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Home | Faculty Awards | 2023 Awards | E. Kalikoaloha Martin Jr.

E. Kalikoaloha
Martin Jr.

2023 Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

Kalikoaloha Martin in the Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language encourages students to get uncomfortable with trying out their ‘ōlelo, until they get comfortable. Through this practice, he realized that “unbeknownst to me, collectively stepping outside of their comfort zone, students depend on one another, deepen their friendships with their classmates, and foster rapport that is unbreakable.” A student writes: “as a leader, Kumu Kalikoaloha’s great strength is his ability to empower others to lead.” His students include undergraduates, graduate students and faculty colleagues pursuing Hawaiian language proficiency. A colleague who teaches the next level Hawaiian language shares first-hand knowledge that Kalikoaloha’s students consistently excel, leaving his class with a well-grounded grasp of the language and culture and a spark of energy to continue further. Another colleague who studies with him reflects on what she’s learned from professional experience with Hawaiian immersion schools, that Hawaiian language takes prodigious effort to teach well. She writes “his course is difficult, and it is also very clear. What makes it rise above the rest is Kalikoaloha himself.”

…as a leader, Kumu Kalikoaloha’s great strength is his ability to empower others to lead.

Student

2023 Faculty Awardees