9th Annual PacYES Conference
Theme: Getting through the Now
For community safety during the pandemic, PacYES is hosting video messages by Pacific Islander students and community members for our youth.
About PacYES
The Pacific Youth Empowerment for Success (PacYES) conference aims to motivate, inspire, and inform Pacific Islander high school students on Hawaiʻi Island about career opportunities, college preparedness, and community readiness. Rooted in the understanding that one’s culture is an important aspect of developing a positive self-identity, PacYES is led by role models in the Pacific Islander community and college students from UH Hilo, Hawaiʻi Community College, and other institutions.
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Our History
PacYES originally started in 2012 by Vid Raatior and the Pacific Islander Student Center at UH Hilo as College Day to bring Marshallese students from Kaʻū high school to the UH Hilo campus to meet Marshallese college students in the Marshallese Iakwe Club (MIC) as a way to boost their confidence and inspire them to consider college as a viable journey. It has since expanded to an annual youth conference serving all the Hawaiʻi Island high school students of Pacific Islander heritage (including the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji, Guam, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Republic of Palau (ROP), Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, and other Pacific Islands)
Our Mission & Theme
The Pacific Youth Empowerment for Success (PacYES) conference aims to motivate, inspire, inform, and encourage our Pacific Islander high school students on Hawaiʻi Island toward a path of success through college, career, and community readiness.
This annual conference aims to empower the Pacific Islander youth to:
- pursue higher education,
- foster cultural pride and connection, and
- develop supportive relationships and networks to and with PI college students, educators, and other professionals.
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Our Kuleana
PacYES is a work of love to fulfill our kuleana as a community to Pacific Islander youth throughout Hawaiʻi Island. It is a collaboration between University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College; Micronesians United – Big Island (MUBI); the Department of Education and local high schools; local agencies, organizations, political leaders, and businesses; GEAR UP Hawaiʻi, and other supporters.
Since 2012, PacYES has been powered largely by volunteers including over 600 Pacific Islander college students from UH Hilo, Hawaiʻi Community College, UH Mānoa, and Chaminade University who serve as as role models, campus guides, panelists, hospitality teams, workshop leaders, and presenters alongside professionals from a variety of professional careers for over 1,600 PI high school students.
Meet the Team
Meet the team of volunteers who plan and implement the PacYES Annual Conference.
The PacYES planning committee comprises of the following representatives of the various major sponsors:
Micronesians United – Big Island (MU-BI)
- David Ueda, President, Micronesians United – Big Island
- Tulpe Day, Treasurer, Micronesians United – Big Island
- Craig Severance, Professor Emeritus, Anthropology | Advisor, Micronesians United – Big Island
- Tom Raffipy, Community Outreach Coordinator, Micronesians United – Big Island
- Jermy Uowolo, At-Large Board Member, Micronesians United – Big Island
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
- Joseph Genz, Assoc. Professor in Anthropology and Coordinator for the Pacific Island Studies Certificate
- Andrew Polloi, Mental Health Counselor, Counseling Services
- Ginger Hamilton, former Director, Minority Access and Achievement Program
- Lisa Ann Amaral, Asst. Director of Admissions
- Sarah Juran, Advising Center
- Tarisi Vunidilo, Assistant Professor, Anthropology
- Kmes Tabelual, Student Assistant
Hawaiʻi Community College
- Tagi Qolouvaki, HawCC Instructor
- Carrie Mospens, HawCC Asst. Professor and ESL Program Coordinator
- Larissa Leslie, Counselor
- Christine Quintana, International Program Coordinator
Department of Education
- Lara Mangieri, EL Resource Teacher, West Hawaiʻi Complex
- Kecia McDonald, EL Resource Teacher, West Hawaiʻi Complex
- Nerie Padamada, EL Resource Teacher, Hilo-Waiakea Complex
- Robin Merriam Walker, EL Resource Teacher, Kau-Keaau-Pahoa Complex
PacYES college student volunteers are the heart of our conference as they lead all of the various teams. Our student volunteers are from these Pacific Islander student organizations at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College.
- Chuukese Student Association (CSA)
- Kosrae Hilo Organization (KHO)
- Ngelekel Belau Club
- Marshallese Iakwe Club (MIC)
- Pohnpei Kasalehlia Club
- Tupulaga O Samoa mo a Taeao (TOS)
- Waab Student Organization (WSO)
- International Student Association (ISA)
About MU-BI
Micronesians United-Big Island (MU-BI) is a Hilo-based non-profit 501 c3 organization with a volunteer Board of directors made up of Micronesian professionals in the community. MU-BI’s mission is “To empower the local Pacific Islanders from the region of Micronesia for greater self-reliance, cultural pride, and to serve as a bridge to educate the larger community about the respective cultures, and our mutual rights and responsibilities.”