After four long years, the East-West Center and East-West Center Association hosted “A Hawai‘i Reconnection” from June 30-July 1, 2022, an in-person and virtual alumni conference in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, USA. For the first time, we dovetailed with the popular International Media Conference, thus bringing together a combined 500+ journalists, community leaders, and other alumni from 31 countries and every decade since the 1960s. The exceptional event was designed to provide maximum opportunities for alumni to meet and explore potential collaborations with Honolulu and Washington, DC staff, over 60 of whom joined the event. Over 100 current participants and volunteers also attended, guiding community tours (see below), taking alumni to visit their residence hall in some cases 60 years later, and otherwise creating the welcoming spirit of Aloha to everyone that attended.
The Opening Ceremony, emceed by alumna and Hawaii News Now anchor, Annalisa Burgos, started with the booming sound of the Taiko Center of the Pacific and was followed by a welcoming oli by Dr. Aaron Sala, Director of the 2024 Festival of the Pacific. The high energy procession of the EWCA chapter flags gave us a visual sense of how vast our EWC ‘ohana network is.
The simultaneous release of the new East-West Center Strategic Plan meant that attendees were some of the first to workshop the five strategic priorities and determine what actions they want to take to actualize them. The EWCA Executive Board, 53 EWCA global chapters, and Office of Alumni Engagement invite alumni to continue adding ideas and noting their name on this live whiteboard, so the community can move into action around the priorities: Equip and Develop Leaders, Convene Impactful Dialogues, Partner with the Pacific Islands, Foster Environmental Solutions, and Support Good Governance.
Attendees joined one of three Community Tours – Makai, Māhele Revisited or Mauka -- led by Hawai‘i Supreme Court Justice Sabrina S. McKenna, a Kumu of Hawaiian Studies at University of Hawai‘i, EWC Gallery curator, and 47-year-old citizens group for cultural and natural protection.
Learn more about the tours in our program booklet.
Dr. Micah Fisher and Dr. Phanwin Yokying (pictured below), EWC’s newest researchers presented on their and their colleagues' fresh project launch: Vulnerable Deltas in Southeast Asia: Climate Change, Water, Waste, and Socio-Economic Transformation.
The EWC Showcase and Talk Story featured pods by EWC programs. To enter the prize raffle, attendees had to complete an interview, quiz or other engagement, such as giving feedback on the beta EWC website, to get a stamp. Genuine collaborations were seeded as alumni met staff directly and found out what’s happening at EWC Today.
This interative slide deck below highlights some of the featured programs.
Cultural workshops, a conference tradition and favorite way to engage in local crafts, included hula lessons, lei wili making, and origami Hawaiian style.
The EWCA Virtual Live show for our online attendees, led by film and TV director and alumna Melissa Pawneshing, created a 2-day EWC TV show complete with simultaneous live coverage and behind-the-scenes interviews with co-hosts Carlos Juarez, EWC Grants Officer; Phanwin Yokying, EWC Research Fellow; and Amalina Ariffin, Experiential Programs Specialist.
Evaluations revealed attendees benefited from engaging with staff and EWC leadership and genuinely appreciated the chance to meet again in person and online. Mahalo to all who participated!
Photos
Conference Recordings
Program Booklet
EWC/EWCA Award Recipients
- EWC Distinguished Alumni Award
- EWCA Outstanding Volunteer Award
- EWCA 21st Century Outstanding Service Award
- EWCA Outstanding Chapter Award
Participant Listing
View Shared Participant Profiles and Connect
After four long years, the East-West Center and East-West Center Association hosted “A Hawai‘i Reconnection” from June 30-July 1, 2022, an in-person and virtual alumni conference in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, USA. For the first time, we dovetailed with the popular International Media Conference, thus bringing together a combined 500+ journalists, community leaders, and other alumni from 31 countries and every decade since the 1960s. The exceptional event was designed to provide maximum opportunities for alumni to meet and explore potential collaborations with Honolulu and Washington, DC staff, over 60 of whom joined the event. Over 100 current participants and volunteers also attended, guiding community tours (see below), taking alumni to visit their residence hall in some cases 60 years later, and otherwise creating the welcoming spirit of Aloha to everyone that attended.
The Opening Ceremony, emceed by alumna and Hawaii News Now anchor, Annalisa Burgos, started with the booming sound of the Taiko Center of the Pacific and was followed by a welcoming oli by Dr. Aaron Sala, Director of the 2024 Festival of the Pacific. The high energy procession of the EWCA chapter flags gave us a visual sense of how vast our EWC ‘ohana network is.
The simultaneous release of the new East-West Center Strategic Plan meant that attendees were some of the first to workshop the five strategic priorities and determine what actions they want to take to actualize them. The EWCA Executive Board, 53 EWCA global chapters, and Office of Alumni Engagement invite alumni to continue adding ideas and noting their name on this live whiteboard, so the community can move into action around the priorities: Equip and Develop Leaders, Convene Impactful Dialogues, Partner with the Pacific Islands, Foster Environmental Solutions, and Support Good Governance.
Attendees joined one of three Community Tours – Makai, Māhele Revisited or Mauka -- led by Hawai‘i Supreme Court Justice Sabrina S. McKenna, a Kumu of Hawaiian Studies at University of Hawai‘i, EWC Gallery curator, and 47-year-old citizens group for cultural and natural protection.
Learn more about the tours in our program booklet.
Dr. Micah Fisher and Dr. Phanwin Yokying (pictured below), EWC’s newest researchers presented on their and their colleagues' fresh project launch: Vulnerable Deltas in Southeast Asia: Climate Change, Water, Waste, and Socio-Economic Transformation.
The EWC Showcase and Talk Story featured pods by EWC programs. To enter the prize raffle, attendees had to complete an interview, quiz or other engagement, such as giving feedback on the beta EWC website, to get a stamp. Genuine collaborations were seeded as alumni met staff directly and found out what’s happening at EWC Today.
This interative slide deck below highlights some of the featured programs.
Cultural workshops, a conference tradition and favorite way to engage in local crafts, included hula lessons, lei wili making, and origami Hawaiian style.
The EWCA Virtual Live show for our online attendees, led by film and TV director and alumna Melissa Pawneshing, created a 2-day EWC TV show complete with simultaneous live coverage and behind-the-scenes interviews with co-hosts Carlos Juarez, EWC Grants Officer; Phanwin Yokying, EWC Research Fellow; and Amalina Ariffin, Experiential Programs Specialist.
Evaluations revealed attendees benefited from engaging with staff and EWC leadership and genuinely appreciated the chance to meet again in person and online. Mahalo to all who participated!
Photos
Conference Recordings
Program Booklet
EWC/EWCA Award Recipients
- EWC Distinguished Alumni Award
- EWCA Outstanding Volunteer Award
- EWCA 21st Century Outstanding Service Award
- EWCA Outstanding Chapter Award