STUDENT OUTREACH UPDATE

“E lauhoe mai na wa‘a; i ke kā, i ka hoe; i ka hoe, i ke kā; pae aku i ka ‘āina.”
Everybody paddle the canoes together; bail and paddle, paddle and bail, and the shore is reached.
Pitch in with a will, everybody, and the work is quickly done.”

Avis K. Poai, Director of Student Outreach

Aloha e nā hoa makamaka! It has been an eventful year filled with wonderful memories! I am pleased to report that for this past fall semester, Ka Huli Ao facilitated or participated in various outreach events that reached nearly 150 students. My favorites, however, were comprised of collaborative endeavors initiated by our very own students here at the William S. Richardson School of Law.

For example, the first ever Pre-Law Symposium for Pacific Islanders was held on Thursday, October 11, 2018. The symposium was sponsored by the newly formed Pacific Islander Legal Association headed by student Ian F. Tapu. The purpose of the symposium was to “help demystify the application process for law school.” In a media press release, Ian was quoted as saying:

The association hopes to inspire more Pacific Islanders to apply to law school. We hope to combat the alarming statistics that only approximately 5 percent of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have attained a graduate degree, which is lower than almost every other ethnic group in the U.S.

77 students attended this all-day event. Ka Huli Ao was proud to support this event by tackling the topic: “Demystifying the LSAT.” Post-JD Fellow Letani Peltier ʻ17 and recent Native Hawaiian Law Certificate graduate Kaiwi Opulauoho ʻ18 led a presentation to discuss the LSAT. Then, on Saturday, October 13, Ka Huli Ao offered all participants the opportunity to take a free LSAT diagnostic exam. The exam was followed by a lunchtime panel discussion led by me, Kaiwi, and Letani.  For an hour, students received answers to questions they had about all aspects of law school, the LSAT, and the legal profession. 

Similarly, another symposium event entitled, “So You Wanna Be a Lawyer,” was co-led by two student organizations, the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and La Alianza. This event, which was also sponsored by the Young Lawyers’ Division, was held on October 27, 2018 and was attended by 33 students. The amazing BLSA and La Alianza students who led this event included Taylor Brack (3L), Frank Loyd (3L), and Jaime Rincon (2L). Again, Ka Huli Ao was pleased to support this student initiative by offering all symposium participants the opportunity to take a free LSAT diagnostic exam on Sunday, October 28. The exam was followed by a lunchtime panel entitled “LSAT Tips and Tricks.” Once again, Kaiwi Opulauoho led the charge and gave a terrific presentation designed to help students tackle the LSAT. Kaiwi and I had a wonderful time chatting with students and we hope to see all of them in the near future!

As these two events demonstrate, our students here at Richardson carry on the proud tradition of this school–through their hard work, they ensure that Chief Justice William S. Richardson’s vision of providing access to justice for all of Hawaiʻi’s diverse population continues on.

As this year draws to a close, I wish to express my profound appreciation to all of the wonderful students and kumu that we have worked with this year. Student outreach works best when we work collaboratively together. “E lauhoe mai na wa‘a; i ke kā, i ka hoe; i ka hoe, i ke kā; pae aku i ka ‘āina.”