Graduate Degree Fellows and other EWC scholarship recipients are required to live in EWC Housing, during the period of their awards.

Located in Honolulu adjacent to the University of Hawai‘i, the Center’s 21-acre campus features conference, research, and residential facilities nestled in the heart of beautiful Mānoa Valley. Students and other EWC participants are required to live in residence halls that include shared kitchen facilities. Living, cooking, and sharing meals together in the residence halls are vital elements of community building at the Center. Through this residential community, EWC students develop lifelong relationships and a powerful sense of community with others who share an interest in the Asia Pacific region.

The East-West Center Community Building Institute (CBI) is a required program for participants on new awards. The Community Building Institute is an integrated program of activities and orientations for new and returning participants which occurs before the start of the academic semester.  With participants from the United States, Asia, the Pacific, and beyond, CBI explores the many connections that unite different cultures here in Hawaiʻi, at the EWC, and abroad. Participants interact through educational and service activities that are designed to encourage learning about fellow participants, the EWC, and Hawai‘i. CBI also aims to prepare participants for academic life in Hawai‘i and engagement at the EWC. 

The Exchange is another key community building element of the East-West Center experience, designed to connect students to each other and to the issues, histories, challenges and vibrant cultures of the Asia Pacific region. A required gathering of Center participants on a new award in their first two semesters, it is a series of evening events, held weekly, featuring guest presentations, performances, and activities. The Exchange is fully planned and executed by a team of graduate students, primarily Graduate Degree Fellows, in fulfillment of the internship and leadership project requirement outlined below.  

Graduate Degree Fellows are required to devote 90 hours to community service during their award period (45 hours for 1-year awards). Through service learning activities, participants develop leadership skills, and broaden their understanding of Hawai‘i and its multicultural community, and the ways in which transformational change can take place at personal, professional, and grassroots levels.

Graduate Degree Fellows are required to participate in leadership development projects and internships. A variety of internship roles are offered annually. Through internships, Graduate Degree Fellows gain leadership experience in planning and organizing academic programs and student activities, and in working across cultures and disciplines. Some key internship opportunities include the International Graduate Student Conference, The Exchange, and other student support and enrichment activities.

Students in the East-West Center Education Program participate in an exciting spectrum of extracurricular activities, student-led projects and initiatives that draw upon and highlight the Center’s broad diversity of cultural perspectives and traditions. 

The Exchange is entirely planned and presented each semester by a team of students. 

International Graduate Student Conference (IGSC), a multi-day academic conference, organized by student interns, primarily Graduate Degree Fellows, is one of the premier graduate student conferences in the world focused on the Asia Pacific region. 

East-West Fest
Held annually in the Spring, East-West Fest is a celebration of the dozens of culturally diverse communities that make up the East-West Center ‘ohana and the Honolulu community. The three-hour family friendly program of music and dance, cultural booths, and food, co-planned by East-West Center staff and the East-West Center Participants Association, allows students to showcase their talents and share their cultures with the public. 

East-West Center Participants Association (EWCPA)
All East-West Center students become members of the EWCPA. The EWCPA is active throughout the year in building the East-West Center community. They help to welcome new students during CBI (Community Building Institute) and facilitate both large and small events to bring students together, including the annual Concert on the Lawn, Intercultural Potluck, and East West Fest, as well as movie and game nights, open mic/karaoke, and pizza with the EWC president. An elected Board leads the activities of the EWCPA and serves to advocate for participants within the larger EWC. Being a member of the Board offers excellent opportunities for students to take on leadership roles in the community.