Starting in April, 2020, Ms. Ronquillo and Ms. Talana initiated a months-long project to support the needs of their peers in public health. They did this by systematically compiling a list of resources for those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and by completing a needs’ assessment among students in the public health program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). Both students are in their 2nd year of a Master of Public Health (MPH) and highly engaged in student governance.

In late March, 2020, the UHM announced an abrupt shift to online learning for a period of three weeks, which was later revized to the entire semester. Shortly thereafter, as was the case across most of the United States, the Governor of Hawaiʻi ordered a statewide shutdown of all non-essential businesses and activities. The consequences to the local economy have been dire and enduring. One of the groups most impacted by the shutdown orders is university students. 

University students are disproportionately employed in the service and retail sectors, with many supporting their education through part- to full-time employment at restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and retail locations (e.g. clothing stores). Students are often very low income, deeply indebted, and many experience food insecurity. In fact, estimates in Hawaiʻi place university students among those most impacted by food insecurity, especially those who identify as Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islander, and Filipino.  

Not only are students negatively economically impacted by the response to Covid-19, many experience challenges achieving their educational objectives. For some, the costs of a degree program are too high without the income from jobs lost to the pandemic. While for others, the difficulties have been more direct, such as finding practicum placements for their MPHs and/or getting enough hours to fulfill university requirements. For the past five months, Ms. Ronquillo and Ms. Talana provided considerable assistance to their peers struggling with some of these issues. 

Both MPH students worked long-hours to compile and organize a list of (presumably) all resources available in Hawaiʻi to those negatively affected by the pandemic. This resource guide, which can be viewed here, was carefully collated and organized in an easily accessible manner divided by categories. For example, it includes resources about housing assistance, telehealth, child and eldercare, food distribution sites, utilities, and even services for pets. As of September 20, the resource guide was accessed by at least 291 unique users since its release in May. Further, to help students and potential MPH practicum sites, they also compiled a carefully annotated list of sites seeking volunteers. This resource proved especially invaluable for undergraduates in public health. Further, for many public health students, it provided an opportunity to provide service to the community and be a part of the larger response to Covid-19. 

Finally, over the summer, Ms. Ronquillo and Ms. Talana conducted a rapid needs assessment of the public health student body in order to assess their current and ongoing needs, including perceived concerns about and barriers to returning to school in fall. Critical findings were high levels of anxiety among students, as well as substantial concerns about basic needs. Public Health students reported difficulties getting enough food and affording medical care. Tuition relief, scholarships, and other financial assistance were requested by many. The students, and their supervisors Dr. Pirkle and Ms Kehl, have engaged in multiple efforts to disseminate these findings to assure that public health faculty are aware of multifacetted issues facing their students. Moreover, they have made efforts to engage the UHM and the broader community to increase awareness of challenges facing students at this time.