🌺 Talofa lava | Aloha | Malo e lelei | Hafa Adai | Bula Vinaka | Kia Orana | Fakafeiloaki | Fakaalofa lahi atu | Tena koe 🌺
Welcome to my capstone page! I am so excited to share my research with you. This project means the world to me and I am so thankful that I have been blessed with the opportunity to uplift the voices of my fellow PI brothers and sisters. Below, I share about my capstone project, what I love about sociology, as well as what's in store for me 🤙🏽
Vakeaemanu E. Hunkin (She/Her/Hers)
ABSTRACT : Pacific Islanders (PIs) are a steadily growing population in the U.S., yet most of the data on PIs does not accurately tell the story of Pacific Islanders in America because it has been aggregated under the Asian Pacific Islander (API) label. This study examines how the college experience of Pacific Islander students is affected by the API label, also known as the model minority label. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 self-identifying Pacific Islander college students over the age of 18. Using an interview guide I created with the help of my professors, I find that the college experience of Pacific Islanders is defined through a cultural lens that is unique to PIs but that this lens is not necessarily reflected in the data that has been presented throughout the years. Historically, data collected on the API group has been more reflective of the Asian population than of the Pacific Islander population. In this study I find that family is both a barrier and a motivator to academic success. I also find that community and a sense of belonging is crucial to whether or not Pacific Islander students stay at their current institution and graduate, or they transfer out or drop out entirely. By explicitly examining Pacific Islander students this study conceptualizes a more accurate depiction of the PI experience and how it differs from the API experience.
LINK TO FULL PAPER:
If you would like to take a look at my work in full,
you can click on the link here!
"Oceania is vast, Oceania is expanding, Oceania is hospitable and generous, Oceania is humanity rising from the depths of brine and regions of fire deeper still, Oceania is us. We are the sea, we are the ocean. " - Epeli Hau'ofa
I plan to take an academic hiatus for about a year or two to look for a career path that fulfills my passion for helping others. Once I have some real world experience under my belt I plan to go back to school to get my Masters in either Sociology or Communications.
Patricia Hill Collins
Richard Nagasawa
Patricia Adler and Peter Adler
Sociology Major
Communications Minor
Sport Psychology Minor
I like that you can look at the same situation through so many different lenses and come up with a multitude of reasons as to why things played out the way they did. Sociology is exhausting and a lot of hard work, but I'm proud of the work we do. Studying human behavior, societal norms, and how the world works/why it works that way is intriguing, all-encompassing, and never-ending. There is always work that needs to be done, and there is never a dull moment (unless it's studying theory 😜).
First and foremost I want to thank all my participants for sharing their experiences with me. Without you all, this wouldn't have been possible! Secondly, I would like to thank all my friends and family for their never-ending love and support. I am nothing without my community. Speaking of community, I want to give a special thank you to the PLU track team for becoming my home away from home. Finally, I would like to thank the sociology department (especially Galen Ciscell for introducing me to Sociology and pushing me to to become a Sociology Major) for supporting me these past 4 years.
In honor of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage month I wanted to share this beautiful poem by Terisa Siagatonu.