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Ka Lehua ʻŌlinolino Mau Newsletter of the Ulu Lehua Scholars Program | Summer 2021

Director's Column

Dr. Troy J.H. Andrade '11

Welcome to our 2021 e-newsletter, Ka Lehua ʻŌlinolino Mau, a reflection of the great work accomplished by students and graduates of the William S. Richardson School of Law's Ulu Lehua Scholars Program (previously known as the "Pre-Admission Program"). I am truly honored to be able to celebrate, recognize, and remember special moments from the last year. In this e-newsletter, we seek to capture many of these moments, such as the virtual discussions of social justice issues facing our community and the advocacy work of our Lehua Scholars despite the global pandemic. This edition also includes a nationally published article about one of our current Lehua Scholars and a tribute to one of our program's first graduates.

Over a year ago, you and I had no idea what was to come in 2020 and 2021. But, we knew it would be a time of change. One of the big changes at our school came with the (re)addition of our new dean, Camille Nelson, to our Richardson and Lehua 'Ohana. Dean Nelson was my criminal law professor in our small section of Lehua Scholars. She was one of the reasons I began to think about a career in law teaching. I saw someone in front of me so smart and so engaging. I saw someone who was clearly having fun and enjoying teaching. I often think fondly of my law school days as I walk through the now-empty hallways. And more often than not, I think about that class with my Lehua classmates and Dean Nelson. She has been one of the biggest champions for our Lehua Program and we are so grateful to have her leading our crew as we navigate these times.

Dean Camille Nelson with Lehua Scholar Maricar Daoang '21

In this time of change—and given the ensuing health and racism pandemics—you probably felt overwhelmed by the scale of the challenges our world faces. These challenges are complex, multifaceted, entrenched, and systemic. Yet, what we all know is that our community needs, now more than ever, the type of change-making community leaders that our Lehua Scholars become.

Take, for example, Lehua alumna Amanda Jenssen Leonard '11, who was recently awarded the national Child Protection Award from U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the U.S. Justice Department for her work to recover 180 children in Hawai'i in one year. Or take, Lehua alumnus Willie Domingo '85, who, aside from his role as a judge, has dedicated his time and money to retrofitting courtrooms with shields to ensure the safety of court staff and the community. Or recent Lehua alumnus Ian Tapu '20, whose law review comment, Who Really is Noble? The Constitutionality of American Samoa's Matai System, was recently cited by the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Fitisemanu v. United States. These are a few of many examples of Lehua Scholars that demonstrate perseverance and excellence in service to the community—qualities we instill in our students.

We would like your help to continue to instill these values and provide crucial support for our Lehua Scholars. As in years past, here are some ways that you can help:

1. Provide a Message of Care. Please feel free to share with me any positive messages of care for our Lehua Scholars. I will compile them and send them to our students throughout the year.

2. Share Opportunities. Please send any job (paid, pro bono, externship) opportunities that you may have so that we can continue to have a robust network for mentoring and career advice.

3. Make a Gift. Lehua Scholars, like all our law students, remain committed to their education —but they are challenged right now by heightened financial need. Your gift to the Ulu Lehua Program Fund will help our students keep learning.

Your support is greatly appreciated. After five years as director of the Lehua Program, I am still in awe of our students, alumni, and supporters. Throughout this time, we have come together to ensure the success of our students, and I am forever grateful. Please feel free to reach out at tandrade@hawaii.edu. Also, follow the Ulu Lehua Scholars Program on Instagram and Facebook. My best wishes to you all!

Social Justice Speaker Series

During the 2020-2021 school year, the Lehua Program maximized the virtual platform and planned or sponsored programs to educate Lehua Scholars and the community about hot button justice issues facing our community. In the fall, we invited Lehua alumni and a current student to discuss these social justice issues.

On October 9, 2020, Lu'ukia Nakanelua '19 discussed water rights issues in East Maui, particularly as it relates to the theory of collective memory, with Lehua Scholars.
Lehua Scholar Gloria Palma '21 discussed the gender pay gap, the Equal Rights Amendment, and the implications of the 2020 presidential election on November 6, 2020.
On December 4, 2020, Ian Falefuafua Tapu '20 discussed the traditional matai system in American Samoa after leading Lehua Scholars through a wonderful introductory activity.

Community Programming

In spring and summer 2021, the Ulu Lehua Scholars Program partnered with the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center and other organizations to organize monthly panel discussions on justice issues facing our community.

