Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 1, 1 January 2014 — MY SUMMER IN D.C. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MY SUMMER IN D.C.

By Amber Kalua Every semester, the Washington Internships for Native Students program, or WINS, at American University selects American Indians, Native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives to intern and study in Washington, D.C. This past summer, I was one of four Native Hawaiian students picked to participate in the fullscholarship program. The other three interns were Evan Castro of Hilo, who attends the University of Portland, John Paeheeo of Kapolei, who lives in Oregon, and Russell Auwae of Wai'anae, who attends Miami University of Ohio. I was selected by two sites for my internship, the Social Security Administration and the Office of HawaiianAffairs Washington, D.C., Bureau. I ultimately chose OHA because I felt that the knowledge I gained working in the OHA D.C. office would be useful and relevant at home. I departed for D.C. in May for two months. My schedule included a 40-hour work week and evening classes, three days a week. A normal week in the OHA office included checking and responding to emails, writing memos, data analysis and

working on projects, including a Native Hawaiian Puhlie Service Pipeline, whieh aims to get more Native Hawaiians into the federal workforce. I also monitored House Resolution 5 Amendment 55, whieh pertained to the Native Hawaiian Education Act. HR 5 would've eliminated the Act if Amendment 55 was not voted into the bill by the House of Representatives. This was an intense but important time and appreciation is sent to Congresswomen Tulsi Gabbard and Colleen Hanabusa, and Congressman Don Young of Alaska, who rallied together to get Amendment 55 included in HR 5. Another highlight was meeting Hawai'i's U.S. senators and congresswomen and engaging in conversation about issues affect-

ing our Hawaiian community. Hanabusa emphasized taking pride in being from the homestead and being Hawaiian. She also elahorated on growing up in Wai'anae and her love for the Hawaiian people. Hirono took a deep interest in the student interaction within the WINS program and the types of issues important to us. One of the more memorable things I experienced through the OHA D.C. office was looking through the 19th-century Kū'ē Petitions. It was amazing to see so many Kānaka Hawai'i signatures from that period in our history and uniting as one to oppose the illegal annexation of Hawai'i. Besides interning, I experienced living in D.C. and created lifelong relationships with other native students. We shared our cultures, histories and discussed the different issues our communities face. I'm excited to see what the future holds for eaeh and every one of us and hope we ean collaborate in the future to help our communities. ■ Amber Kahm, a student helper at OHA's Honolulu office, is pursuing a master's degree in public admuhstration at the University ofHawai'iMānoa.

Internships For information on the Washington lnternships for Native Students, visit www. american.edu/spexs/wins. The prioritydeadline to apply for the summer 2014 program is Feb. 15. Thefinal deadline is March 1.

j HO'ONAAUAO ^ > EDUCATION /

Participants in the Washington lnternships for Native Students gathered on the steps of the Lineoln Memorial in May. The Hawaiian interns are: Evan Castro, bottom left; John Paeheeo, wearing a backward eap in the middle of the third row at top; Amber Kalua, in front of him; and Russell Auwae, third row at top atfarright. - Courtesy photo: Jeremy Dennis