The UH Mānoa College of Education (COE) held the 2026 Hawaiʻi Educators Rising (EdRising) Experience and Conference on February 5-6, 2026. The event brought together 100 high school students from 12 different Hawaiʻi Department of Education (HIDOE) high schools across five islands to showcase local college pathways and employment opportunities in the field of education.
“The goal of this event was to provide an experience for high schoolers across the state to come together and explore education as a viable career path,” said Janet Kim, COE Recruitment Specialist, who organized the event. “I’m most proud of how many different organizations and stakeholders came together to show these students how much we care and are committed to supporting them on their pathway to becoming a teacher here in Hawai‘i.”
Day one of the conference was a “COE Experience Day” designed to provide high school students with an opportunity to explore and experience college life in Hawaiʻi. Students toured the Mānoa campus and RISE Center, and enjoyed lunch at Gateway Cafe. Activities were tailored to the students’ interests, including sessions with Study Abroad Center and the Children’s Center.
“I honestly loved the experience,” said Auriana Kurk, a Mililani High School student. “UH has an amazing community for those in EdRising. I’m a high school junior at the moment, and the conference helped me get a feel of the future I could have if this profession is pursued. I would love to have this experience again next year! This was definitely a 10/10 experience for me.”
COE faculty members provided a sneak-peek into what students would be doing if they enrolled in a teacher education program. Current COE students served on a panel to share about their college and study abroad experiences in Japan. Wrapping up day one, faculty and students from the Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science (KRS) provided fun health and physical education activities.
“What I liked best was being surrounded by other students who are also passionate about education,” said Brian Gomes, a Molokaʻi High School student. “It felt inspiring to see so many future educators in one space, all sharing similar goals of making a difference in their communities. I also appreciated the opportunity to compete and present in person, which pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and take my goals of becoming a teacher more seriously.”
The official EdRising conference and competition portion took place on day two. College of Education students, Tayne Furuta and Lexi Dempsey, emceed while teacher-led panels and sessions were hosted by Hawaiʻi teachers of the year. All of the high school participants competed in one of eight EdRising competitions with the top three winners in each category qualifying to represent Hawaiʻi at the National EdRising Conference this summer in Portland, Oregon.
“Overall, I really enjoyed meeting people from other schools, especially those from neighbor islands,” said Camille Nino of Pearl City High School. “It was so neat meeting other students with similar passions in education. Everyone was very respectful and so easy to talk to! Many times, I forgot it was even a competition.”
Check out the HI EdRising Booklet and HI EdRising website.
