ABOUT
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What is The Exchange?
THE EXCHANGE is a series of evening events, held weekly, featuring guest presentations, performances, and activities. Sessions explore the pressing issues, histories, challenges, innovations, and vibrant cultures that make the Asia-Pacific region unique. THE EXCHANGE is a chance for students and distinguished guests to share their time and their ideas, with each becoming better informed and better connected as a result. THE EXCHANGE is planned and produced by graduate students at the East-West Center. Location Imin Conference Center East-West Center 1777 East-West Road Honolulu, Hawaii 
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Fall 2024 Theme
The Past Within Us: Understanding Tā and Vā - Indigenous Spaces and Relationality - Aloha everyone! The Fall 2024 Exchange team proudly presents the theme for this semester. The theme delves into the concept of spaces and the ways it is strengthened and continuously built to strengthen relations. “The Past within Us” is a derivation from the wider theme of the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, calling on the intentionality of the preservation of indigenous cultures through the understanding of the importance of our relationships, especially to the concepts of Past, Present and Future. This theme is a call to strengthen our own understanding of the spaces within our cultures and understandings of this to move us forward, finding resilience in our relationships and existence. The Fall 2024 Exchange will take place on MONDAYS from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, September 16 to November 18 at the Imin Conference Center. Looking forward to seeing you! Mahalo, The Fall 2024 Exchange Team |
Meet the Fall 2024 Exchange Team!
Ulamila Cagivanua
Planning & Speaker Intern Ulamila is a proud daughter of the Fiji Islands and of the Pacific region and is a first year PhD student in the Political Science department. Her research interests stem from a love and deep respect for Indigenous epistemology and the value it holds in the ways we navigate Western spaces and the collaborative elements that can exist from the use of both in this day and age. Her Master's thesis was focused on the use of iTaukei (Indigenous Fijian) epistemology, particularly 'Loloma' (Indigenous Fijian perception and practice of love, honor and respect) as a framework for solutions against gender-based violence in Fiji. Within this, her passions are in work that recenter and refocus on Indigeneity, particularly in resurgence of Indigenous voices whether it be in academia, poetry, art and performance for Indigenous futurisms. 
Takuya Tamaki
Activities Intern Born and raised in Okinawa, Japan, Takuya is a graduate student in Learning Design and Technology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and an Obuchi Student Scholarship recipient. He is a driven individual dedicated to utilizing education as a catalyst for positive change within the communities of both Hawaii and Japan. His ultimate goal is to design a curriculum and educational environment that promotes student autonomy and equips individuals with the skills and mindset necessary to make a meaningful impact on society. As the Activities Intern for the Fall 2024 Exchange, Takuya is eager to create engaging discussion activities that reflect both the session's theme and the diverse backgrounds of the students. 
Riko Higa
Communications Intern Riko is a Graduate Degree Fellow from Okinawa, Japan, pursuing her master's in Communication at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She worked for three years as a reporter for a local newspaper company in Okinawa covering a wide range of news from local politics and social issues to the economy. During the pandemic, she saw the need to make news and information more accessible to the people of Okinawa by utilizing digital tools, thus she is seeking the methods through her research. As a participant in the East-West Center's program, she hopes to deepen her understanding of various issues in the Indo-Pacific. By working together with her cohorts, she seeks to achieve awareness of these issues and search for thier solutions. |
Michael Emil "Mike" Awapuhi O Ikaika Johnson
Performance Intern Michael is a law student at the University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of Law and an East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellow. Mike hails from the island of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. He is passionate about promoting dialogue and connection among individuals from different cultural backgrounds and is dedicated to ensuring that the Fall 2024 Exchange is both educational and enriching for all involved. In his free time, Mike enjoys dancing hula, playing music, SCUBA diving, spearfishing, surfing, and Muay Thai kickboxing. 
Kristen Turang Udui
Food Intern Kristen Turang Udui is a 2nd year Graduate Degree Fellow at the East-West Center, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Business Administration at the Shidler College of Business. Born and raised in the island of Palau, Kristen fostered a love and appreciation for the natural environment and community that would go on to shape her career. Kristen pursued her bachelor's degree in Taiwan majoring in Journalism & Mass Communication before working as a communications coordinator for a non-profit back in her home island supporting conservation initiatives with development outcomes. 
Reza Hikam
Logistics Intern Reza Hikam is from Surabaya, Indonesia and is currently an MA student in the Department of History at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa with funding from the East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowship. |
