UH Hilo sociology students place third in national competition on business problem solving
In the competition, the UH Hilo team applied local Indigenous values to a problem-solving solution for a national organization advocating for a single-payer healthcare system.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
Two student teams based in the sociology department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo recently took part in a tough national competition matching their problem-solving skills against those of students hailing from top tier and Research 1 universities. Both UH Hilo teams did extraordinarily well in the competition, with one team earning a third place win.
Students on Team 1 that placed in the competition are Johry Graceta, Evan Merz, Danielle Murphy, Tavan Nakamura, and Haukea Valdez. Team 2 members are Kassidie Hayashida, Starlye Koehler, Ella Munroe, Lilika Talamai, and Erika Torres.
“Having the chance to work on an applied project was a good experience to use what we learn in classes,” says Valdez.
The competition took place mid-October at the annual conference of the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology held this year in St. Louis, Missouri; the UH Hilo teams participated remotely, with teams that were competing in person.
Faculty advisor for the students on both teams was Assistant Professor of Sociology Ellen Meiser, meeting with team members as they were developing their presentation. Associate Professor of Sociology Alton Okina was the financial sponsor for the teams’ participation.
Associate Professor of Sociology Lindy Hern, chair of the department, attended the conference in person. For the past year, Hern has served as president of AACS (to avoid any conflict of interest, she stayed fully hands-off from the UH Hilo students preparation and competition).
Hern says the competition this year was rigorous. “But even though they were competing against face-to-face teams, one of our teams won third place!” she says with pride. First place prize went to University of Missouri (an R-1 University) and second place went to University of Tampa (a top tier Regional University) — both on-site teams. “I am so proud of both our teams,” she says.
The competition
The Client Problem Competition is for sociology students, hosted by the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology each year at their annual convention. For the competition, a community organization is asked to be the “client”; that client poses a problem that the student team then attempts to address using sociological methods, skills, and theory.
The student teams then present their solution to the client in an open session at the conference.
“This is usually a very popular session at the end of the conference,” says Hern. “This year we needed two session periods to allow time for all of the presentations.”
This year, AACS allowed for hybrid competition, welcoming student teams that were unable to make the trip to St. Louis to participate in person. “This facilitated the participation of two teams and 10 students from UH Hilo, which I was very pleased about,” Hern says. “The participation of our teams was really a team effort.”
The winning formula: Problem-solving solutions based in local Indigenous values
The UH Hilo team that placed third presented a solution for Healthcare NOW, a national organization advocating for a single-payer healthcare system. Representing the client was Gillian Mason, executive director of the organization. The problem presented to the students dealt with Healthcare NOW’s hurdles in connecting with local organizations around the country who might not already support the Medicare for All goals of Healthcare NOW.
The UH Hilo team’s solution was titled “Ke Hoʻoikaika Nei iā Healthcare-NOW” (Strengthening Healthcare NOW), and presented a creative solution using local Indigenous values.
“Both Hawaiʻi-based teams incorporated Indigenous values into their solutions, but I think that the team that placed led with that a bit more and that secured the win,” says Hern.
Hern says the UH Hilo teams made her feel so proud of their extraordinary work conducted in a very short time period — they only had a few days to develop their solutions — “so it’s excellence under pressure for sure.”
- All competition presentations can be viewed online. UH Hilo Team 1 presentation starts at 55:48 in the video; Team 2 presentation starts at 1:20:16.
“The client was impressed with both teams but especially appreciated the incorporation of local Hawaiian culture and values into the solution formulated by the team that placed,” says Hern.
“I think it was a rewarding experience for everyone involved,” she adds. “They even taught Gillian how to properly throw a shaka!”
Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
