Tamila “Tami” Alcoran’s college journey began in an unlikely place: prison. This spring, she will graduate from Windward Community College with an Associate in Arts degree and continue to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health, building on academic work she first started through the college’s Puʻuhonua Incarcerated Education Program.

Puʻuhonua provides access to credit-bearing college coursework for incarcerated students, helping create pathways for educational achievement both during incarceration and after release.

“I just got out of prison. I’ve been there for nine years, and my journey actually started at the prison,” Alcoran said. “Taking classes sparked my interest in going back to school—that I can do it.”

During her incarceration, Alcoran completed approximately 20 college courses, earned a 3.76 GPA and received certificates in psychosocial development and mental health technician.

“It’s encouraging that you can do it,” she said. “You get the diploma and it’s like, wow, I did it.”

Transitional support

After returning home, Alcoran enrolled at Windward CC to complete her associate degree. She said support from Puʻuhonua and TRiO Student Support Services helped ease her transition back into college life.

“The transition was very smooth,” she said. “The people are wonderful… any question I have, they answer.”

After spending years without access to technology, adjusting to computers presented an early challenge.

“I was a little bit challenged with the computers because I didn’t have a computer for so many years,” she said. “But they were so wonderful and helped guide what I needed to do.”

Paying it forward

Her experiences led her toward social work. After witnessing the challenges many women face after incarceration, Alcoran hopes to help others navigate reentry.

“Knowledge is power,” she said. “Everybody deserves second, sometimes third or fourth chances.”

“Being nine years incarcerated, seeing the comings and goings of women… when they get out, they need something to help them,” she said. “If I can help out in whatever way I can, that’s one of my goals.”

Now preparing for graduation and her next chapter at UH Mānoa, Alcoran hopes her story encourages others to take the first step toward higher education.

Meet more amazing UH graduates

“Don’t be scared,” she said. “It is scary to try and go back to school, but just take one day at a time.”

Windward CC‘s commencement ceremony will be held on Friday, May 15 at 5 p.m. on campus.

Donate to Windward Community College’s Puʻuhonua Incarcerated Education program.

This week’s UH News Image of the Week is from UH Mānoa’s Patrick Williams, of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR).

Williams shared: “A team of researchers and students harvested rice at CTAHR‘s Waimānalo station as part of exploring if Hawaiʻi can grow rice again. Rice is a local tradition, but instead of growing it in the islands, we import more than 100 million pounds of it a year.”

Previous Images
Everybody chill
J-Pop Demon Killaz
Bash splash
Mōʻī Wahine
Cleaning up
All Images of the Week

Send us your image!

A big mahalo to everyone who has sent in their images! If selected, they will be posted throughout the semester, so check back to see the amazing work, research and experiences of the UH ʻohana!

Want to get in on the action? The next UH News Image of the Week could be yours! Submit a photo, drawing, painting, digital illustration of a project you are working on, a moment from a field research outing or a beautiful and/or interesting shot of a scene on your campus. It could be a class visit during which you see an eye-catching object or scene.

• Send your image using a UH email address.

Please include a brief description of the image and its connection to your campus, class assignment or other UH connection. By submitting your image, you are giving UH News permission to publish your photo on the UH News website and UH social media accounts. The image must be your original work, and anyone featured in your image needs to give consent to its publication.

High school seniors from across the Koʻolaupoko and Koʻolauloa regions visited Windward Community College on April 17 for Senior Bash 2026, an event designed to help students explore college pathways, connect with campus resources and experience student life before graduation.

Hosted by Windward CC‘s outreach team and supported by Hawaiʻi P–20 Partnerships for Education, the annual event brought prospective students to campus for a day of workshops, program showcases and community-building activities.

Students engaged with faculty, staff and current students while learning about academic pathways including veterinary technology, marine biology and natural resources, theatre, transfer opportunities, student employment and new student orientation.

“Senior Bash celebrates seniors’ achievements while inspiring their next steps,” said Windward CC Chancellor Ardis Eschenberg. “Many of us do not grow up seeing college as the natural next step after high school. Senior Bash welcomes everyone to campus and lets students know they belong here at Windward CC. Welcome to our ʻohana.”

“Senior Bash is a meaningful opportunity to showcase the faculty, staff and programs that make Windward Community College special,” said Outreach Coordinator Makana Tani. “We want every student to leave knowing they belong here.”

