What inspired you to work for Hawaiʻi Gap?
I had a chance to observe students in the classroom, and then out in nature on field trips.
This convinced me that the best way to keep students interested in science and nature was to give them opportunities to blend the two: learn about plants while walking in the forest, learn about rocks while hiking a mountain, and learn about the ocean while you are at the beach.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Being with the young people. It is so inspiring to see the energy and determination that young people have.
And it’s not just the students—working with the young people—teachers, university students, engineers, scientists, conservationists—who choose to be a part of this effort renews my hope and optimism for the future.
There aren't many things more exciting than a total eclipse of the sun!
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
I traveled a lot in my previous career and that was so influential to my life. I met and made friends around the world. I experienced other cultures and places.
I think it helped bring me to a place where encouraging people from different walks of life to meet each other became one of my goals. On the education front, for the last dozen years or so, I have made it a point to take a class or two at my local community college each year; most of these have been in the sciences.
This has given me a fairly broad overview of all the sciences—a mile wide and an inch deep, perhaps—but it has certainly been helpful in designing and refining experiential activities.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Think big! I had a big imagination, but I never used it for myself. I thought, you can do anything, go anywhere—but then limited those anythings and anywheres to a handful of careers and places.
I would tell myself to apply my imagination and maybe go to Africa instead of Chicago, or be a shark researcher, or an astronaut. Things I dreamt about but never considered possible for me. Why not? Because I failed to think big enough.
Wait... I probably am still doing this... Think big, Mike, think big!
Another total eclipse with the family!
What makes your organization special?
Our organization has been providing hands-on science and engineering programs for the past dozen years. The programs have been very successful because they are experiential and place-based, and because they are presented in an informal manner that bypasses all the stress and anxiety associated with formal education.
Activities are designed to be fun. The participants relax, their minds open, their understanding comes naturally, and their imagination takes flight.
Why should someone choose Hawaiʻi Gap over competitors?
The Environmental Leadership gap program is quite unique among gap year programs. The program's goal is to help young people find a path toward a meaningful career that will help the causes of environmentalism.
Participants study environmental science by exploring the many different ecosystems of Hawaiʻi Island to gain an understanding of how scientists collect and analyze information. They look at environmental leadership to understand how people create environmental policy and legislation.
And they look at environmental action to see how people inspire others to become more educated and to act—through scientific research, engineering, traditional and social media, and creative ecology—using art, music, dance, and drama to convey ecological ideas.
Discussing the origins of black sand with a student from China.
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Our mission is to provide opportunities for young people to learn about the natural world using the best informal education methods.
We started with programs for high school students (grades 8–12), then added programs for middle school students (grades 6–8), and have now started programs for young people who have finished high school (ages 17–22).
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I hope participants:
- Had fun and made good friends
- Have greater confidence in their own abilities
- Have a better idea of what they want to focus on when they return to school
- Are able to understand environmental policy, regulations, and legislation
- Have improved their communication skills
- Have improved their research skills
- Have improved their leadership skills
- Have a better understanding of environmental challenges
- Have learned about possible solutions to those challenges
- Have learned about the Hawaiian people and their culture
- Will make environmentalism part of their life, whatever their career
On the edge of the Grand Canyon at sunset.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
It is a great experience because it makes you realize how similar everyone is, no matter where they are from, how wealthy they are, or how different their life experience. You create connections to the people in the places you go that stay with you forever—and hopefully will eventually lead to a more tolerant world.
I would add that you actually do not have to go far to do that. There are "new" cultures all around us. Every medium or large city in the U.S. can provide opportunities to experience a new culture.
When I was in college in San Jose, we added a guitar player who was from Vietnam, which immediately immersed the rest of the band in Vietnamese culture—new foods, neighborhoods, venues, music—it was great. So, get a job at a Korean restaurant instead of a fast food chain, or volunteer on a political campaign in a "different" neighborhood.
What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?
Do it! That said, do your homework. Take time to study the places you might be interested in, and ask yourself why you are interested in them.
If you can answer that question, you will be well on the way to having a better understanding of yourself and what you hope to get out of going abroad. Once you have decided on where you will go, dig deep.
Before you go, do whatever you can to study the history, culture, politics, and local issues. And when you go, keep a journal. The time will fly by and everything tends to blur together. A journal is a must!
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Travel is meaningful as long as it is not just doing the same thing in a different place.
If you are waiting tables in a family restaurant in Buffalo and hanging out watching sports on TV, it will not be very meaningful if you pick up and go to Manchester to wait tables and watch sports on TV (except, of course, football is different).