Honors students learning outside the classroom
Learning from hands-on experience is different than learning from a lecture. Seven students from the Honors Program experienced this difference by attending a seminar in Hawaii during spring break.
The seminar, called Sustainability of Culture, Care and Environment, engaged students with Hawaiian culture and immersive activities.
“This seminar really threw us right into actively working in an environment where what we’re learning is directly applicable,” Katie Thompson, a student who attended the seminar, said. “A traditional on-campus class can’t do that, it can’t even come close.”
Throughout the trip, students visited many places. One was a garden that used hydroponics, a method of growing plants without soil. This enables aquaponics, a system that fosters a symbiotic relationship between fish and plants.
They also volunteered at Na Mea Kupono Learning Center, where they learned about zero-chemical farming. The learning center emphasized the relationship between humans and the environment.
“I absolutely loved talking to and learning from Aunty Ku’uipo at Na Mea Kupono. She is incredibly passionate about helping the earth, aina, and helping her community,” Thompson said. “She really shared her passion for her culture, for preserving the earth and for working to educate the younger generation to hopefully start working back towards harmony with the aina.”
What changed the course of the trip, however, was the chaos that unfolded after a Kona storm hit Hawaii. Kona storms are a type of seasonal cyclone that typically occur during the winter months in Hawaii. Although there were some floods and evacuations, this did not deter the students.
“[We] saw how everyone works together to take care of each other and their community amidst floods and uncertainty,” Thompson said. “[They do so] because they are all ohana, family.”
In the end, each student got to experience Hawaii’s culture, traditions and customs, with the chance to bring back that knowledge.
“This trip has really encouraged me to look deeper into conservation and helping the earth,” Thompson said.
For these students, spring break became something more than a trip. It was an opportunity to learn about adaptability, community and immerse themselves in a type of learning that might not be possible in a normal classroom.
