ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi │ One learns from many sources │ A web publication from the Office of the Chancellor, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
Keynote speakers Cybil Glendon-Baclig and Trisha Olayon are alumnae of the UH Hilo tropical conservation biology and environmental science graduate program.
The keynote speakers, Cybil Eddie-Ann Kuʻumakanauʻimaikalani Glendon-Baclig and Trisha Leilani Olayon are both graduates of the UH Hilo TCBES program, both also received their baccalaureate degrees from UH Hilo (Glendon-Baclic in biology and Olayon in marine science), and both are now educators and researchers based at Kamehameha Schools’ Kumuola Marine Science Education Center in Honohononui (near Hilo).
The two keynote speakers spoke encouragingly about their experiences and challenges during their STEM education and careers.
Oyalan says while in college, she felt a disconnect between Hawaiian culture and Western science, “and I knew that for me, that was something that fueled me.”
“We’ve come a long way since then,” she adds, noting that recognition of Hawaiian cultural values of mele (song) and place names inform “how we interact with that space, shifted my motivation… to teach others of the place most precious to me, my home.”