Degree Student
Recipient: EWC Graduate Degree Fellowship
Lelemia is a Hawaiian engineer, rain farmer and advocate who grew up on the sands and village of Waiʻanae, Oʻahu nei. He is one of more than 30 sisters and brothers– first cousins in the Western sense. Lelemia loves to combine when appropriate his passions for culture and STEAMS (science, technology, engineering, arts, maths, and social sciences) to better serve our communities. His life-long goal is to help our generation to leave a lasting and ‘sust-ʻāina-able’ legacy for future generations.
Place of origin: Wai‘anae, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Current residence: EWC
Education:
B.S., Biological Engineering, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
M.S., Biological Engineering, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Ph.D. Candidate, Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Languages:
Hawaiian, Hawaiian Creole, English, Spanish
Reflections:
“I study water and wastewater, which know no geopolitical borders. So, my research also knows no geopolitical borders. My EWC programs are indeed borderless, standing at the interface between institutions and real people. Why EWC? Why not?!?! I applied to EWC because I wanted to sharpen my expertise; to learn from world leaders; and to join an extensive network to connect, exchange, and talk story with many people from all over the world. From these relationships, I aspire to collaborate and put into motion thoughtful ideas and actions for a better today and tomorrow. The future is now!”