled by two study trips to Aotearoa/New Zealand and research on Māori Television. She will use her time at Pacific Islands Studies to get a better understanding of Pacific history and contemporary issues.

Leticia Kingtaro Sisior, from the Republic of Palau, has a BA in anthropology from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. She is interested in cultural and social change over time, with a special interest in the impact of colonization on the culture of Palau and what happens when cultural systems conflict.

Jordan Souza, who is from Hawai‘i, completed his BFA in sculpture at UH Mānoa in 2007. He is an established artist and has taught art at Windward Community College. He is interested in indigenous arts and hopes to eventually establish a center for indigenous arts in Honolulu.

Elfriede Daniel Suda, who is from Chuuk, graduated from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa with a BA in 2005, after attending the College of Micronesia in Pohnpei. She has lived in Fiji, as well as various places in Micronesia, and is focusing on social changes brought about by missionaries in Micronesia.

Tammy Tabe is from the Solomon Islands and is one of two recipients of the Norway–Pacific Islands Scholarship, administered by the East-West Center and funded by the University of Bergen Pacific Alternatives Project. She has a postgraduate diploma in marine affairs at the University of the South Pacific and has taken courses for an MA in marine affairs at USP. She is interested in the operation and effectiveness of marine protected areas in Fiji and the Solomon Islands.

Andre Tuiravakai graduated from Brigham Young University-Hawai'i Campus in 2005 with a BA in Pacific Islands studies. Originally from the Cook Islands, he has worked in government and business in the Cooks and in New Zealand. He intends to eventually apply his Pacific Islands studies graduate research on housing policies and practices in the Pacific to developing housing designs that incorporate cultural identity.

Edelene Uriarte, from Palau, has a BA in English from Adventist University of the Philippines. Elelene will focus on learning more about the political and economic situation in the Islands and the role that education can play in determining the future of the region. She hopes ultimately to contribute to the field of Pacific Islands studies at Palau Community College.

Alan Vandermyden has served as a missionary in the Marshall Islands and is involved with the Marshallese community here in Hawai‘i, working as a tutor with Micronesian students. He has a BA in ethnic studies from UH Mānoa and wants to build on his interest in Micronesia-related topics. He is the recipient of a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) award for 2009–2010.

Dorah Dee Wilson, who is from Vanuatu, earned her BA degree at the University of Papua New Guinea and has worked for the last eight years for the US Peace Corps program in Port Vila, Vanuatu. She is one of two recipients of the Norway–Pacific Islands Scholarship, administered by the East-West Center and funded by the University of Bergen Pacific Alternatives Project.

Arndt Burkhard Wrede, who is from Germany, is currently a master's degree student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. He is interested in learning more about Hawai'i and participating in the development of planning and resource management tools that can be used in Hawai'i and possibly other parts of the Pacific.

Jesse David Yorck graduated from UH Mānoa with a BA in anthropology, focusing on archaeology. He would like to pursue his interests in cultural resource management and preservation.

Current Certificate Students

Suzanne Frazer is a graduate student in dance, focusing on Pacific (hula, Māori, Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan) and Asian (Balinese,  Korean, Okinawa, Japanese) dance forms.

Jessica Garlock-Tuialii, from Ohio, has a MSW from Boston College. She is a PhD student in the School of Social Work at UH Mānoa with a research focus on the Samoan population and social issues in Sāmoa.

Fusae Kikuchi, a graduate student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, graduated from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa in 2006 with a BA in liberal studies. Her engagement with the Pacific began with her experiences living abroad in Australia and New Zealand. She is particularly interested in developing programs to foster leadership skills in Pacific Islander young people in Hawaii.

David Kupferman is pursuing a doctorate in education at the UHM College of Education, specializing in educational foundations. His dissertation research will focus on the education systems of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. After graduation he will return to the College of the Marshall Islands, where he is dean of academic affairs.

Lahela Perry is a graduate student in anthropology, specializing in the archaeology of Hawai‘i.

For a list of recent graduates and their research topics, see Theses, Plan B Papers, and Portfolios.

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