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London Hawes

By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - March 12, 2025

History was always an interest of London Hawes, an experienced city planner, but was never thought of as a potential career path. After almost ten years working in the urban planning departments of cities around the United States, Hawes saw an opportunity at the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion to turn her passion in history into something more.

Hawes grew up in Eugene and received her undergraduate degree in international studies from Brigham Young University - Idaho, including studying abroad at length in Beijing. Always drawn to cityscapes and urban environments, Hawes enrolled directly into graduate school, earning her Master of Planning degree from the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy.

After graduation, Hawes worked in the urban planning departments of South Jordan and Lehi City, Utah; Hampton, Virginia; Grand Junction, Colorado; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Hawes’ expertise was specifically on short and long term land use regulation and zoning, including reviewing building and site permits, as well as development for residential, commercial, and public structures. 

A huge component of working in municipal planning departments is acting as a representative of the city in a public setting, listening and learning from residents. “Whether McDonalds wants to open a new restaurant or the city is creating a new strategic plan, for a majority of development or changes in land use restrictions, the city needs to put aside time for public comment,” said Hawes. “Becoming the face of many of these development projects and initiatives has taught me invaluable lessons in listening and patience.”

Hawes' final planning manager role was in Yelm, Washington, outside of Olympia. In September 2022, Hawes was laid off due to restructuring within the city government office.

“This was a huge turning point for me,” said Hawes. “I had been in city planning roles for almost ten years and could keep going, but a part of me always wanted to re-examine my interest in history and become a professor. Though, I had no history degree or research experience.”  

Hawes applied to the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion’s master’s in history program, utilizing her wealth of experience in urban history and planning to help with her application. She was accepted and began in fall 2023. Now finished with her first year of classwork, Hawes is beginning to work on her thesis detailing the life of C. Eleanor Spears, a writer, suffragist, and member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).

“Truthfully, when entering the master’s program, I didn’t have a specific topic in mind to explore,” explained Hawes. “My advisor and mentor, Marisa Chappell, suggested I look into the suffragist movement more broadly, which ultimately led me to Spears.”  Hawes was attracted to the strong role models of the suffragist movement, examining this first wave of feminism in the grand scheme of feminists.

Spears was a New York suffragist whose activism and influence has flown under the academic radar, said Hawes. Spears worked on the national campaign for the 19th amendment by lobbying President Woodrow Wilson and through the WCTU, she was also a gigantic political influence in the ratification of the 18th amendment. 

In a twist of political ideology after living as a fundamentalist in New York, Spears moved to Southern California in the 1920s. She listened to Herbert Hoover’s speech at the 1932 Republican National Convention and became wholly upset by what she heard. Shortly after, Spears became heavily involved in socialist causes, including organizing a socialist club in Inglewood, California, and campaigning for Upton Sinclair’s candidacy in California’s 1934 gubernatorial election.

“She lived a life of contradictions,” said Hawes. “My goal is to situate Spears in feminist history.”

After the history master’s program, Hawes hopes to enter a Ph.D. program and dig deeper into suffragism, looking specifically at the marriages and partnerships of suffragists and how they influenced their positions and perspectives.

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Anthony Laurie

By Taylor Pedersen, CLA Student Writer - February 26, 2025

Based in Los Angeles, Anthony Laurie balances life as a musician in the rock band Thredge, with his studies as a senior in the College of Liberal Arts’ Contemporary Music Industry (CMI) Ecampus program. After originally earning an associate’s degree in classical guitar performance from his local community college in L.A., Laurie sought more industry-focused training, and a recommendation from a friend led him to the CMI program. “The flexibility of online classes allows me to focus on Thredge while also earning my degree,” Laurie explained. 

Through courses in songwriting, entrepreneurship, and music business, Laurie gained practical skills he’s able to  directly apply to his music career. His advice to young musicians looking for more experience is to: “Get out there. Find people to play with, whether it’s through social media or local venues. And if you’re considering the CMI program, it’s a great way to learn the business and creative skills you’ll need.”

Laurie is currently interning at Revolver Recordings in L.A., which he’s able to earn academic credit for. The experience has broadened his musical perspective through engineering and production to collaborating with artists in genres outside his comfort zone. “Helping an R&B artist complete an EP was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve worked on. It pushed me creatively and professionally.”

