ʻImi I Ka ʻOi Kelakela: Seeking Excellence
Written By Asia Howe
Previous participants discuss the values of Ka Lama Ku. Photo courtesy of Leomi Bergknut.
The phrase “ka lama ku” emanates from 'Ōlelo No'eau 1430, a book of Hawaiian poetical sayings and proverbs collected, translated, and annotated by Mary Kawena Pukui. This proverb, read in its entirety, heralds: Ka lama ku o ka no'eau, “The standing torch of wisdom.” Such a saying is used to demonstrate admiration of a wise individual. Its shortened version serves as the title of a yearly conference put on by the Campus Center Fee Board and Campus Center Leadership Development Program. Those on the Ka Lama Ku Student Advisory Council, volunteer student leaders, organize the workshop known as the Ka Lama Ku Student Leadership Conference.
“The students on the council,” Leomi Bergknut, University of Hawaii at Hilo Student Leadership Coordinator states, “gain skills in team building, communication, event planning, and bringing the vision of conference to reality. The conference [itself] is focused on UH Hilo students who want to increase their leadership development skills with daily life skills. Ka Lama Ku’s foundation is based on having leadership skills we can use daily rather than [having them] as a segment of life or academics.”
Students who attended the 2015 Ka Lama Ku Student Leadership Conference experienced large and small group workshops. The workshops aimed to educate them about interaction in large group team building leadership activities; Safe Zone training; meditation and body stretches that may be used throughout life; leadership problems Asian Pacific women face; what it means to “Lead with Aloha”; and what it means to have bystander awareness. The conference also featured a “local first” lunch to support and promote food sustainability. A Project Kuleana presentation discussing how Hawaiian language and music are interrelated and Lava Shoot video clips on student life was also shown during lunch.
Previous Ka Lama Ku Student Leadership Conference participants engaged in a leadership challange activity. Photo courtesy of Leomi Bergknut.
“Those who attend,” Bergknut continues, “have made the first step by being [at] the conference and making that conscious effort. Past students who have attended found [that] the conference has assisted them in making better choices [regarding] employment, grad school, and where they want to be within themselves. We hope those who attend will leave the conference confident in their own leadership skills and begin to practice that leadership skills and begin to practice that leadership [in their] daily life.”
The Ka Lama Ku Leadership Conference started in 2009, but only began being offered yearly since 2011. Its overall purpose is to provide interactive workshops that focus on leadership development in self knowledge, health and wellness, and cultural knowledge and protocol; furnish students with the opportunity to network and collaborate; and broaden Ka Lama Ku values on the University of Hawaii at Hilo campus and 'ohana.
Bergknut also divulged what her position as the Student Leadership Development Coordinator for Campus Center entails. “I am not a full-time employee. I advise and mentor students within our chartered student organizations, provide leadership trainings] especially [for] The Student Leadership Challenge and True Colors, advise and coordinate with the Ka Lama Ku Student Leadership Council on the conference and Ka Lama Ku Recognition Awards. I also present in classrooms, [participate in] leadership development with faculty and staff, and sit in on several campus committees.”
The 2015 Ka Lama Ku Student Leadership Conference was held on February 28. The opening ceremony started at 8:45 am; and workshops lasted until 3:00 pm. This year, the conference theme was ʻImi I Ka ʻOi Kelakela or “Seeking Excellence.” The conference collaborated with the Pacific Island Student Center (PISC) as well. Currently, University of Hawaii at Hilo students possessing a valid student ID do not need to pay to attend. Other participants, such as faculty and staff, must pay 20 dollars to attend. Individuals interested in past events and upcoming conferences may email Leomi Bergknut at bergknut@hawaii.edu.