Confronting the Climate Crisis: Community Building & Resilience

In Land We Trust: Establishing the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve

100 Years of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act: Legacy, Opportunities, Challenges

Pro Bono Stars: University of Hawai‘i Hero

The National Jurist

While American Bar Association rules state that all lawyers have a professional responsibility to provide pro bono services, there is no such mandatory rule for law students. Still, law students provide far more hours than the average attorney. The Class of 2019 performed more than 4.38 million hours of legal services, an average of around 221 hours per student. That totals more than $111.5 million in free legal services. In celebration of these efforts, The National Jurist highlighted four students who’ve gone above and beyondone of those students was 2L Lehua Scholar Devin Forrest.

Prior to the pandemic, students attending the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law had to perform 60 hours of pro bono service, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, it’s now 30. But that hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm of 2L Devin C.K. Forrest.

A native of the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi, Forrest understands all too well the culturally significant role that the state’s Taro farmers play in keeping ancient traditions alive for future generations of Hawaiians.

So when several massive storms during the spring and summer of 2018 virtually wiped out the Taro fields and destroyed parts of the traditional irrigation system in Waiʻoli Valley on Kauaʻi, he immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

“Farming and fishing are interwoven into the history of our cultural traditions,” Forrest said. “If farming were to go away, this prime farming land could be bought up and used to build million-dollar homes and the waters diverted for some other non-traditional purpose.

“I still have family members who are Taro farmers so I have a personal stake in preserving this tradition.”

In this instance, the key to doing so is to secure a land easement in order to repair the ancient irrigation system and a long-term water lease between the Waiʻoli Valley Taro Hui and the Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources (Land Board), a project Forrest began working on long before he was eligible to receive school credit.

Forrest, who earned his bachelor’s in Hawaiian language and master’s in Hawaiian language and literature from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is uniquely suited to accomplish the task, which involves extensive research to find old deeds and conveyances, all of which has to be translated from the Hawaiian language to English.

Forrest started volunteering with the School of Law’s Native Hawaiian Rights and Environmental Law clinics a few years before he started classes in 2019.

During his fall 2L semester, he completed the Environmental Law Clinic, where he remained laser-focused on the Taro project, spending most of his time researching the history and land tenure of the area prior to western contact in the 1700s and into the present day.

He’s now continuing his efforts in the Native Hawaiian Rights Clinic, working on water rights and policy for the Waiʻoli Valley Taro Hui. Together, the two courses will fulfill the law school’s six-credit clinical requirement.

In addition to the clinics, he’s performed at least 100 hours of pro bono service just since July 2020 to ensure the project is a success.

His mission then and long after he graduates law school, he said, is to protect Native Hawaiian rights, with a focus on intellectual property rights associated with traditional and customary practices.

“Devin is incredibly committed to our community and has taken an expansive view of service that extends well beyond what is required,” said law professor Kapua Sproat, director of the Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law and the Native Hawaiian Rights and Environmental Law clinics. “Our work is about ensuring that Native Hawaiian practices can survive this transition into a modern legal system.

“Some of these Taro farmers were born on and continue to steward the same farms as their parents, or even their great-grandparents,” she said. “This is a unique and centuries-old Native Hawaiian tradition reliant upon access to land and free-flowing water from streams.

“Neither was a problem until after the 2018 floods when government regulators informed the farmers that the intake for their traditional irrigation system was on state land and now needed a slew of permits or exemptions. For centuries, they farmed in peace and this wasn’t even an issue.”

The documents Forrest has researched and translated helped date the Native Hawaiian system to the 15th century and establish the farmers’ indigenous water rights, said Sproat.

The work has laid the foundation for cultural impact and environmental impact assessments.

The clinic is seeking a 65-year water lease so the farmers can continue to operate without interruption.

While the Land Board has granted the farmers a perpetual easement for the irrigation system, the fate of the water lease hasn’t yet been decided, so Forrest and the other clinicians are still hard at work.

“I hope the farmers will get the lease, but who knows how long it will take and how many years it will cover,” said Forrest. “And we still have a ways to go until the Land Board will consider their application, including setting stream flow standards and completing the environmental review process.

“Because of the pandemic, more people have moved to Hawaiʻi and some of the new residents want to change the character of the community, which is why it’s more important than ever to secure protection for this ancient way of life so that it remains and is perpetuated for generations to come.”

Article written by Sherry Karabin. Additional coverage of Devin's work can be found at the UH News and the Law School News.

