Last year, I was a “senior” senior at the University of Hawai‘i (UH) West O‘ahu. My learning adventure began in the fall of 2019 when I enrolled in a basic Hawaiian language course at the Moloka‘i Education Center at age 67. It is a satellite campus of UH Maui College and our classes were conducted via a Skybridge video link to the classroom on Maui. I also enrolled in a Hawaiian music class that was taught in-person. I continue exploring those interests through the ‘Ukulele Kanikapila and ‘Olelo Hawai‘i Papa offered here on Moloka‘i by Kaunoa Senior Services, a division of the County of Maui’s Department of Human Concerns.
Eligible for financial aid, I was able to become a full-time student at UH Maui College and UH West O‘ahu. It was a blessing in so many ways to be immersed in campus life—even at a distance. Being surrounded by young minds eager to forge a pathway to their future career was energizing and inspiring. No less inspiring were the students who were returning to college while working and caring for family, but still found time to attend class, complete assignments and participate in collaborative projects.
I soon discovered that collaboration was the skill I most needed to learn. Students and faculty all put me at ease and I learned by their example how enriching—and fun—collaboration can be! It was time to set aside my “wise elder” hat and listen with respect and compassion, keeping my mind open to views that hadn’t even existed when I was their age. It was a two-way street because some of the things I’d experienced and brought to the table were ancient history for today’s students. I strove to enrich my fellow students’ learning treks and greatly appreciated that I was never made to feel like a dinosaur!
Other skills I learned were how to give presentations and how to use the many apps available today to create written and audiovisual material. Encouraged by the supportive learning environment, I developed the confidence to share these skills in my local community. I volunteered to proofread the computer-created transcripts of documents scanned into Moloka‘i’s Digital Repository, Moe‘a, and created an Instagram post as my contribution to a Hawai‘i Tourism Authority community session on Moloka‘i.
If you live on O‘ahu, you can attend classes for free with the instructor’s permission. The UH System, comprised of three universities, seven community colleges and community-based learning centers across Hawai‘i, is committed to promoting lifelong learning, active aging and intergenerational community-building through its Nā Kūpuna program at UH Mānoa and the Senior Visitor programs at UH West O‘ahu and the Leeward, Windward and Kapi‘olani community colleges. You won’t get a grade, but you can fully participate in course activities. (For enrollment information, see below.)
It is well-known that being engaged socially and intellectually enhances the well-being of seniors: My experience as a student attests to that. Being constantly challenged and encouraged to keep going forward despite early stumbles and uncertainty was a great confidence-booster. I highly recommend pursuing higher education in your golden years!
SENIOR CITIZEN VISITOR PROGRAM
NĀ KŪPUNA PROGRAM–UH MĀNOA
808-956-4642 | nakupuna@hawaii.edu
tinyurl.com/NaKupunaProgram
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