A UH Mānoa RIO and Office of Civic and Community Engagement Program

October 2022 Newsletter

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The American Association of University Women at UH Mānoa (AAUW at UHM) is and will continue to be active for the 2022-23 academic school year.


The mission of our Registered Independent Organization (RIO) is to promote the values of AAUW on the UHM campus and in the community; we are working towards equity in society by providing the tools necessary for women to gain economic security, pursue their education, and advocate for women's rights.


AAUW at UHM's internship program, consisting of six students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, is housed in the Office of Civic and Community Engagement, under the supervision of Director Atina Pascua, and sponsored by the AAUW Honolulu Branch.


To become a member, please email aauw.uhmanoa@gmail.com expressing your interest. We will ask follow up questions at that time. In order to have an active-status in our RIO, we ask that you attend at least one event every semester. We have no membership fees. Our RIO is open to everyone!

AAUW at UH Mānoa's events are kindly sponsored by
the UH Mānoa Office of Civic and Community Engagement (OCCE)

AAUW Hawai'i State Convention

"Climate Change and its Impact on Women" was this year's theme for the 2022 AAUW of Hawaiʻi State Convention


Our AAUW at UHM interns along with director Atina Pascua and some women from OCCE, KCC, and AAUW Honolulu attended the AAUW Hawai'i State Convention. The convention was held from Friday, September 30th to Sunday, October 2nd in the Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i at Kilauea Military Camp. It was a great success! We had a total of about 20 Honolulu Branch/UHM/KCC women attend the convention. Thank you to all the guest speakers for sharing their knowledge about their respective fields. And a special thank you to AAUW Honolulu for giving us the opportunity and sponsoring us for this convention!

AAUW Hawai'i Convention Experience

Juria from KCC wrote about her experience as a new AAUW intern at the AAUW Hawai'i State Convention

My experience at our AAUW convention was outstanding and memorable. I've never been to another island aside from Maui since I was little. So it was rather exciting to visit another island. The location itself at Kilauea Military Camp in Hilo was a beautiful place that is surrounded by flora and Nene gooses. It was a perfect location to unwind, clear one’s mind, and recharge. The convention meetings were eye-opening and I’ve learned a lot through the conference. 

I was not knowledgeable about women’s inequality and movement since it’s not my subject of interest but I learned a lot by attending the conference and I believe it was very beneficial to me as a student. A few specific topics that caught my attention however were climate, pollution, and how amazing ‘Ulu is! Key facts that I thought were, “Keep plastic in the economy but out of the environment,” treat things you don’t want as resources for others and create a circular economy. Aside from the conference meetings, we had great opportunities to explore around the camp sight, visiting the volcano, and stargazing with s’more at night. It was far beyond what I thought a conference meeting would be like, and I am grateful to be able to take the opportunity to experience it.

Welcome Our New AAUW Intern

Meet Megan Wettlaufer, the newest member of the AAUW intern team!


Hi! My name is Megan Wettlaufer. I am a senior, graduating in Spring 2023 with a BS in Marine Biology with certificates in both the Honors Program and Marine Option Program. I am so excited to be working with AAUW at UHM and working to empower women in the University of Hawai’i system. My main focus and area of interest with AAUW at UHM is raising awareness about emotional health, especially regarding hidden ailments. This is important to me because I am someone who suffers from a Histamine Intolerance. I want to create a group on campus where people, specifically women can feel heard, especially when dismissed by medical professionals. In my free time, I love to cook, hike, paint nature, especially following Bob Ross videos, and scuba dive. 

World Mental Health Day

On Campus Resources

Counseling and Student Development Center (CSDC)

Group Therapy through CSDC  

Kognito - online programs and training for recognizing signs of others who may be at-risk


Other Resources

Therapy Assistance Online

Hawaii State Department of Health Adult Mental Health Division

DOH Hawaii CARES: 808-832-3100 or 1-800-753-6879

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988

Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 through October 15.

Hispanic heritage month was enacted into law on August 17, 1988. The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. For more information click here.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), is an annual international health campaign every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know...1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.


It is recommended that women who are 50 to 74 years old and are at average risk for breast cancer get a mammogram every two years.


There are several factors that put a woman at higher risk for developing breast cancer, including:


There are many steps you and your loved ones can take to improve your chances of staying healthy:

  1. Conduct monthly self-exams. In addition to medical screenings, the National Breast Cancer Foundation and many medical professionals recommend a monthly self-exam. To learn how to do a breast self-exam, check out this self-exam guide.
  2. Quit smoking. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), smoking is a significant risk factor for breast and many other types of cancer.
  3. Exercise more


Local Resources:

Hawai'i Pacific Health - Kapiʻolani Women's Center: Schedule a mammogram

Queen's Medical Center: Schedule a mammogram

Breast Cancer Hawai'i

Hawai'i Pacific Health Breast Cancer Support Groups

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month


The Office of Title IX protects members of the UH Mānoa community from all forms of sex/gender based harassment, discrimination, and misconduct - including domestic violence and dating violence.


Additional Resources:

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (7233)

The Hawaiʻi State Coalition Against Domestic Violence

We Asked a Friend: Halloween Edition 

For this month's edition of We Asked a Friend, we asked our friends: What is your favorite Halloween memory?

Kami L. 

Political Science Major

My favorite Halloween memory would have to be trick or treating with my cousins! My siblings and cousin would have coordinating costumes, like the power rangers. Of course, I was the pink one! We’d go around the neighborhood trick or treating and go through the homemade haunted houses. 

Lou Guionnet

Marine Biology Major

My favorite Halloween memory would probably be from last year. I handmade decorations with my roommates, one of whom was a Japanese exchange student, so we did a spooky movie night to introduce her to the classics. I also baked pumpkin cinnamon cookies for the occasion.

Charlotte Eikenhorst

Marine Biology Major

My favorite Halloween memory is from middle school when we did something called a "terror run". We were in different teams and the mission was to scare as many people as possible around the school. The best part of the experience was that my grandpa was part of my team and he scared so many people. It was hilarious!

Janel M.

I look forward to Halloween time every year because I always make my costume, and I usually go really full-out. In that vein, I’m gonna say Halloween 2018 has to be my favorite memory when I made my Amazon Warrior (from Wonder Woman) costume; it was a whole armor set and I made every single piece of it and it was a lot of fun, came out really cool, and I felt super accomplished after I finished it. I’ll always be really proud of that costume.

AAUW Honolulu Branch Updates

AAUW Honolulu was founded in 1905 as the College Club. Created to promote “the higher ideals of education among women,” it became an official branch of the American Association of University Women in 1922.

Check out AAUW Honolulu's website to learn more.

AAUW Honolulu Career & Leadership Development Grant

AAUW Honolulu is accepting applications for the Career and Leadership Development Grant now through October 31! To learn more about the scholarship and eligibility criteria, visit the AAUW Honolulu website.

aauw.uhmanoa@gmail.com | (808) 956-4641
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