Nearly 10 years ago, Renee Rivera traveled to Hawaiʻi Island looking for a fresh start. The Kauaʻi native had spent years drifting from state to state, unsure of her path. Today, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo alumna is preparing to enter a doctoral program in fall 2026—proof of how far she’s come since finding a place to heal and grow.
“I was searching for a place to recover from trauma,” she said. “The trauma was considerable, stemming from a history of homelessness, sexual assault, domestic violence, substance addiction, drug trafficking and incarceration.”
While at a Head Start meeting for her son, Rivera learned about the Paneʻe Mua Project, a General Education Development or GED high school diploma equivalent program, based in Native Hawaiian practices. Rivera had been unable to complete high school, spending her teens mothering her three other children. She had tried several times to earn a GED, but had never been able to complete the program.
After completing her academic journey with the Paneʻe Mua Project and earning A’s across the board, she attended Hawaiʻi Community College on a scholarship.
“They made me feel comfortable, made me believe that I was smart and important. They actually inspired me,” said Rivera.
At UH Hilo she connected with sociology professors Marilyn Brown and Alton Okinaka who told Rivera to consider the campus’ sociology program.
Rivera earned her BA in sociology from UH Hilo in 2020 and went on to complete a master’s in social work at UH Mānoa in 2023.
Paying it forward
Along the way, Rivera never stopped thinking about the lack of support for women facing the challenges she once endured. She turned that concern into action. With support from a formerly incarcerated friend, Rivera launched her own nonprofit, He Hoʻomaka Hou Ana O Puna, which offers peer mentorship, voluntary support groups, and counseling services to women in need.
“In my past, I haven’t had anyone in my life that fought for me, so my passion is to fight for other people who are less likely to have that,” she said. “I think that’s the thing missing for a lot of people with addiction or mental health issues like me. They want to feel loved, supported, and believed in.”
Into the future with gratitude
Rivera now teaches human services, sociology and psychology at Hawaiʻi CC. She is now preparing for her next chapter: a doctorate in sociology at Purdue Global this fall. She credits UH Hilo with giving her the foundation to believe in herself.
“The faculty at UH Hilo helped me ignite myself so I could ignite my community,” she said. “UH Hilo and its faculty really set that foundation for me to be like let’s try it, let’s do it.”
For more go to UH Hilo Stories
—By Sophia Kim-O’Sullivan
