Furuto joined the College of Education Department of Curriculum Studies in 2013 after serving as associate professor of mathematics at UH West Oʻahu where she gained notoriety for building the mathematics program and her Ethnomathematics Institute. The institute addresses issues of equitable and quality education through the exploration of culturally responsive, place-based STEM.
Furuto has incorporated the Hōkūleʻa Worldwide Voyage into the institute’s P–20 curriculum. An integral part of the voyage, Furuto served on the first international leg from Hawaiʻi to Tahiti as apprentice navigator and education specialist while liaising with the college’s students and faculty. She has since voyaged on subsequent legs to American Sāmoa, Sāmoa, Olohega (Swain’s Island) and Aotearoa (New Zealand). She will voyage to South Africa in November.
More about PBS Hawaii’s Long Story Short segment
During the PBS segment, Furuto focused on themes, including the importance of ʻohana and values; servant leadership and being stewards of the land; engaging in lifelong learning and teaching; embracing changing winds; and navigating past, present and future visions.
“One of the most important lessons I have learned is about reciprocity,” Furuto stated. “We would not be here without the people and land that raised us to embrace this generation and time. It is our inherited privilege, gift and responsibility to give back to Island Earth for those to come.”
—By Jennifer Parks
