Unlock your potential with a transformative, two-year self-directed journey that will redefine your life!
What is
EA Ecoversity?
EA Ecoversity is a Hawaiian culture-based program blending online and offline learning in the spirit of aloha.
Tailored for Native Hawaiians ages 15-30, this tuition-free journey offers
personalized pathways to earn
micro-credentials, participate in paid internships, and engage in hands-on environmental exploration and research.
Culture-based higher education and career training for Native Hawaiian youth (ages 15–30) who aspire to:
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Achieve their highest potential.
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Expand academic and cultural knowledge, skills, and competencies.
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Advance and normalize Hawaiian language and culture.
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Mālama and aloha ʻāina.
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Earn post-secondary micro-credentials in diverse fields.
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Build a foundation for financial security.
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Raise their families in Hawaiʻi.
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Gain essential life and healthy living skills.
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Explore careers of their choice, including Kanaka Entrepreneurship.
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Contribute to economic interdependence and a sustainable Hawaiʻi.
FOUR PRIMARY areas of study
KUMUPAʻA
HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE & CULTURE
FOUNDATIONS
MAHI
CAREER EXPLORATION & TRAINING
OLA PONO
21st CENTURY HEALTH & LIFESKILLS
ALOHA ʻĀINA
RELATIONSHIP TO LAND
Validation of Learning
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Micro-Credentials validating successful completion of courses
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Digital Badges attesting to Kumupaʻa, Mahi, Ola Pono & Aloha ʻĀina Proficiencies
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EA Ecoversity Diploma after completion of all 4 Badges and Hōʻike
What our learners say:
"EA Ecoversity has given me access to a wider range of people and networking opportunities. I have learned so much already about Hawaiian protocols and customs. Recently, I got into contact with someone teaching programming through creating video games. This connection will prove to be pivotal in my progression as an entrepreneur."
- Mālama Mckeague
"I have enjoyed the opportunity to participate with other learners on the ʻŌlelo Noʻeau Team. I also developed a more concise vision of marketing techniques with a deeper understanding for my majority customer demographic through the Kanaka Enterpreneurship class."
- Vei Kuliha'apai
"I come from a small town with little opportunities and when I heard about this program, I thought it would be a perfect chance to gain experience I never had but wanted."
- Tuupua Helekahi
want more info?
Pōlanimakamae K. Kahakalau-Kalima
Kuaʻana Hoʻohana
Executive Director
EA Ecoversity
Raised in the rural and culturally rich Waipiʻo Valley, Pōlanimakamae Kahakalau-Kalima is a devoted wife, makuahine, and lifelong learner. She holds an Associate of Arts in Hawaiian Studies with an emphasis on Hula from Hawaiʻi Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
Pōlani serves as the Executive Director of EA Ecoversity, an initiative of KŪ-A-KANAKA, offering culture-based higher education, career exploration, and training for Native Hawaiian youth and young adults, ages 15–30. She also leads as Board President of Kalauokekahuli, a nonprofit dedicated to providing culturally grounded prenatal, birth, and postpartum education and services to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander families. Through her involvement with Kalauokekahuli, Pōlani completed the Ka ʻĀmana Koʻokua Mentorship Program, beginning her journey as a specialized nutrition, lactation, and postpartum doula.
Together with her husband, Noʻeau Kahakalau-Kalima, Pōlani is a Kumu Hula and co-founder of Hālau Hula Kauluola, which serves communities on Hawaiʻi Island and Maui. Deeply committed to the protection, preservation, and perpetuation of Hawaiian culture, Pōlani works tirelessly to uplift her people and strengthen her community.