Laurie’s first steps into live performance began at just ten years old. Encouraged by his parents' shared enthusiasm for music, Laurie was drawn to bands like Metallica, sparking a lifelong passion for guitar and performance. His first debut was in middle school talent shows, but his high school years in L.A. marked a turning point. “I played my first real show at a local bar, just me and a backing track,” he said. Soon after, he joined his first band and performed at the famed Whisky a Go Go, a venue that has since become a staple for Thredge.

Thredge began as a partnership between Laurie and drummer Ryan Duswalt, sparked by a backstage meeting at a local venue. “I snuck backstage to surprise him after a show,” Laurie laughed. The pair initially worked long-distance, writing music during the pandemic. The band’s name, a mashup of “thrash” and “edge,” took on deeper significance with their debut album “The New Plague”: a concept record about a fictional plague.

Over time, Thredge has undergone several transformations, from lineup changes to refining their sound. “Recording our first album in ten days was a huge learning experience,” Laurie shared. “We’ve since played everything from packed venues to nearly empty bars, but every show helps us grow.” Recently, Thredge brought on a new lead vocalist and is preparing to record new tracks, including a reimagined version of their popular song “Dysfunctional.”

As graduation nears, Laurie is focused on expanding Thredge’s reach and honing his production skills. “We’re hoping to play some festivals this summer and pitch our new songs to agents and labels,” he shared. Personally, he plans to continue working at Revolver and advancing his expertise in studio production.

For Laurie, the journey is far from over. With his dedication to music and the tools he’s gained through education and experience, he’s well on his way to making a lasting mark in the Industry.

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Credit: Michael Saechang, Flickr

By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - February 19, 2025

The United States leads high-income countries in gun deaths. Over the past twenty years, gun fatalities have increased, peaking at 48,830 deaths in 2021. Amidst this widespread gun violence, state legislatures and voters have attempted to address this ongoing crisis by passing policy and ballot measures to affect access to and legal uses of firearms.

In 2022, a public referendum in Oregon, Measure 114, provided voters the choice to strengthen gun control throughout the state. The ballot measure promised background checks for all gun sales, restrictions on magazine capacities, and a new permit-to-purchase program. Proponents of Measure 114 intended to reduce the number of firearms in Oregon, subsequently reducing firearm-related accidents and violence. The referendum narrowly passed but was never implemented, due to numerous court challenges.

In a new working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, Katie Bollman, assistant professor of economics, looks at how new gun regulations affected firearm demand and how anticipatory firearm purchases may have attenuated or delayed the desired effects voiced by proponents of Measure 114.

“In the long run, restrictions like permit-to-purchase programs may increase public safety by reducing the number of guns in circulation,” said Bollman. “However, the passage of such programs may spawn short-run anticipation effects. We see similar behavior in smokers, who reduce smoking when they anticipate future tax hikes, while also stockpiling cigarettes to avoid future taxes.”

Previous literature already suggests how perceived threats of potential new gun restrictions can spur sales, however with the passing of Measure 114, Bollman and her colleagues are able to study the effect of an actual looming restriction.

Using background check data from the FBI and Oregon State Police, Bollman found that background checks gradually increased 14 percent in the weeks preceding the election and then immediately and substantially surged 157 percent after the outcome of the vote was known. In essence, there was one purchase attempt per 50 Oregonians in a two-month period.

18 months after the election, Bollman’s data analysis showed a cumulative increase of around 63,000 background checks throughout Oregon. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there was a considerably stronger demand for firearms where the majority of voters opposed Measure 114, mostly located in Oregon’s more rural counties.

“There is a fairly clear-cut and straightforward paper with not a ton of dressing around it,” explained Bollman. “Measure 114 was highly salient, in that there was widespread awareness of the ballot measure, and we observed a distinct effect, more firearm purchases”

As to why Oregonians were motivated to purchase more firearms before and after Measure 114’s passing, Bollman has a few theories. Oregon’s strong gun culture and media consumption outside of urban areas may have elevated gun-owners’ anxiety around firearm restrictions. Bollman and her co-authors referenced a similar scenario in 2008, after Barack Obama was elected, when there was a run on firearm sellers.

Though Measure 114 has still yet to go into effect, policy makers and activists looking to propose similar measures  need to account for these anticipatory effects. Measure 114 may appear to present the best path forward for regulation advocates; however, the public referendum led to massive increases in gun sales—the opposite effect intended by the measure’s authors. Had the measure gone into effect immediately, like a 2016 assault weapons ban in Massachusetts, a much smaller anticipatory reaction may have occurred. 

For Bollman, the next step is to try to understand the behaviors of these new and existing gun owners and what this massive wave of firearm purchases means to Oregonians.

