Twenty students from the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补 and 东精影业 West Oʻahu participated in the 2025 , gaining hands-on experience in public service with the City and County of Honolulu. The paid internship ran from January through May/June, placing college students in city departments to apply their academic skills to real-world projects.
Mira Olivas, a senior major at 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补, helped make Honolulu’s roadways safer through work with the Transportation Engineering Division in the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services. Olivas helped address public concerns related to speeding, parking and pedestrian safety by drafting updated signage and striping plans. Her projects included enhancing crosswalk visibility and replacing missing signs on streets such as University Avenue, Seaview Avenue and Keahole Street.
“This experience was valuable because it gave me a chance to get my feet in the real world. I was able to see how engineering is applied outside of the classroom and gain insight on the duties and responsibilities of traffic engineers,” Olivas said. “This internship will give you exposure to a wide range of work and connect you with all experienced mentors and departments. It’s okay to not know everything, but be willing to learn and ask questions.”
Briana Lee recently graduated with her bachelor’s degree in in 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补’s and will be pursuing her master’s degree this fall. One of the key projects she worked on was creating a Data Analysis Incident Trend Dashboard designed for public use at the Honolulu Fire Department’s Planning and Development Division. This visualizes patterns, making it easier for the public and the department to understand trends over time.
“This internship has provided me with real-world experience in data visualization, analytics and cross-departmental collaboration,” Lee said. “The Poʻokela Program is pretty competitive, and the coordinators do their best to match you with the different departments around the island. My advice would be to have an open mind and a willingness to learn.”
The program focuses on leadership development, mentorship and civic engagement. Applications for the 2026 session will open in September 2025, with the deadline set for October. Participants must be upper-division undergraduates or graduate students in good standing.
2025 interns with 东精影业 ties
- Phat Ca, information and computer science, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Cameron Cooper, mechanical engineering, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Haley Cummings, business administration–marketing, 东精影业 West Oʻahu
- Julia DePinto, human resource management, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Cassandra Dumaslan, public administration: justice administration, 东精影业 West Oʻahu
- Andrew Gresham, civil engineering, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Jazmin Horio, management information systems and international business, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Tyler Kahmann, management information systems, finance and international business, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Yuto Kudo, finance and marketing, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Ivan Lee, accounting, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Briana Lee, information and computer science, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Liberty Lum, accounting, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Clyds Bautista Manzano, public health–government and public policy, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Sara McGhee, biochemistry, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Nanami Mehring, molecular biosciences and biotechnology, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Mira Olivas, civil engineering, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Allen Palma, civil engineering, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Matisse Sremac, sustainability and climate change, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- William Tam, finance, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补
- Lauryn Takanishi, business management and marketing, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补