College within reach

For many students, visiting campus helps make college feel more within reach.

“Senior Bash is important because it gives our haumāna (students) the chance to meet faculty, staff and current students and see that college isn’t this big, intimidating place,” said First Year Experience Counselor Alysa Tomasa. “Many of us were the first in our families to attend college and come from these same communities—we’re here to support them and want them to succeed.”

“This year focused on building pilina and giving students time to connect with others from Koʻolaupoko and Koʻolauloa,” Tomasa added. “It felt like a true celebration of the Class of 2026—and hopefully future students at Windward CC.”

For some students, the event also highlighted immediate opportunities to take the next step.

Kalāheo High School senior Lucca Blood attended Senior Bash with a clear goal in mind and applied to Windward CC while beginning to set up his class schedule during the event.

“I came to Senior Bash to learn more about Windward CC and take advantage of the Hoʻolei scholarship,” Blood said. “Knowing that support is there makes it feel more possible to come here.”

The Hoʻolei scholarship provides one year of free tuition for graduating DOE high school seniors from Windward district schools, helping reduce financial barriers for students transitioning into college.

Graduates from across the University of Hawaiʻi 10-campus system will be celebrated this spring, starting May 9 and ending May 16.<.p>
Meet more amazing UH graduates

Thousands of graduates will celebrate at the ceremonies with family and friends. We ask that attendees and residents near the events plan ahead for traffic before and after the ceremonies.

Saturday, May 9

University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu
Time: 9 a.m.
Location: UH Mānoa, Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Commencement website
Livestream link (will become active during the ceremony)

Thursday, May 14

UH Maui College
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: UH Maui College Great Lawn
Commencement website
Livestream link

Friday, May 15

Kapiʻolani Community College
Program breakdown by ceremony

Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Diamond Head Theatre
Commencement website
Livestream link

Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Diamond Head Theatre
Commencement website
Livestream link

Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Diamond Head Theatre
Commencement website
Livestream link

Kauaʻi Community College
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Kauaʻi CC, lawn near Hawaiian Studies/Social Sciences Building
Commencement website
Livestream link

Leeward Community College
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Puʻuloa Campus, Tuthill Courtyard
Commencement website
Livestream link

Windward Community College
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Windward CC, Hale ʻĀkoakoa
Commencement website
Livestream link

Hawaiʻi Community College
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Edith Kanakaʻole Tennis Stadium
Commencement website

Honolulu Community College
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Waikiki Shell
Commencement website

Saturday, May 16

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
Time: 9 a.m.
Location: Edith Kanakaʻole Multipurpose Stadium
Commencement website

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Time: 9 a.m.
Location: UH Mānoa, Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Commencement website
Livestream link (will become active during the ceremony)
College of Arts, Languages & Letters
College of Natural Sciences
College of Social Sciences
College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resilience
Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge
Interdisciplinary Studies
School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology

Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: UH Mānoa, Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Commencement website
Livestream link (will become active during the ceremony)
College of Education
College of Engineering
John A. Burns School of Medicine
School of Nursing & Dental Hygiene
School of Architecture
Shidler College of Business
Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health

Hawaiʻi Community College–Pālamanui
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Hawaiʻi CC Pālamanui Campus, Pānini Lanai
Commencement website

Beginning in summer 2026, all University of Hawaiʻi online classes—including hybrid courses with an online component—will be delivered through Lamakū, the university’s official learning management system (LMS).

The change, required by university policy adopted on April 1, 2026, is designed to strengthen the student experience across UH‘s 10 campuses while improving data security and systemwide support for teaching and learning.

Providing students with single point of reference

Using a single LMS provides students with a consistent point of access for course materials, communication and grades, regardless of campus or department. This reduces the number of different platforms students must navigate and supports stronger engagement and success in online learning environments.

“Moving to a single learning management system makes it easier for students to stay organized and engaged in their courses, while also giving faculty a secure, well-supported platform for teaching,” said Kim Siegenthaler, senior advisor to UH President Wendy Hensel. “Lamakū strengthens consistency across our campuses and helps ensure that both students and instructors have the tools they need for a successful learning experience.”

The move also enhances protection of student information. Lamakū meets UH Information Security policies and applicable data privacy requirements, significantly reducing the risk of security breaches involving course materials, grades and other sensitive information.