“With the tens of thousands of new firearms purchased by Oregonians, what will these downstream effects look like in practice,” asked Bollman. “There is already an established relationship between firearm access and gun violence. Will we see more of homicides and suicides in Oregon because of Measure 114?”

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Kyle Hart, Class of 2013

By Katie Livermore, CLA Student Writer - February 12, 2025

Catching an early flight to California in 2012, Kyle Hart, Class of 2013, was barely awake at his gate when the man next to him, decked in an all-white velour suit and a mop of dark curly hair, instigated a conversation. Little did he know, Hart had already seen this man many times before, but didn’t know where from. 

A group of travelers approached to shyly ask the man for autographs, but Hart convinced himself he didn’t recognize him. "Must be a California thing," he thought. They conversed for an hour before boarding the flight. 

It wasn’t until he awoke from a dream that Hart finally realized: this man was Richard Simmons.

An American television personality, Simmons swept the nation with his prominent fitness regime in the 80s. His programs featured aerobics routines on shows titled The Richard Simmons Show and Sweatin’ To The Oldies. 

But Hart and Simmons’ story wasn’t over yet. Hart met Simmons again at baggage claim. He apologized for not recognizing him sooner, but Simmons brushed it off. An avid artist and always drawing, Hart asked Simmons to sign his sketchbook. 

“He left his email address, and invited me to visit his dance studio 'Slimmons' at some point during my stay, which was very strange,” Hart said.

***

Kyle Hart has always been drawing. It’s always been a hobby, but he’s transformed this talent into his career and philanthropy work. 

Hart grew up in the small southern town of Grants Pass, Oregon. He lived as an only child in the countryside.

“Naturally, I spent a lot of time sort of in my head, for better or worse,” Hart said. “It fostered a really honest and sincere imagination. My parents were always really encouraging me to be creative and to have fun doing that. I have always liked drawing.”

In early education, Hart started out in a Catholic private elementary school before moving on to the public middle and high schools. Hart was the “class clown” in A.P. classes. With his Catholic background, asked many philosophical questions, not afraid to raise controversial topics. 

“I'm spiritual and religious, but I appreciate honest dialogue,” Hart said. “People who are just like, ‘this is the way to do it,’ and ‘everything else is not right,’ you close yourself off to growth that way.”

As for art, of the one art teacher at both schools, there were none that fostered Hart’s creativity. That didn’t stop him from practicing art in the margins of every assignment–to some teachers' excitement, others’ dismay. His drawings were the outward expression of his imagination.

Throughout school, Hart played many sports–basketball, baseball and cross country–where he frequently played through sprained ankles, broken fingers and toes. 

Everything changed, however, when he blew out his knee in his junior year. Hart was forced to undergo a major reconstructive surgery and leave his sports career behind.

It was the first time he felt truly lost. 

“I experienced my first dream dying because I have always been very disciplined. I worked really hard to try to at least get to play college basketball,” Hart said. “I knew that my odds were slim at making it to the NBA, but I think you have to believe in your own dreams.”

In a state of depression, Hart leaned into drawing and spent most of his time immersed in art. He developed a hobby of dying laceless-style Vans shoes in different colors for his friends.

Upon graduating high school, Hart, a lifelong Duck fan, landed upon Oregon State University for college. He was unsure of what to study, but he decided to begin with business. Not long after, he changed his major to undecided and enrolled in an Exploratory Studies class. From there, he found psychology.

“I'm getting chills, because I remember thinking, 'this is really cool;' how people think, why they think it,” Hart said. “I've since learned about my own mental health stuff, but there were things that I experienced as a kid and even as a young adult, where I was like, ‘I want to learn more about why I do the things I do.’”

As his last assignment for Exploratory Studies he was tasked with shadowing a person from a career that interested him. At that point, he wanted to study exercise and psychological impact. 

Hart immediately thought of Simmons.

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Hart with Simmons in 2012

“My professor looked at me and was like, ‘if you interview Richard Simmons, I'll just give you an A,’” Hart said. “It was great. I interviewed him. We had a great conversation.”

Hart fell in love with psychology. He revels in sociology, writing, and nearly every facet of the social sciences. 

Not limited to fine arts to express his imagination, Hart also wrote psychology-focused articles for The Daily Barometer and hosted a love talk show, “Quit Playing Games,” with his friend for KBVR-FM, OSU’s radio station. 

“I just feel like the brain is still something we don't fully understand,” Hart said. “As it pertains to psychology, I just think that it's moving faster than we can study it.”

