Na leo means “the voices.” And so Na Leo is an appropriate name for our college’s literary review which showcases our students’ voices in several different media. It is part of the UH-MC Board of Student Publications and it provides a platform for our students to express themselves in both written and visual ways. The range of work is as wide as our students are diverse — from poems about pets to photos of nene and cloud formations to strong statements about water rights and personal challenges with family issues and sexual and gender identity.

‘Iolani Brosio teaches English and Interdisciplinary Studies and has been the Faculty Adviser for Na Leo since 2017. She has always loved creative writing and art and jumped on the opportunity.

“I found when I was in college that I succeeded when I had a community,” Brosio said. “I want Na Leo to be a forum for students to hear their own voices. It’s a cool way to get students involved.”

Monthly cash prizes are an added incentive for students to submit work.

“Two $50 prizes are awarded by drawing and the team votes on one $100 prize. The students are thrilled when they win but they’re also thrilled when they get to see their work in print,” said Brosio.

Brosio sees her role as a facilitator and a guide and wants Na Leo to be a “student-led thing.” Enter the student editor of Na Leo, Aysha Jarnesky-Ramsey, one of those leaders. A part-Native Hawaiian born and raised in Makawao, she looks particularly for our Native Hawaiian students to get involved and “express their feelings on a native level.”

“I’m always looking for work that perpetuates our Hawaiian culture,” Jarnesky-Ramsey said.

Her path to her editorial role is as compelling as the literary and visual art she collects and reviews. She is a nontraditional student who is pursuing her associate degree in Human Services and after graduating in 2023, hopes to get a bachelor’s and eventually a master’s in that discipline.

“I have a passion for guiding young women and girls in my community,” she said.

She added that “there are certain things that our (Native Hawaiian) community and all communities deal with — domestic and sexual violence, drugs.” Jarnesky-Ramsey said she encountered challenges in her own family, went down a “dark path,” and didn’t get the help she needed.

“If I had, I would have made better choices,” she said. “I want to be a source because I know I can change the outcome.”

When she was finally able to start college she was eager to immerse herself in everything UH-MC has to offer.

“I excelled in English courses and have a background as a writer,” said Jarnesky-Ramsey.

She was at the right place at the right time. Ho’oulu (meaning “to inspire”) was looking for writers and the editor was in her last year. The publication is an independent, online student newspaper covering campus news, features and ideas, and is also part of the UH-MC Board of Student Publications.

“After I wrote some stories, I was offered the student editor’s position,” she said. “I wanted to be involved in all the writing modalities.”

So she happily took on the position of student editor of Na Leo, as well.

“It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there in poetry and art,” said Faculty Adviser Brosio. “It takes a lot to just be vulnerable in that way. When people can hold space for you to put your truth out there and let it be known, it means a lot. Teens, students don’t get a ton of opportunity on Maui to be recognized in that way. If we can do that at Na Leo, we’re doing some good.”

To read and see the works of UH-MC’s talented student artists on Na Leo, please visit maui.hawaii.edu/naleo/ and follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/naleolit/?hl=en.

To read Ho’oulu, please visit https://maui.hawaii.edu/ hooulu/ and follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/uhmc.student.news/?hl=en.

For complete information about UHMC, please visit http://maui.hawaii.edu/.

* Dr. Lui K. Hokoana is chancellor of the University of Hawaii Maui College. Ka’ana Mana’o, which means “sharing thoughts,” appears on the fourth Saturday of each month. It is prepared with assistance from UH Maui College staff and is intended to provide the community of Maui County information about opportunities available through the college at its Kahului campus and its education centers.