Graduate Student Research Symposium 2026

My research will focus on how the Hawaiian language thrives beyond the classroom, particularly within the home. Focusing on past graduates of Kawaihuelani, the Center for Hawaiian Language, this research explores how haumāna continue to use and sustain Hawaiian in their daily family lives. The participants will be interviewed to understand the extent to which Hawaiian is spoken in the home, the challenges and the successes of maintaining the language in family settings. Consistent use of Hawaiian at home is widely recognized as essential for successful language revitalization. This study examines how Kawaihuelani supports haumāna in preparing to bring the language into intergenerational spaces.The findings will provide insight into how our program can further support haumāna and graduates in strengthening Hawaiian language use within their own ʻohana.