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 International Conference Center East-West Center 1777 East-West Road Honolulu, Hawaii 
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Fall 2022
Connected at the Center Weaving the Past, Present and Future Common in Pacific Islander culture, Pacific Islanders look into their cultural past to protect their future. They do this by looking into their traditions and indigenous knowledge and combining these with the current modern state of the world. Similarly, in this Exchange, we will be looking at the East-West Center's past when thinking about how we approach our future. The EWC has cultivated leaders within the Center to build sustainable futures in their homelands. As current participants we will challenge ourselves to ask, "How can we utilize our collective traditions and the knowledge we have gained through our experiences at the Center to improve the world?" To do so, we can reflect on experiences of previous and present EWC participants, researchers, and leaders. In this semester's Exchange, we will be examining the roles of EWC leaders in their communities and reflecting on our role as current participants. We will remove the borders of our lands and bridge connections across the world in a mat-weaving metaphor. As we bridge these connections, we weave our experiences and relationships into a metaphorical mat that is always expanding. We are all connected, and as we weave our own unique experiences and connections, we showcase the various opportunities for our future generations to do the same. |
The Exchange Fall 2022 Team
Krystine Cabrera (Planning & Speaking Intern) Krystine Cabrera was born in Seattle, Washington and raised in Marysville, Washington. She is an East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellow scholar and a 1st-year Social Work graduate student at the University of Hawai'i. She is also an East-West Center Student Affiliate Alumni and has a Master's in Pacific Islands Studies that she earned in May 2022. Krystine received her B.A in Medical Anthropology and Global Health from University of Washington - Seattle Campus in 2016. She has previously served as the President and Hale Kuahine Representative of the East-West Center Participants' Association. Outside of school, Krystine loves to plan clean-up events and to serve the community. She is also a Tahitian dancer and currently dances and performs for Tahiti Mana. 
Koharu Yonebayashi (Featured Artist/Performance)
Koharu Yonebayashi is a multimedia artist from Tokyo, Japan with a BA in documentary and experimental filmmaking with a special emphasis on race, gender, and Japanese cultural studies from The Evergreen State College. She received her Advanced Women's Studies Graduate Certificate from UH Manoa in 2021 and is currently pursuing a Masters in Japanese Art History as a Graduate Degree Fellow at the EWC. 
Mana Takita (Activity)
Mana Takita was born in Aomori Prefecture, North Japan and raised in Okinawa Prefecture. She is an East-West Center Obuchi scholar and 2nd-year Asian Studies master’s student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Mana graduated with a bachelor in Tourism Science from University of the Ryukyus. As an undergraduate student, Mana served as “Miss Naha City - Tourism Campaign Lady” in 2018, promoting travel to Okinawa islands. Drawing from her experiences in Japan, Mana is presently completing an academic internship with a company in Waikiki focused on Social Media Marketing and Promotion |
Kinzang Dorji
(Media and Communications) Kinzang Dorji was born and raised in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. He is an ADB-JSP fellow at East-West Center and a second-year graduate student at Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He completed his bachelor's degree in Architecture from Naresuan University in Thailand. Kinzang is a registered architect in Bhutan and has overseen the design and execution of a wide range of design projects across the country. Before leaving for the USA, he worked with the Royal Government of Bhutan as a senior Urban Planner at the Department of Human Settlement, the apex agency in the country for urban planning and human settlement. Currently, he is a research assistant and works with the City and County of Honolulu (City) Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resiliency (OCCSR) to create a Resilience Hub Action Plan for the island of O’ahu. For this year's Exchange Program of Fall 2022, he is the media and communications intern. Outside of the professional and academics, he enjoys exploring new places and taking photos of stunning landscapes. 
Navech Aing (Logistics)
Navech was born and raised in Cambodia. She is pursuing her Master Degree in Business Administration in Global 21 months track program at Shidler College of Business. She had a Bachelor Degree in Finance and Banking from Pannasastra University of Cambodia (PUC) and Bachelor of Education from Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). Additionally, she also has finished 9 out of 14 papers in the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) program. Before coming to Hawaii, she worked for the Australian Embassy in Cambodia for more than 8 years in the Corporate and Admin Section. Her roles and responsibilities involved assisting in managing and processing the Australian Embassy budgets and expenses. Moreover, she also assisted with the Australian Award Scholarship program. Her duties included processing standard letters, student contracts, setting up the Australia Awards and Alumni related events including protocol, invites, agendas, promotion and other logistics. She was the key point of contact for student entitlement variations, under direct supervision and approval by the Senior Program Manager and Second Secretary. Besides, she also had work experience for 2 years as an assistant auditor with KPMG Cambodia Ltd, an international network of member firms offering audit, tax, corporate and advisory services. She is passionate about helping others and the less fortunates, so she volunteers herself in various social activities. In her free time, she likes going to the gym, hiking, snorkeling, listening to music and shopping. |