After graduating from OSU with a psychology degree, Hart worked for a sandwich shop in Portland for a few months before landing a job on the Nike support service team. 

On the side, he illustrated and wrote his first children’s book, titled The Mustache that Cured World Hunger. This book was a self-published labor of love, and 50 percent of proceeds went to The Oregon Food Bank. 

“There are people in this world who are dedicating their lives to doing good things and in organizations who actually want to see the world heal,” Hart said. “I was financially broke, barely making rent, I was like, but maybe I can make something and try to give back in some way. So I wrote and drew this book.” 

Hart was working on contract at Nike when social media marketing started to boom, then, he transitioned to working for different social media agencies copywriting, editing photos and video, and more.

Hart then was hired to work in Intel’s user experience psychology lab, where he applied his psychology skills.

“We would set up these like tests, essentially to take participants through user experiences with smartphones,” Hart said. “When I was there, we were working on, for Intel, it was Cortana, but like Siri and voice recognition stuff.”

The lab, however interesting, wasn’t the work that excited him. Fueled by his love of basketball, Hart went back to social media to work for the Jordan Brand team. From there, he moved on to become a producer, but it wouldn’t amount to a full-time job. 

About to be kicked off his parents’ insurance, he got to work on Nike’s campus.

“I just started networking a lot,” Hart said. “I started meeting every color designer that I could, and really applied what I learned from Oregon State. I picked color design over graphics or materials because color, is one of the most subjective parts of our world.”

Since he never stopped creating, Hart’s physical portfolio was bursting with tee shirt designs, books, posters and graphics. This, along with a concept footwear project he created, Hart caught designers’ attention and got his foot in the door as a color design assistant. 

“I've always been making stuff, it’s how I express myself,” Hart said. “There's a flow state for the most part, that I feel when I'm drawing or creating, that I just don't get from a lot of other places.”

Suddenly, Converse, all the way in Boston, was hiring. But Hart was born and raised an Oregonian. 

When he got the job, Hart planned to bring the offer back to Nike in hopes they would match and he could stay comfortably in his home state. Instead, the vice president of Nike Color Design at the time gave him advice he’d never regret taking. 

“I was afraid to move across the country. I don't know anybody,” Hart said. “The V.P. said, 'Nike's gonna be here. Nike's not going anywhere. Go to Boston and get some experience.' Looking back, it was some of the best career advice I ever got.”

Hart’s risk led him to work as a kids’ color shoe designer to basketball shoes to mens’ shoes. 

Now, he’s Converse’s Lead Trend & Concepts Footwear Color Designer. He uses trend and current market indicators to inform decisions on color palette. He has published five children's books and 100 percent of the proceeds go to a non-profit organization based on the story’s topic, for example, coping with grief as a child which is the subject of his fourth book, The Sideburns that Empowered Everyone. 

Hart’s message is that everything is creative and everyone has imagination. 

“I gave a TEDx talk at OSU about how imagination isn't constrained to the arts, because we all have to envision the life that we want,” Hart said. “Every decision takes imagination because you have to imagine what life is going to be like if you make that decision or if you don’t.”

What he imagined, Hart accomplished on a journey of jobs, leaps of faith and a dash of imagination.

“If I could go back and tell this to my past self, I’d say, 'you don't have to be defined by what you studied,'” Hart said. “When I try to plot and plan every move, it often doesn't work the way I want or expect it to. But always believe in yourself and the person you want to become.”

View more of Kyle Hart's work

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By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - February 12, 2025

Rural communities are diverse, complicated, idealized, and disparaged; they are sometimes healthy and sometimes struggling. Whether they are isolated geographically or sit just outside sprawling urban boundaries, complex issues affecting rural livelihoods require passionate problem solvers who appreciate the resilience and vulnerabilities of these places. Rural communities are a frequent topic of discussion, particularly during election years, but the discourse has rarely substantively addressed the systemic challenges facing residents in these communities. 

Rural policy is understood as those policies specifically targeted at small, nonmetropolitan areas. While some communities benefit from new investments that open up economic opportunities, others struggle with the loss of industry, out-migration of youth, and an increasing reliance on tourism. Such communities can benefit from trained policy professionals who are informed on the needs, advantages, options, and opportunities in rural places.

The School of Public Policy employs OSU’s long-standing reputation as a leader in research and connection with rural communities to offer a unique Ecampus graduate certificate focused on addressing the socioeconomic and political challenges facing provincial populations. 