Class of 2021

Congratulations Lehua Class of 2021

To me, the Lehua Program means a place of solace and comfort. It was a place where I knew I belonged from the very beginning. It is where everyone has similar passions and desires and therefore where I feel most supported and able to be myself." - Kelli M. Lyman '21
The Lehua program means a lot of different things to me. It means that I am not just a grade. It means that I am valued for being a person. It means that I have a higher responsibility because I represent something greater than just myself." - Lorenzo N. Lima '21

Lehua Scholar Criteria

Lehua Scholars are selected for admission not solely by quantitative factors, but also by the following qualitative measures:

  • Activities and/or employment manifesting a strong commitment to social justice, the public interest, and service to legally, socially, and economically disadvantaged communities;
  • A record of overcoming social, educational, economic, or other sources of adversity;
  • The ability to serve as a role model for and mentor to members of legally underserved and economically disadvantaged communities who are striving to overcome adversity and reach their full potential;
  • The ability to bring distinctive viewpoints and life experiences to the law school community, enriching the understanding of all who work and study here; and
  • Educational and other achievements suggesting that the applicant’s ability to succeed in law school is inadequately reflected by numerical admissions indicators, such as the LSAT score and/or undergraduate grade point average.

Peer Academic Support

Lehua Scholars are provided with tutorials in the main doctrinal classes. Tutors are all upperclass Lehua Scholars who have excelled in those subjects. This year's tutors included: Harley Broyles (Contracts); Madonna Castro Perez (Criminal Law); Rocky Hadley (Evidence); and Kelli Lyman (Civil Procedure).

Advocacy

There are many wonderful and notable accomplishments of Ulu Lehua Scholars. Here are a few examples:

In fall 2020, 1L Danicole Ramos was selected as a Fellow for the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii. Danicole also published an op-ed, A Vote for Us, A Vote for All: Why Voting Matters for Filipinos, in the Fil-Am Courier.

On October 22, 2020, 1L Stephanie Haro Sevilla moderated a panel honoring the life and legacy of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The panel featured former Lehua director Linda Krieger, House Majority Leader Della Au Belatti, State Director of Human Services Cathy Betts, and attorney Mihoko Ito.

On October 23, 2020, the Honolulu Civil Beat published an article, A Time of Reckoning for our Generation, by 1L Danicole Ramos.

On February 17, 2021, 2L Jonah Hoshino interviewed Professor Troy Andrade for the law school's "Interview with a Professor" series.

On February 18, 2021, 2L Monte Keawe-Costa and 1L James Stone spoke with prospective students about their journeys to law school and why they chose Richardson law.

On February 23, 2021, 2L Madonna Castro Perez interviewed former Dean and Professor Avi Soifer for the law school's "Interview with a Professor" series.

On February 25, 2021, 1L Palakiko Chandler, 2L Devin Forrest, and alumna Lu'ukia Nakanelua '19 participated as panelist for Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law's 'Ōlelo Hawai'i Pau Hana, in which the entire discussion was conducted in the Hawaiian language.

On February 26-27, 2021 at 6:30 am, Lehua Scholars 3L Gloria Palma, 2L Harley Broyles, and 2L Leilani Carrero participated in the National Native American Law Student Association's 29th Annual Moot Court Competition. The competition was hosted virtually by the University of North Dakota School of Law. Broyles and her partner Terina Fa'agau earned “3rd Place Best Written Advocates” for the brief they submitted for the competition. Harley and Terina also argued in the “Elite Eight” (top 8) round on the second day of competition.

On March 2, 2021, 2L Madonna Castro Perez was selected as Vice Chairperson of the Calvin Shindo Student Venture Fund at the Shidler School of Business.

On March 18, 2021, Governor Ige visited with farmers from the Wai'oli Valley Taro Hui ("Hui") and their attorneys, including Professor Kapua Sproat and 2L Devin Forrest ʻ22. Gov. Ige talked with community members to understand the ongoing challenges they face as a result of increased rain and flooding. The Hui's lo'i kalo (taro patches) and Native Hawaiian irrigation system were devastated by flooding in 2018, and again by more recent severe weather events.

On March 22, 2021, Stephanie Haro Sevilla was quoted in a CivilBeat article titled, Immigration Reform Efforts in Congress Offer Hope to Hawai'i Dreamers.

In March 2021, 2L Kori Palencia was selected as a co-Editor in Chief for the Asian-Pacific Law & Policy Journal.

1L Lehua Scholar Palakiko Chandler and other Richardson students presented at the Lāhui Hawaiʻi Research Center Student Conference hosted by Native Hawaiian Student Services on March 19. 1L Lehua Scholar Ionatana Tua moderated the panel. The panel shared their law school experiences with the audience who asked the students about their practices, challenges, and visions as Kānaka Maoli in law School.