Faculty may continue using third-party instructional tools when appropriate, but those tools must meet UH policy requirements and be integrated through Lamakū.

Lamakū: Lighting the path for learning

The Hawaiian word lamakū means torch—the same torch represented in the UH logo—and symbolizes education and enlightenment, lamakū o ka naʻauao. The platform reflects UH‘s ongoing commitment to advancing teaching and learning through modern, secure and student-centered technology across the system.

This week’s UH News Image of the Week is from Honolulu Community College’s Shannon Fritz.

Fritz shares: Everybody chill. Students in the Honolulu CC Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Program get hands-on experience with a water-cooled chiller system after attending the Hawaii Buildings, Facilities, & Property Management Expo. Clockwise from far left: Jeremy Jennings, Professor Steven Chow, Joe Grummon, Pohaku Kaye, Awa Yerhot, D’Sean Watson, and Sage Le Akina.”

Previous Images
J-Pop Demon Killaz
Bash splash
Mōʻī Wahine
Cleaning up
Through the water
All Images of the Week

Send us your image!

A big mahalo to everyone who has sent in their images! If selected, they will be posted throughout the semester, so check back to see the amazing work, research and experiences of the UH ʻohana!

Want to get in on the action? The next UH News Image of the Week could be yours! Submit a photo, drawing, painting, digital illustration of a project you are working on, a moment from a field research outing or a beautiful and/or interesting shot of a scene on your campus. It could be a class visit during which you see an eye-catching object or scene.

• Send your image using a UH email address.

Please include a brief description of the image and its connection to your campus, class assignment or other UH connection. By submitting your image, you are giving UH News permission to publish your photo on the UH News website and UH social media accounts. The image must be your original work, and anyone featured in your image needs to give consent to its publication.

Maui Komohana

—West; Western Maui.

More ʻŌlelo of the Week

“Kaulana nui loa ʻo Mokuʻula i Maui Komohana i kona kapu loa. (Mokuʻula Western Maui is very famous due to its sacredness.)”

—Melelani Seiki, he haumāna ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language student), Ke Kulanui Kaiāulu o Honolulu a me Ke Kulanui Kaiāulu o Maui (Honolulu Community College and UH Maui College)

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the UH Hilo Wehewehe Wikiwiki.

The University of Hawaiʻi community gathered for a virtual keynote exploring the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) on April 27. The event drew interest across the system, hosting nearly 500 attendees online.

Microsoft’s AI Innovation Officer Michael J. Jabbour led the session, focusing on human-centered organizational transformation and the intersection of human and AI in education and healthcare.

UH President Wendy Hensel opened the webinar stating: “At the University of Hawaiʻi, we recognize the question is not whether we will embrace AI, but how we will do so. As you know, we’ve been setting up a systemwide AI initiative and conversation that we launched last year that we will scale significantly in the year ahead to educate our community on AI. As an example of this you may know we recently launched artificial intelligence for Hawaiʻi course which is a free 12-chapter interactive course accessible through the UH OneAI Hub.”

A central theme of Jabbour’s presentation was the importance of maintaining human direction as AI capabilities rapidly expand. He warned that while AI can generate an infinite amount of output, humans must stay driven by actual outcomes. To foster critical thinking, especially among students, Jabbour shared how he encourages his own children to interact with AI models by instructing them to “teach me, don’t tell me,” ensuring that users maintain active agency.

“The only thing I ask you to consider, whether it’s with an AI or it’s with a human, is to think before you ask,” Jabbour said. “Because if you’re throwing ideas out there and asking the AI before you’ve thought, the AI‘s thinking now becomes your thinking and you don’t get a choice.”

Looking ahead, Jabbour noted that up to 70% of every hour worked could soon be automated, and that models are quickly matching human intelligence in specific tasks. With more than 60% of employers indicating they will not hire individuals lacking AI skills, he stated that educational institutions must adapt to avoid a big skills gap in training the up and coming workforce.

When asked how students can prepare for a workforce heavily impacted by AI, Jabbour highlighted adaptability, curiosity and human connection. He advised that the future of work will rely less on manual tasks and more on the human ability to clearly express goals and direct outcomes alongside AI.

The recording will be linked here when it’s available online.