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About Kūkalahale
About Kūkalahale
Kūkalahale is a professional development initiative grounded in Indigenous education frameworks and committed to uplifting Hawaiian knowledge systems across higher education. Building on the success of the Hoʻāla Hou program (2015–2021), Kūkalahale offers yearlong mentored training to faculty, staff, and administrators at Honolulu, Kapiʻolani and Windward Community Colleges to support the integration of Hawaiian culture, values, and place-based strategies into their daily work.
Funded by a U.S. Department of Education Title III grant (2019–2024) under the Title III Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH) Program, Cooperative Development Grant, the program strengthens institutional capacity to serve Native Hawaiian students and supports the University of Hawaiʻi’s mission to become a model Indigenous-serving institution.
Through hands-on implementation, mentorship, and collective learning, Kūkalahale cultivates the next generation of leaders and educators who are rooted in ʻike Hawaiʻi, cultural responsibility, and community transformation.
Meet Our Staff
Meet Our Staff
Paul Kalani Kaawa Flores-Hatt, Jr.
Paul Kalani Kaawa Flores-Hatt, Jr.
Project Director / Co‑Principal Investigator
A proud kānaka o Nānākuli in Waiʻanae, Paul “Boboy” Kaawa Flores‑Hatt, Jr. is a kumu hula, cultural practitioner, and College Professor of ʻIke Hawaiʻi and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi at Honolulu Community College . With over 20 years of experience in Hawaiian studies and indigenous education, he holds degrees in Hawaiian Language & Studies and Learning Design & Technology from UH Mānoa. A lifelong advocate for Hawaiian culture- and place-based education, Kalani brings decades of experience in both institutional leadership and grassroots community engagement. His work centers ʻike kūpuna, aloha ʻāina, and building bridges between Indigenous knowledge systems and educational transformation. Through Kūkalahale, he continues to guide efforts that ground higher education in cultural integrity and moʻokūʻauhau.
E. Ululani Kahikina
E. Ululani Kahikina
Project Manager
Ululani Kahikina serves as the Project Manager for the Kūkalahale Title III Project at Honolulu Community College, where she supports the implementation and cultural alignment of one of the college’s most impactful Indigenous education initiatives. A proud graduate of the Kula Kaiapuni (Hawaiian Language Immersion Program), Ululani brings a lifelong commitment to ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, Indigenous education, and lāhui-driven systems change. Her leadership ensures that Kūkalahale stays grounded in the values it champions — moʻokūʻauhau, ea, and systems transformation in service of our lāhui. She plays a key role in coordinating the symposium and managing the broader vision of the grant with integrity and intention.
Rochelle "Rokki" Kapuaokamakahikihou Midro
Rochelle "Rokki" Kapuaokamakahikihou Midro
Creative Media Specialist
Rokki Kapuaokamakahikihou Midro is a kānaka ʻŌiwi from Waiʻanae, Oʻahu, with deep childhood roots in Keʻanae, East Maui. A proud graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi system, she brings passion, artistry, and ʻike to her role as Creative Media Specialist for the Kūkalahale Title III Grant.
Based at Honolulu CC’s Hulili Ke Kukui Hawaiian Center, Rokki leads the visual storytelling and media design that honors and amplifies the voices of the lāhui. Her work honors ea through visual narration, connecting moʻolelo to audience in ways that inspire, activate, and inform.
About Kanaeokana
About Kanaeokana
Kanaeokana is a network of ʻōiwi (Native Hawaiian) education leaders, organizations, schools, and advocates working together to strengthen the lāhui (Hawaiian nation) by uplifting ʻike Hawaiʻi and educational approaches rooted in Hawaiian values, language, and worldviews. Grounded in aloha ʻāina and ea, Kanaeokana connects and empowers educators from preschool through post-secondary and community-based programs to transform the educational landscape for current and future generations.
Kūkalahale has collaborated closely with Kanaeokana through the planning and hosting of the Kūkalahale Indigenous Education Symposium. This partnership brought together Honolulu Community College, Kanaeokana, and the Kealaiwikuamoʻo team to design a symposium grounded in Indigenous values. Kanaeokana contributed by helping set the thematic vision ("Hume ka malo, hoʻokala i ka ihe"), co-coordinating planning, hosting pre-ʻaha events, and supporting logistics such as registration, outreach, and strand development. Their shared goal: to amplify Indigenous education practices and inspire transformative, culturally grounded solutions in higher education and community spaces
More info. visit: https://kanaeokana.net
In Collaboration
In Collaboration
2020 - 2022
Resources created and supported by Kūkalahale Title III grant Kīpaipai Aloha series
Resources created and supported by Kūkalahale Title III grant Kīpaipai Aloha series
2025
ʻAha Kūkalahale Indigenous Education Conference
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