On March 29, 2021, 1L Palakiko Chandler was featured in a New York Times article titled, There's Just a Sense of Entitlement.

On April 7, 2021, 2L AJ Alexander interviewed Dean Camille Nelson for the law school's "Interview with a Professor" series.

On April 9, 2021, 2L Tehani Louis-Perkins and 1L Anna Weightman coordinated a conference, Hā'upu 'Āina Aloha: Re-Envisioning ELP, celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the Environmental Law Program.

On April 17, 2021, students in the Native Hawaiian Rights Clinic gave their final presentations to the client, the Wai'oli Valley Taro Hui. Lehua Scholars in the Native Hawaiian Rights Clinic included 3L Gloria Palma, 3L Kevin Fernandez, 2L Kori Palencia, and 2L Devin Forrest.

On May 16, 2021, the law school celebrated the graduation of the class of 2021. Lehua Scholar Gloria Palma served as the emcee of the commencement ceremony.

In the summer of 2021, 2L Kelly Kwan worked with U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono's office as the 2021 Patsy Takemoto Mink Legislative Fellow.

Remembrance and Tribute to Connie Chun '78

In August 2020, Hawai'i, Richardson Law School, and the Ulu Lehua Scholars Program suffered a great loss with the passing of Connie Chun '78a member of the first graduating class of Pre-Admission students. Excerpted below are tributes and memories of Connie.

Connie Chun / 1928-2020

by Leila Fujimori with the Star Advertiser

Connie Chun, the first Filipina and first nurse elected to the state House of Representatives, was also a lawyer, philanthropist, marathon runner and matriarch of the “Hunky Bunch.” Her accomplished life began with a dramatic first step. “Growing up in the ‘barrio’ area of southern Philippines created limited options for my future,” she penned in a 2008 personal essay. Not wanting to pursue a teaching career, as her father wished, she said: “I ran away from home, joined a missionary group and earned a scholarship to a four-year nursing school at Manila Sanitarium &Hospital. I graduated as valedictorian and class president.” Chun died Aug. 26 of cardiac arrest at the age of 92 at Straub Hospital in Honolulu.

She served in the state House from 1980-84, representing Districts 18 and 30. She chaired the Public Assistance/Human Services committee in her first term. Friend and former state Rep. Andy Levin said, “She was the only freshman (representative) to chair a committee.” “She was always reminding people she was a nurse and brought that background to her position as a legislator,” he said. “She always tried to do what was good for the public.”

Chun advocated for nurses and sought to lower the passing grade for registered nursing exams to match other states in the nation. She co-authored a bill to bring “Nursing Home Without Walls” to Hawaii, which was enacted in July 1988. It established a community long-term care/nursing home without walls program within the Department of Human Services to provide comprehensive home services for acute or chronically ill and disabled clients.

Chun was born June 2, 1928, in Mindanao, the Philippines. In 1956, she received a Fulbright Scholarship, was accepted as a graduate student in the Public Health program at Loma Linda University in California, becoming the first Filipina registered nurse in the program. She went on to serve as director of nursing at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Hospital and assistant director of nursing at St. Francis Hospital. In the 1970s, Chun obtained a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a law degree in 1978 from the UH William S. Richardson School of Law. Her daughter, June Beltran, said she doesn’t know why her mother decided to go to law school in the 1970s, but she does remembering typing a lot of briefs for her mom while Beltran was in high school.

After serving two terms as a representative, Chun fell victim to reapportionment and lost in 1984 to incumbent Donna Kim for the 40th District seat. She ran again in 1988 against Romy Cachola for the 39th House District (Kapalama-Foster Village), Honolulu Star- Bulletin columnist Richard Borreca calling them two of the “more colorful politicians.” He cited as part of Chun’s colorful “claim to fame” was raising Sooey, the family’s 800-pound pet pig, which her neighbors objected to. As an attorney, she successfully fought in 1983 to keep the porker all the way up to the state Intermediate Court of Appeals. But she was not so lucky in the 1988 race. The Democratic primary race with Cachola ended in the state’s first ever primary election tie, with a 1,795-vote deadlock. Because the law in the case of a tie was vague, a run-off was held in the general election, with the governor appointing the winner. The bitterly fought run-off ended with Cachola garnering 77 more votes (2,917 to 2,840), ending Chun’s legislative career.

Chun, second from the left, was honored by the YWCA for her leadership.

