The peacebuilders are comprised of prominent student and alumni volunteers from the UHM community that are dedicated to developing collaborative peacebuilding initiatives (programs) that engage the UHM community.
Kamakani Albano is a māhū Kanaka ʻŌiwi poet from the ahupuaʻa of Kalihilihiolaumiha on the island of Oʻahu with genealogical ties to the island of Maui. They are currently pursuing a graduate degree in Political Science and is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. As a literary artist who finds healing in remembering and returning to Moananuiākea—the oceanic womb of Papāhanaumoku, Kamakani is inspired by the embodiment of ocean feminisms, erotic sovereignty, and poetry as it relates to māhū ʻŌiwi bodies. An aspiring educator, Kamakani looks towards supporting students in their journeys and continue connecting lands, waters, stories and bodies with liberation, de-occupation and healing.
Māhealani Ahia (she/her/ʻo ia) is a Kanaka ʻŌiwi artist, scholar, activist, songcatcher and storykeeper with lineal ties to Maui. With a background in theatre arts, writing and performance from U.C. Berkeley and U.C. Irvine, Māhea is committed to creating artistic and educational projects that elevate voices of Indigenous feminist decolonial storytelling. She is a PhD candidate in English (Hawaiian Literature) and Graduate Certificate student in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she has taught courses like Indigenous Feminisms, Creative Writing, Intro to LGBTQ+ Studies. Māhea serves her community as a cohort member of Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND), as a Hawaiʻi Pacific Foundation/East-West Center scholar, as Grievance Chair for UHM graduate Academic Labor United (ALU), as editor for Hawaiʻi Review and ʻŌiwi: A Native Hawaiian Journal,as co-organizer of the Mauna Kea Syllabus Project, and as co-facilitator of “Committed: A Decolonial DeTour” which re/stories “asylum” mental health history in Hawai’i and is sponsored by the Indigenous Dis/abilities Hui Hawaiʻi and Mānoa Center for the Humanities And Civic Engagement.
Ruizhi Choo is graduate degree fellow with the East-West Center, Honolulu, and a PhD student with the Department of History at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Born and raised in Pek Kio, Singapore, he is the grandchild of Hokkien shopkeepers. His research interests lie at the intersections of modern Southeast Asian history, environmental history, and animal history. Before Honolulu, Ruizhi served as an associate research fellow at the S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies. He obtained his Master’s degree from the National University of Singapore. Ruizhi enjoys the company of animals, especially cats.
Wiwik Dharmiasih is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She is currently a Graduate Assistant at The Matsunaga Institute for Peace, where she teaches Environmental Peacebuilding. Her research focuses on Political Geography, Conflict Transformation, and Community-based Natural Resources Management. She has also worked on climate change adaptation initiatives involving local perspectives of change and supported disaster risk reduction efforts, with a special focus on issues related to water equity, youth, and women.
Ari Eisenstat is an International Futurist at the University of Hawai’i – Research Center for Future Studies and Matsunaga Institute for Peace & Conflict Resolution Instructor in Human Rights, Space Exploration, and Astrobiology. Ari facilitates Outer Space Innovation and Advocacy programs through the United Nations Association-USA, Nexus Global Summit, and UH NASA Astrobiology Institute featuring Astronauts, UN Office of Outer Space Affairs Officials, Elected Representatives, New Space Industry Leaders, and Civil Society Experts. With experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, Ari has lectured at United Nations Agencies in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, UN Climate Change Conferences in Marrakech and Bonn, World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Bogota and Merida, as well as universities such as Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Penn, Duke, UC Berkeley, NYU, and globally. Ari engages in futures consulting, experiential education, strategic advising, venture philanthropy, impact investing, and creative media for leading edge projects.
Emma Hsu is a first year PhD student researching world history of technology exchanges with a focus on transitions of knowledge in astronomy. She is currently a non-resident adjunct fellow at the Center for International & Strategic Studies (CSIS), graduate assistant at UH’s Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE), and volunteer at the West Hawaii Mediation Center (WHMC).
Hadiya Knight is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and a graduate of Michigan State University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Music in 2019. During her time at MSU, she minored in African- American & African Studies and traveled to South Africa in 2017 to conduct research on the traditional music of the Zulu and Xhosa people during a five-week study abroad trip. Hadiya was also a volunteer English teacher for Korean graduate students during her time in college, and began spending her summers teaching English as a second language online during that time. After graduating, she became a schoolteacher for three years, and spent one year as a school secretary. Hadiya is currently a Korean Flagship Master’s student in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Hawai’i- Mānoa. Her most recent publication is a book of poetry entitled “Meanderings of the Mind, Melodies of My Heart”, released in May of 2023. Hadiya enjoys playing violin, traveling often, learning foreign languages, and advocating for diversity in linguistics, academia, and in the fine arts.
Emi Obana is a Ph.D. student in the Music Department at the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa. Emi holds a bachelor’s degree in jazz composition from Berklee College of Music and a master’s degree in educational leadership and societal change from Soka University of America Graduate School, and is passionate about exploring music’s power and potential to promote mutual understanding and peace. As a performer/composer, she has collaborated with various artists from different disciplines, countries, and languages, using her work to bring people together and promote cross-cultural communication. Emi is currently pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution at the Matsunaga Institute of Peace concurrently with a PhD in Music composition.
Yumi Saito is enrolled in the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution and the Department of Educational Foundations at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She teaches multicultural education as a lecturer and is involved in multiple projects, including nuclear abolition and disarmament, to enhance the culture of peace through learning and open-hearted dialogue in local, national, and global communities. Area of focus on Culture of Peace, Nuclear Abolition and Disarmament Education, Community Dialogues
Alumni Peacebuilders
Jessica Lau is a graduate student in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She is passionate about providing holistic support for all students through the multi-tiered system of supports, particularly by supporting schools’ use of data-based decision-making, progress monitoring, and universal screening for academics, behavior, and social domains. Area of focus on education through socio-emotional learning, behavioral strategies, and emotion regulation.
Yu Noguchi was born in Osaka, Japan before moving to Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi at the age of two. With Japanese relatives from both sides of the war, they are part of a new generation of transnational and globalized youth. Yu is a proud alumna of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānnoa, where they earned their Bachelor degrees in Psychology and Women’s Studies, as well as an undergraduate certificate in Peace Studies. They recently returned back home to Hawaiʻi after spending two years in Tokyo, Japan pursuing their Masters degree in Global Studies researching transgender identity making among Japanese Americans.
Jinny Wang is a graduate from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, where she earned her BBA in Marketing and a BA in Chinese Flagship. Jinny has a passion for analyzing market trends and using data-driven analytics to create strong marketing strategies. During her free time, she also enjoys learning foreign languages and cultures as well as exploring new places. With her unique blend of cultural and business knowledge, she is able to offer insights into multicultural dynamics, enabling her to develop effective and impactful business strategies. In all her pursuits, Jinny is motivated by a sincere desire to promote understanding and collaboration across diverse cultures, aspiring to contribute positively to our interconnected global society. Guided by this motivation, Jinny hopes to contribute as a valuable asset in the business world while also striving to foster positive change on a broader scale.