“Very few universities around the country offer the possibility of focusing strictly on rural public policy, that’s not a subset of agriculture policy,” said Mark Edwards, professor of sociology and director of the Rural Policy Graduate Certificate program. “This program looks to help students understand rural populations’ own sense of efficacy. These communities are often marginalized and have their own distinct socioeconomic challenges from urban population centers.”

Now in its 6th year, the graduate certificate program is rooted in social science, and open for anyone who’s successfully completed their undergraduate studies. Students nationwide and in diverse careers gain valuable interdisciplinary insights into complex challenges facing rural places. The curriculum touches on topics such as rural economic development, housing policy, amenity migration, service delivery, and more.

“These are extraordinary questions specific to rural communities, where a policy solution from an urban or suburban landscape would not have the same effect” explained Edwards. “How can public policy help young people find work, stimulate housing production, and administer SNAP programs? In addition to more contemporary problems, like how do these communities adapt to displacement or gentrification?”

A program ready for whenever you are

Amy Jester is a mid-career professional who was looking for a program to help provide a greater understanding of the federal policy landscape, as well as a class schedule that fit into her busy day. Finishing the certificate program in August 2024, Jester is the director of policy at a regional community foundation in Northern California who works with local, state, federal, and tribal partners to create policy changes to help her region thrive. 

“First, from a historical perspective, the program gave me a better understanding of how federal policy has been shaped over time to divest from rural communities,” explained Jester “Then, it helped me dig deeper into environmental law and policy and allow for me to develop my own point of view and critical analysis.”

Jester also appreciated the ability to complete the 20 credits at her own pace and on her own time, able to pick up and pause classes depending on her workload and personal obligations.

“I was looking for flexibility in the learning environment,” explained Jester. “With my schedule, I couldn’t make an in-person class work and could only really fit in one class a week. With the certificate program, I could design the experience based on my personal and professional needs. I also like the potential pathway into the master’s of public policy program, in case I decide to continue in the future.”

The transition from the certificate program into the master’s program is something that Keith Lindblom is taking advantage of. Lindblom, who works for a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit focused on policy, long wanted to work towards a master’s degree. With some starts and stops along the way, Lindblom completed the certificate program and is now a master’s student in the public policy program (M.P.P.). 

Initially enrolling in the certificate program to gain a better understanding of the complexities of rural policy making, Lindblom’s transition into the M.P.P. program complements his rural policy studies and positions him to work more directly on rural policy issues. 

“Growing up in a small South Dakota community, I understand rural places and the challenges they face,” said Lindblom. “Now, working at a policy-focused nonprofit, I can bring together my personal experience and education from the certificate program to benefit my organization’s work on rural topics. If you don’t have rural voices or perspectives involved in the process, you can’t expect an outcome that addresses their needs.”

Understanding rural communities

Since its establishment in 1868, OSU’s support of rural livelihoods, traditionally through agricultural research, has yielded a thriving academic community committed to advancing the sustainability of provincial economies. In the College of Liberal Arts, scholars from the School of Public Policy examine the economic, sociological, and political issues to offer comprehensive paths to potential solutions. Each scholar brings their individual expertise to the multidisciplinary online certificate program.

“The program has been particularly enlightening,” said Katey McIntosh, ‘06, who earned the certificate in spring 2024. “The online aspect brings in students from all fields of policy with most people working simultaneously. Then, you have this multidisciplinary mix of instructors who bring their own knowledge. It’s great to see the variation of how policy works across sectors, which makes the learning environment and conversations much better and more engaging.”

McIntosh, a rural education specialist living in Texas, enjoyed how the instructors brought the impacts of good or bad policy down to a personal level, showcasing the need for effective data gathering and preliminary research. 

“From a social services standpoint,” explained McIntosh, “Mark [Edwards] and the other instructors put so much effort into humanizing policy and what it looks like on the ground; it forever changed the way I look at policy making.”

There were two courses that stuck out to Lindblom.

“Public Policy Theory [PPOL 512] with Professor Brent Steel was not strictly focused on rural policy per se, but it was a really deep, theoretical, and practical look at the policy making environment,” said Lindblom. “It provided color to what we read in the news coming out of Washington and the state capitals.”

Another class that stood out for Lindblom was Rural Sociology (SOC 575) with Professor Lori Cramer, which looked at the challenges and opportunities that are unique to rural communities. The course only reinforced to Lindblom the importance of incorporating various perspectives into policy making to reduce divisiveness and design better-informed and more equitable solutions.

