VNR: UH pilot program prepares HS students for the fast growing field of national intelligence

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Marc Arakaki, (808) 829-0750
Content Producer, UH Communications
Posted: Jul 28, 2023

(Photo credit: Sara Maaria Saastamoinen)
(Photo credit: Sara Maaria Saastamoinen)
(Photo credit: Sara Maaria Saastamoinen)
(Photo credit: Sara Maaria Saastamoinen)
(Photo credit: Sara Maaria Saastamoinen)
(Photo credit: Sara Maaria Saastamoinen)
(Photo credit: Sara Maaria Saastamoinen)
(Photo credit: Sara Maaria Saastamoinen)

Link to video and sound (details below): https://tinyurl.com/ztd566wx

Media is invited to the certificate presentation happening on Friday, July 28 at 3 p.m. at UH Mānoa’s Architecture Auditorium. RSVP to Marc Arakaki at marcra@hawaii.edu if you are planning to attend.

WHAT: A cohort of 30 Hawaiʻi high school students are taking an in-depth look at the fast-growing field of national intelligence, and have the opportunity to learn from and network with industry experts from Hawaiʻi-based firms. The students are part of the Academy for Hawaiʻi Intelligence Studies Summer Program (AHI-SP).

AHI-SP is a free four-week course offered by the Department of Political Science in UH Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences that was designed to address Hawaiʻi’s rising workforce needs in this critical field. More than half of the participants in the inaugural class come from Maui, Hawaiʻi Island and Kauaʻi.

WHEN: The program runs July 6–29, 2023.

WHERE: The program was split into two parts: 1) July 6–20 via online; and 2) July 23–29 via an in-residence experience on the UH Mānoa campus.

WHO: Thirty participants were selected from a field of 87 applicants. Applications were open to qualified Hawaiʻi high school juniors and seniors, and incoming UH Mānoa freshmen statewide.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

  • Expenses, including registration, tuition/fees, airfare and on-campus housing/meals were paid through the Pacific Intelligence and Innovation Initiative, a public-private partnership to develop a skilled workforce in Hawaiʻi.
  • Upon successful completion of the pilot program, participants will earn college credits in the form of a 3-credit, university-level course in political science (POLS 120: Introduction to World Politics). POLS 120 is the first course in the Intelligence Studies course sequence currently under development by the College of Social Sciences at UH Mānoa.
  • Accepted student characteristics:
    • Gender: 77% who identify as female
    • DOE vs. private: 80% from DOE schools
  • Island distribution:
    • 57% from the neighbor islands (30% from Maui, 17% from Hawaiʻi Island and 10% from Kauaʻi)
    • 43% from Oʻahu (26% from Honolulu and 17% from non-Honolulu areas)
  • The program provided participants with:
    • An in-depth look at the field of national intelligence.
    • The opportunity to network with industry experts from Hawaiʻi-based firms.
    • An introduction to a wide variety of concepts including power and contemporary world politics since 1945, with an emphasis on the U.S. role.
    • Simulation games, field trips and networking opportunities during the final week at UH Mānoa.

 

Link to video and sound (details below): https://tinyurl.com/ztd566wx

VIDEO: (1:23)

BROLL:

0:00-0:41: students listened to a talk by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Camille Dawson

0:41-1:23: photos of the students’ in-residence experience at UH Mānoa (Photo credit: Sara Maaria Saastamoinen)

SOUNDBITES:

Jairus Grove, program director and political science professor

(0:19)

“What was really important to me is that people in Hawaiʻi understand that they’re in one of the most dynamic regions in the world for international relations. But the unfortunate reality is that international relations is not something that people see as a career path here. So we wanted to make sure that high school students knew that they could be in national intelligence, they could be in diplomacy, they could be in international politics, they could be policy analysts.”

Vivienne Hill, Honolulu Waldorf School junior

(0:13)

“I’m someone who came in already having a pretty solid interest in this field, in international relations, but now I feel like I understand what I’m getting into more and I think that’s really important.”

Kailani Clark, Kealakehe High School senior

(0:17)

“In the beginning I was more interested in a career in the arts, so this was a really big jump. They’re not super related but I think if it’s possible to have some sort of career that mixes the two in some aspect, I’m definitely going to look into that.”