In 2008, the YWCA honored Chun and three other women leaders in Hawaii, who each wrote her path to achievement in a personal essay. “My life started with hardships, but I learned early that if you pursue excellence combined with patience, perseverance, compassion and enthusiasm, you will get what you want,” she wrote. She urged young woman to pursue their dreams and never give up. Chun also wrote another key to her success was having “a mentor, and a partner who can motivate and encourage you when the going is tough and make you laugh when you are sad.”

She found that in Dr. Hing Hua Chun, a cardiologist nicknamed “Hunky,” who guided her through getting her degrees. They married in 1970 and formed a blended family — he, with three boys and she with three girls, like the 1970s TV family, “The Brady Bunch.” The family ran as the Hunky Bunch in many Honolulu Marathons, starting in 1973. In 1974, they ran the Boston Marathon wearing matching “Hunky Bunch” sweatshirts.

Levin recalls how all the freshmen representatives in 1980 were thrown into a conference room before getting their office assignments. “Connie jumped up on one of the conference tables, and said, ‘I’m going to teach you how to run a marathon.’” While others thought she was a “nut case,” Levin said, “I was intrigued and went up to her, and said I’m interested. She introduced me to various articles on how to get started.” He’s been running 40 years now.

Chun is also survived by daughters May Lynne Gill and Joy Groody; stepsons Jerold, Hingson and Daven Chun; 11 grandchildren; and sister Lee Caspe.

City Council Resolution No. 21-29: Renaming Aliamanu Neighborhood Park to "Connie Chun Aliamanu Neighborhood Park"

On January 22, 2021, Honolulu Councilwoman Radiant Cordero introduced Resolution 21-29 to rename the Aliamanu Neighborhood Park in honor of Connie Chun. Director Andrade and Professor David M. Forman provided testimony in strong support of the measure. Professor Forman stated in part: "[Connie] frequently made donations to support Filipino and other law students from disadvantaged socio-economic groups so that they could better serve their communities. On multiple occasions, I had the honor of sitting with Connie during the annual Ulu Lehua Program banquet and marveled at the stories she would share about overcoming challenges in order to inspire the students to not only aim high but also to encourage them to use the newly acquired skills for the benefit of others." On February 17, 2021, the Honolulu City Council unanimously approved the resolution. Thus, Connie and her legacy is forever honored in her home community of Aliamanu.

HUNKY BUNCH MANGO BREAD RECIPE

Connie Chun was famous for and would bake as many as 80 loaves of mango bread and serve it with homemade lilikoi juice as a post-run snack for runners in various marathon races. She would get mangoes from the three trees in her yard. Here is the recipe for the famous Hunky Bunch Mango Bread.

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 cup grated coconut
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup broken walnuts
  • 3 cups fresh mango, diced
  • 3 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Prepare four loaf pans (2 1/2-by-5-inch or larger) by buttering them or using nonstick spray.

Mix dry ingredients well: flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, cayenne, ginger and baking soda. Do not over-mix.

In a separate bowl, mix mango, raisins, walnuts, coconut. Mix well. Add eggs, vanilla extract and vegetable oil until blended. Do not over-mix.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir with your hand until the flour just barely disappears. Again, do not over-mix.

Fill prepared pans two-thirds full and bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes for the smaller pans or 1 hour for the larger pans; tops should spring back when touched and a toothpick should emerge from the loaf's center clean.

This recipe makes 4 loaves with about 10 slices each.

Lehua Legal Scholarship

Kelly A.S.Y. Kwan et al., Curating the Future of Street Art: A Closer Look into the Implications of Castillo v. G&M Realty, Limited Partnership in Hawai'i, 43 U. Haw. L. Rev. 301 (2020).

Troy J.H. Andrade, E Ola Ka ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i: Protecting the Hawaiian Language and Providing Equality for Kānaka Maoli, 6 UCLA Indigenous Peoples' J. L. Culture & Resistance 3 (2020).

Troy J.H. Andrade, Hawai‘i ‘78: Collective Memory and the Untold Legal History of Reparative Action for Kānaka Maoli, 24 U. Penn. J. L. & Social Change 85 (2021).

Pre-Ad / Lehua Virtual Pau Hana

September 2021

Group Photo from 45th Anniversary Celebration in 2019

If you are interested in participating in a virtual networking event with our current Lehua Scholars, please contact Professor Andrade at tandrade@hawaii.edu. This virtual pau hana will be a forum where current Lehua Scholars and alumni will interact and learn about various career options and paths. This program is planned in partnership with Professor Trisha Nakamura and Richardson's Professional Development Office.