About Us.

Principal Investigator

Dr. Ngoc Phan 
Assistant Professor of Political Science
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​Dr. Phan is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Hawaii Pacific University in the Department of History and International Studies. She earned her Ph.D. from Rice University and specializes in human decision-making and collective action. She is an expert in the areas of American Politics, Political Behavior, Survey Research, Political Psychology, and Race and Ethnicity. 

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Our Kupuna

​​Dr. Lynette Cruz
Cultural Consultant

Our Kupuna is Dr. Lynette Cruz. She is an Hawaiian activist, scholar, and cultural practitioner. She is trained as an anthropologist and has wide-ranging experience as a respected cultural consultant. She makes sure everything we do is pono.

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Undergraduate Researchers

Laʻakea Dedrick
Undergraduate Research Assistant 

Laʻakea is a business and psychology major from Nuʻuanu, Oʻahu. She attended Kamehameha High School and is currently a sophomore at Hawai‘i Pacific University. ​She is involved in the Hawaiʻi Pacific Entrepreneur Club and the Student Government Association. ​

Laʻakea has entered a Master's program at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. She is also exploring different PhD programs. 

Catherine Jara
Undergraduate Research Assistant 

​Catherine Jara is an international studies major with a diplomacy & military studies minor from ‘Ewa Beach, O‘ahu. She attended Kamehameha High School and is currently a sophomore at Hawai‘i Pacific University. She is involved in the Student Government Association.

Catherine is currently working on her senior capstone and part of the HUI- SRC that is funding her research on cultural reclaimation and Hawaiian wellbeing. Catherine will be entering the University of Wisconsin at Madison in Fall 2023 and working towards her PhD in Sociology. 

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Leilani DeLude

Leilani DeLude 
Research Analyst 

Leilani DeLude gradauted from HPU as an international studies major. She was born and raised in Waianae, O'ahu.  She attended Kamehameha High School. As an HPU student, she served as a undergraduate research assistant during Fall 2019-Spring 2020. Since she has gradauted, she has been serving as a research analyst on the project. 

In the Fall 2022, Leilani will be starting her PhD program in Political Science at the University of New Mexico. 

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Special thanks for additional research assistants Drew Jones. These research assistants helped with data input of over 200 paper surveys. 

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Logo

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The logo is a customized ohia flower with petals that make up the different contours of Hawaiian identity. We wanted the ohia flower due to its importance in Hawaiian culture and wanted to increase awareness on the alarming rise of rapid ohia death. ​

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Financial Disclosure

In May 2019, Dr. Phan received a small grant ($2,900) from Hawai‘i Pacific University to collect surveys in Hilo, Hawaii.  In early December 2019, Dr. Phan recieved an additional small grant of $2,500 from Hawai‘i Pacific University to collect surveys in Kaua'i, Hawaii and cost incurred in Maui. 

When conducting this research, our research team is not affliated, working with, or agents of the federal, state, or local government, think tanks, media outlets, or any special interest groups.