Kauaʻi youth gain hands-on conservation experience through Summer Internship

One week, they are clearing a stream mouth to restore water flow into the ocean. The next, they are repairing fencing damaged by heavy rains, harvesting native plants, and learning traditional weaving techniques.

For 10 high school and college students from across Kauaʻi, these experiences are all part of the Summer Institute Pāpala Lele Early College Internship, a five-week paid internship that combines hands-on conservation work with three college credits while introducing students to careers in natural resource management, food security, and environmental stewardship rooted in Hawaiian culture.

Throughout the internship, students learn directly from community experts with Nā Pua Noʻeau, Title III: Kukulu Aʻe, Hui Makaʻainana o Makana, and Limahuli National Tropical Botanical Garden. Working throughout the Hāʻena Ahupuaʻa, interns gain firsthand experience in how community organizations collaborate to mālama ʻāina through both traditional and contemporary conservation practices.

Instructor Leiʻohu Chun said the internship is designed to teach students sustainable resource management while using Hāʻena as a living classroom.

“With a lot of Hawaiian immersion programs, it's community-based, so a big part of revitalizing culture is getting our haumāna out into the ʻāina,” Chun said. “We want to spark their interest in these career paths and inspire them to give back to the community.”

Nā Pua Noʻeau Program Coordinator Mālia Chun said the internship showcases the power of collaboration among ʻāina-based organizations working toward a shared vision.

“There are very few examples of community-based programs and resources that collaborate to maintain a traditional ahupuaʻa,” Chun said. “Traditionally Hāʻena looked very different, but in a modern context, it’s a great example of how organizations can work together toward the common goal of stewarding an ahupuaʻa.”

The program also helps students connect their passion for the environment with future careers by introducing them to professionals already working in conservation, restoration, and resource management.

“This internship provides a foundation, or a kahua, of traditional knowledge and Hawaiian ways of stewardship while also exposing the interns to modern Western tools of conservation,” Chun said.

For intern Kyra Tubon, the experience has already shaped her future.

Now participating in the internship for a second time, Tubon said her first summer in the program inspired her to pursue natural science. She plans to study botany and environmental science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and hopes to one day work at Limahuli Gardens.

“On Kauaʻi, it’s really hard to find Native and Indigenous people who know their culture and practice it,” Tubon said. “Having programs where even our keiki can come and learn is amazing because we don’t know what to do or where to go if we don’t have the people who already know it. Hopefully, we can continue to pass that knowledge down.”

Yeva Allen, who recently completed her freshman year at Stanford University, said the internship has strengthened her interest in environmental justice and ʻāina-based work.

“I’m interested in the loʻi and working with the land here alongside the people who have been here for generations,” Allen said. “The work we did today gave us an idea of what the loʻi looked like in the past and how it could feed so many people. It was so inspirational to me.”

By combining cultural knowledge, scientific practice, and mentorship from community leaders, the S.I. Pāpala Lele Early College Internship is preparing the next generation of stewards to care for Kauaʻi's natural and cultural resources for years to come.