“People who live in rural communities have a different sense of community and service than people from cities, and a heightened consciousness of what’s going on immediately around them,” explained Lindblom. “From a policymaking perspective, it’s important to understand rural communities in order to better serve their needs. The courses that are part of the certificate program highlighted these and other aspects of rural places that matter to policy design.”

“The program was well structured to allow for students to explore their interests,” explained McIntosh. “For me that was critically examining education systems and social service delivery in rural settings. How can we build structures that allow for a sense of agency, while also counteracting initial policy decisions that put people in disadvantaged circumstances.”

For prospective students looking to develop an awareness of rural communities and their environments, the Rural Policy Graduate Certificate program will provide a deeper, multidisciplinary understanding of how to effectively support systems and structures to create a productive impact in these spaces.

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Dr. Patricia Fifita

By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - February 6, 2025

In summer 2023, a friend of Patricia Fifita’s came to her with a stunning proposal: help restore 432 acres of Anahola coastline that lies within the moku (region) of Koʻolau along the northeast coast of Kauaʻi. With support from the Lenfest Ocean Program, Fifita, an assistant professor of ethnic studies, now co-leads a team of scholars, researchers, and community liaisons to develop an restoration plan centering on Kānaka Oiwi self-determination, histories, ecological health, and healing.

“For over 200 years, there’s been a dispossession of ancestral homelands on Kauaʻi, as well as a dismantling of the Indigenous system of managing and protecting land and coastal resources,” explained Fifita. “As Indigenous Hawaiians regain access to land and sea spaces, there is a need for Indigenous-driven efforts to sustainably re-engage and re-incorporate Indigenous knowledge systems, practices, and ancestral connections to place in meaningful and equitable ways.”

In February 2022, Jeremie Makepa, Fifita’s friend, Native Hawaiian, and resident of the Anahola Hawaiian Homestead community, was awarded a Rite-of-Entry permit to oversee the long-term utilization and stewardship of the coastline. The acreage is currently owned by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, an agency overseen by the U.S. State Department that's tasked with returning Hawaiian homestead lands to Native Hawaiians. 

Makepa, who’s also a fire captain for Kauaʻi County, established the ʻĀina Alliance. Through the nonprofit, Makepa was able to remove thousands of pounds of trash and abandoned cars, as well as clear and maintain the land to mitigate wildfires, a growing threat on the islands. Makepa later invited Fifita and Emmalani Makepa, a community liaison for ʻĀina Alliance, a local nonprofit, to collaborate on developing a makai (ocean) restoration and management plan for the site.

Together, through a series of “kūpuna-led” participatory talk-story sessions, Fifita, Makepa, as well as Dr. Lori Cramer, professor of sociology, and Dr. Lelemia Irvine, a physics professor at the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oahu, will develop a community-led pathway towards the coastlines' restoration. Fifita will also be partnering with researchers at the Center for Oral History at the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa to help preserve the data and oral histories gathered from Anahola residents. 

“What we’re hoping to record is traditional and customary management responsibilities and practices of the coastline,” explained Fifita. “It’s so important to capture and preserve the memories of those who once lived and continue to carry knowledge and memories of the Anahola coastal areas. We are interested in understanding what used to go on there.” 

Additionally, the research team will be working with Kūkulu Kumuhana O Anahola (KKOA), a local nonprofit that blends traditional and modern culture to promote sustainability. Recorded Indigenous knowledge will help inform future KKOA projects to more sustainably shape communities along the coastline. 

A significant component of the project is also to develop a data sovereignty statement to outline for future researchers of Anahola how data from Indigenous residents can be used and shared. Helping Fifita with data collection and transcription, as well as crafting the data sovereignty statement are two undergraduate research assistants Heavenly "Naia" Afo and Tihani Mitchell, both students in the College of Liberal Arts.

“When embarking on a project of collecting ‘data,’ which can include anything from ancestral knowledge, cultural practices, social information, and more, it is critical to allow Indigenous communities to have authority over their own stories, as well as define a code of ethics and responsibilities for researchers as to how they can use this valued information.” 

Fifita, Cramer, along with the two undergraduate research assistants, recently presented some of their initial findings as part of a Lenfest Ocean Program webinar series. 

“Jeremie and the research team have received an outpouring of support from Anahola residents for this ongoing project” said Fifita. “The community-focused planning work myself and my colleagues are managing is only a small part to help inform the long-term restoration work for the entire Anahola ahupuaʻa.”