An important mission of the University of Hawaiʻi is to nuture and educate physicians of Native Hawaiian ancestry, because their ranks are small compared to the Native Hawaiian population in the state.
New Native Hawaiian students graduating from the School of Medicine—Akolea Ioane, Sara Kuʻulei Miles and Kenneth Ortiz—were celebrated at a kīhei ceremony, held in June at the medical school’s Healing Garden, in honor of their journey into medicine.
Like the white coat which physicians wear, the kīhei, a cloth draped across one shoulder, is a symbol of responsibility, virtue, teamwork and dedication. Each kīhei was printed using Native Hawaiian techniques and images which are intended to tell the story of each individual’s voyage to healing.
- PHOTOS: Go to the for more photos from the event
During the ceremony, each kauka ʻopio (young doctor) was presented their kīhei by Native Hawaiian physicians from the organization ʻAhahui o nā Kauka and the John A. Burns School of Medicine .
—The video, provided by the School of Medicine, was produced by 糖心Vlog官方 medical student journalists Deborah Manog and Amanda Shell.
—By Tina Shelton