Roberta Akana's TRiO SSS Success Story

Name: Roberta Keonaonalaulani Akana aka Robbie 

Semester/Year Started at WCC: 2008

Semester/Year Started in TRiO SSS: 2009 

Degree(s) Earned at WCC or 4yr. college/university:

Semester(s)/Year(s) Graduated:

How has TRiO SSS helped you/what services have you used?

TRiO SSS has helped me in so many ways that I am very grateful for this program because it helps people who struggle in college life just like I have. I joined the TRiO SSS program in 2009 when I first came to Windward Community College and I did not know what to expect. I though that I would go and utilize their services just to print for free and use their computers, but I ended up using a lot of their other services. TRiO SSS provided me with a tutor to help me become a better. I also learned that reading and taking notes were very important, therefore, I was encouraged to read more and learn how to write important key words for lecture notes. TRiO SSS also provided a summer math class for free so that I along with other students could improve our math skills. Although it was quite difficult, TRiO SSS faculty and tutors push me to accomplish my math goal. Today, I am a tutor for Hawaiian studies and Hawaiian language. I also volunteer to help students that have the same struggles that I had in my early TRiO days and I volunteer with the TRiO SSS program to provide services for outside communities. TRiO SSS at WCC is also (‘ohana) family. Since I have become a TRiO SSS participant, I have gained an extended family. I have become a better person in communicating with people on a college level.  The program has helped me to organize my family and school life. I have gained a better understanding in life that is far greater than I have expected and I have come even farther in my life. I have overcome my fears of college life and come to believe how important it is to be grateful for simple things in life. Because I am blessed with all the help and direction that TRiO SSS has offered me, I am majoring in Hawaiian studies and Hawaiian language. I intend to return to Windward Community College to lecture  and teach what I love so much, which is my rich culture and heritage of Hawai’i. I am proud to be a family member of the TRiO SSS program here at Windward Community College and I will always be grateful. 

Personal Statement: 
Aloha No, my name is Roberta K. Akana, also known as Keonaona. I am currently a full-time student at Windward Community College. I returned to school for a better future, and hopefully I will be a college graduate. I have come to realize that if I had paid attention in my early days of school, I would have achieved the benefits of college in the past, but that was not the case with me. I decided to venture in another direction due to wrong choices in my life. Although I had a struggling past, I have come to understand that everything happens for its purpose and I have grown to become a better person and a stronger individual.

            I grew up on the windward side of Oʻahu in Waimānalo. My grandparents adopted me and I was the only child in the house. My grandmother spoke fluent Hawaiian and though she spoke Hawaiian to me, I never learned to converse. My aunty, the Late Lilia Hale lived next door, and she also spoke fluent Hawaiian, but none of the children in her home spoke a word or a full sentence in Hawaiian. Therefore, for many years hearing the language spoken in front of me, but not being able to respond made me feel incomplete. I knew that one day I would take the opportunity to learn my native language.

            In my early school years, I did not get around much. I usually went to school and went home right after school. My grandfather was very strict; he was a retired navy seal, so therefore he was very strict in my upbringing. I had a few friends and I did participate in a few activities. I danced hula with family and friends and I grew to understand structure that was different from public school environment. I graduated from Kailua High School with the class of 1984. I wanted to go to college after graduation, but unfortunately, I was a young mother, which hindered my chances of continuing my education. I also believe that I was not prepared for college. I now know I am ready.

            After my children grew older, I decided I needed to find employment. I worked as a tour driver at E Noa Tours, and becoming the longest standing top ten driver in the company. I was also chosen as the employee of the month three times. I was also a ticket agent for several years. I worked as an Aloha Airlines contractor for American Trans Airlines, and here is where I found my culture important. I was the senior lead for the ticket agent for the Honolulu station. After the fall of Aloha Airlines, I finally decided to return to college. With my past job experiences, I truly know how important it is to be Hawaiian and I know it is my kuleana.

             My educational goals today are quite different. I am working towards obtaining my Associates of Arts in Hawaiian Studies and then followed with my B.A. and Master program in Hawaiian Studies as well. With this education I plan on making a career in the Hawaiian Studies field as a professor/teacher in Hawaiian Studies. I want to educate as many Hawaiians and Non-Hawaiians about my culture, which I am very proud of. I have started with my Hawaiian Language, something I wanted to learn for a long time. I found pono in school and I will continue this process all the way. My future plans are to also study food science and other fields of food sustainability. That is becoming a passion for me because of our dependency of other countries. My educational goals will keep me busy for years to come.

            I am currently tutoring Hawaiian Language 102 and Introduction to the Hawaiian Kingdom for TRiO Student Support Services on campus and that gives great pleasure of helping others as well as myself. I am grateful that I can share my experiences, struggles, and challenges that I have endured as a student, and I am glad that I can share my strengths with other students. I find clarity in my own challenges because of helping others. I am the true beneficiary of knowledge because of my drive in helping others.

            My future plans are to serve my community with the knowledge and support of my educational backgrounds. I plan to immerse myself more into my community and teach my family and friends about our culture. I think it is my kuleana to bring forth my knowledge and experience to the public through working and serving my community with Hawaiian Studies and Hawaiian cultural practices. I know this is my kuleana and I plan to work hard at achieving these goals. I know if I do well, I will be able to do great things for my family, my community, and myself. 

Sincerely,
Roberta K Akana aka Keonaona

UPDATE as of Spring 2016 

Roberta graduated with her AA in Liberal Arts at the end of the Fall 2014 semester and her Bachelor's in Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa at the end of the Summer 2015 term.