How the marine studies program helped Mijo shape a future in law and community advocacy
Sydney Mijo
By Halle Sheppard, CLA Student Writer - May 4, 2026
Rooted in the land and waters of Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu, Sydney Mijo’s academic and personal journey is guided by a deep sense of responsibility to community, culture, and environment. Shaped by an upbringing immersed in the ocean and local Hawaiian culture, Mijo has long understood the connection between environmental stewardship and Indigenous knowledge.
At Oregon State University, she sought an education that honored this intersection, one that allowed her to explore environmental conservation, law, and Indigenous studies not as separate paths, but as an intertwined academic pursuit.
From an early age, Mijo’s parents instilled within her the importance of community and rootedness in the local and Hawaiian culture. Her father, who works at Kamehameha Schools, introduced Mijo to a plethora of ocean-related hobbies such as surfing, fishing, and diving. Her mom owns and operates Koʻolau Farmers, a local plant store, and Waimānalo Feed Supply, a local agricultural and aquaponics store.
When considering where to go for college, Mijo hoped to find a program that contained an interdisciplinary blend of law, policy, and environmental conservation. To Mijo, the universities in Hawaiʻi tended to draw a strict divide between programs such as pre-law and marine biology, so she began to expand her search to the mainland to seek a broader and potentially more inclusive approach.
As recommended by a college counselor, discovering OSU College of Liberal Arts’ interdisciplinary marine studies program revealed a new possibility: one where environmentalism, Indigenous knowledge, and law could exist together. That moment reshaped her vision, marked by a willingness to leave home in order to one day return equipped to serve and uplift her community in Hawaiʻi.
“I could study law, I could do environmental work, I could do Indigenous studies. It was everything I was looking for,” shared Mijo. There was no other school where I could just create my own pathway and explore this intersectionality.”
She soon dove head first into the marine studies program with the goal of attending law school after graduating.
Driven by her desire to protect the environment, she began taking law and policy-related classes. Mijo came to the realization that public policy was not exactly what she wanted.
“I realized from my time here that the policymaking side can be such a long and enduring process. You might spend your entire life lobbying and researching and writing up one bill that may or might not get passed.” Preferring a more hands on and community-oriented approach, Mijo began to reevaluate her career trajectory and found herself inspired by her mom’s businesses.
The classes she was taking showed that her mother’s role as a local business owner created the community impact she wanted to make, but in a more personal way. “Learning about law and Indigenous studies at OSU, I would talk to her and realize that everything she's doing as a local business owner is pretty much what all these policies we're trying to create and push for are doing, but in a very local and direct way.”
Her mom’s business, Koʻolau Farmers, is more than a plant store, it’s a living classroom rooted in care for the land and community. Her mom bought the business a little over a year ago and changed the company’s business and community goals to represent their family’s community and cultural values. The space now centers endemic and native Hawaiian plants, including seedlings and medicinal plants, to better reflect a commitment to lāʻau lapaʻau. Through workshops and hands-on educational classes, Koʻolau Farmers hopes to raise awareness around traditional Hawaiian healing practices and ensure they’re more accessible to the wider public.
Drawn to her mom’s intentional steps to revitalize Hawaiian practices, Mijo decided she wanted to use the skills she developed at OSU to still pursue law, but away from focusing on public policy and more towards business. “Pivoting my law career to support small businesses that promote and empower native Hawaiian culture, native Hawaiian plants, and local agriculture felt like a natural shift.”
Ethnic studies professor Patricia Fifita’s mentorship played a central role in shaping Sydney Mijo’s OSU experience, offering both guidance and a deeply supportive space grounded in Indigenous studies. Fifita encouraged Mijo to explore her history and interests, reinforcing her plan to return to Hawaiʻi. Through the MAST capstone, Mijo centered her project on her mom’s new plant business, approaching it as a form of legal aid by developing a business strategy, identifying potential legal challenges, and researching areas such as plant procurement and food handling. The project became both academic and personal, resulting in concrete recommendations that could strengthen and expand the business while honoring its cultural and community-based mission.
Mijo's time at OSU also helped her retain and showcase Hawaiian culture. A key member of the student group Hui O Hawaiʻi, as well as a Hula instructor and dancer, she took her involvement and leadership even further by organizing the 71st Annual Hōʻike, “From Mauka to Makai: Ka Moʻolelo O Naupaka” as the Hōʻike Show Coordinator. The Lūʻau and Hōʻike at OSU is an annual celebration of Hawaiian culture with over 200 dancers participating in the performance.
While initially finding it difficult to leave home, Mijo knows that OSU was the right choice and where she needs to be in order to go home to serve and uplift her community in the best way that she can. “I need to be here first,” she stated. “I needed to leave my home to be able to come back and better protect and serve my community.”
Her mother’s businesses offered a pathway home, and she now hopes to eventually take over the family business. This is not something that she can merely inherit though; she must be equipped to take on the family legacy. Her mother recognizes the importance of pursuing education and encourages Mijo to attend law school, to learn more about the relevant policies and issues she will need to be aware of in running and expanding a business. Mijo will be attending University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law in the fall.
Throughout her time at OSU, Mijo explains how much stronger her experience has made her. “One of the big words that has stuck with me throughout my time at Oregon State has been resiliency. I think that's something I've learned not only from my professors, but also my mentors.” Throughout her time at OSU, Mijo is grateful to have been supported by many people, including Barry Evans, her supervisor at Dixon Recreational Center.
Balancing her capstone, job as a student worker at Dixon Recreational Center, and classes, along with her leadership roles within Hui O Hawaiʻi, Mijo has found resiliency to be a key trait in ensuring her success. She plans to take these lessons from OSU into an ever modernizing world, and bring change to the local community of Hawaiʻi.