Conferring Our Way To The Top
Written by Daisy Willis
From January 22nd through January 25th the Big Island hosted students from all over the state. These students traveled from the surrounding islands to attend the annual Ho’opili Hou Leadership Conference which was held in Volcano National Park. This statewide student leadership conference for students, faculty and staff of Hawaii's colleges and universities helped to educate student leaders on different techniques of leading a group. It also provided a social situation for students from the University of Hawaii at Hilo to network with students from around the state. The Hawaii Association of Student Life Advisors (HASLA) worked hard to bring student leaders together for a stimulating weekend of learning and leading. The conference consisted of four full days of activities, from the service learning day on Thursday to the workshop day on Saturday to the pajama party on Saturday night. Over twenty students from UH Hilo attended the conference, and it proved to be a wonderful and educational experience.
The Students from UH Hilo gather before departing for a weekend in Volcano at the Ho’opili Hou Leadership Conference. Photo Credit to Daisy Willis.
Kaimi Kajiyama, a Fashion Design major and the Women’s Center office manager was one of the students that attended. During his interview, Kaimi spoke about the benefits of the conference, saying that “As a UH Hilo student, I was able to apply my cultural awareness and knowledge of Hawaiian practices. I also used the goals of the university as well as our organization to show what it is we are trying to achieve. One skill that I have gained from the conference was more confidence in communicating with others. The conference really pushed me to talk to others and get out of my shell and be a more outgoing leader. One of the most effective tools a leader has is communication, and I had to step out of my comfort zone and learn how to communicate with others.”
Leomi Bergknut, the Student Leadership Development Coordinator for UH Hilo also spoke highly of the conference, saying that “students who attended Ho’opili Hou were encouraged to further gain communication, collaboration and networking skills to improve their leadership roles within their organizations. This was gained by the workshops they attend, making connections with other students who were in similar roles at another college, and taking part in cultural activities at Ho’opili Hou.”
Overall, the conference was a huge success and everyone went home with more than one improved skill. If you are interested in attending a leadership conference, consider the upcoming Ka Lama Ku Leadership Conference on Saturday, February 28th on campus. To register and for further info contact Leomi Bergknut at bergknut@hawaii.edu.
