Janet Kim, the UH Mānoa College of Education (COE) Recruitment Specialist, was awarded a $76,000 grant from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. Her project, Hawaiʻi Educators Rising (EdRising), was designed with the idea of becoming a recognized Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) within the Hawaiʻi Department of Educaiton (HIDOE).
Under Kim’s direction, the project will offer the first in-person Hawaiʻi EdRising State Competition. The purpose of this event will be to elevate the perception of the teaching profession in Hawai‘i; create statewide opportunities for high schoolers to connect through common education-related experiences; and foster a supportive, statewide community of future educators. While piloting this statewide competition, EdRising will collaborate with the HIDOE to become an official CTSO.
“It’s been incredible to partner directly with our high schools across the state and work on building a more long-term and stable pipeline into teaching,” Kim said. “There has been so much overwhelming support and opportunity for collaboration with various educational stakeholders through this project, and I am so grateful to be able to do this meaningful and rewarding work!”
Planning is underway for the Hawaiʻi EdRising State Competition to be held on the UH Mānoa campus in February 2026. During the competition, high school students who are interested in a career in education will learn more about the university and COE programs. Funding will also support some student travel and lodging to provide more equitable access for those on the neighbor islands. Students who compete and place at the state competition will be eligible to compete at the national EdRising competition in Portland, Oregon next summer.
“My hope is that providing these kinds of opportunities will excite and inspire more high school students into pursuing a teaching career where they can stay in Hawaiʻi and inspire the next generation within their own communities,” Kim said.
Goals of the project include: providing a preconference experience that includes campus tours, activities, and classroom visits; establishing an annual in-person EdRising conference and competition for students and young adults to engage in education and teaching-related experiences; and increasing the number of local students enrolled in EdRising pathways or clubs and into Hawaiʻi-based teacher education licensure degrees and programs.
In March 2025, high school students from Campbell, Mililani, Pearl City, Waipahu, and Waiākea, participated in a virtual Hawaiʻi EdRising Conference.
