He Lei PoinaʻOle: The Students Who Rebuilt Lahaina’s Future

By Dr. Nani Azman

I was born and raised in Lahaina, Hawaiʻi. I know the wind, the dry heat of August, and the way the town should hum with tourists and locals moving through the same narrow streets. I know all my students — their names, their families, their routines. I teach at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, and many of the young people in my classes grew up in the shadow of Lahainaluna High School on the hill above town.

On Aug. 8, 2023, that town burned.

One of the worst wildfires in American history tore through Lahaina in a matter of hours. First responders rushed in — many losing their own homes while trying to save others. When the smoke cleared, 102 people were dead. More than 2,200 structures were gone. Over 6,000 people were displaced, including 3,000 students of all ages, scattered across shelters, hotels, and the homes of relatives on other parts of the island and beyond.

Mahalo i ka mea i loa ʻa. Be thankful for what you have.

My students came back to a changed place.

After losing more than half a semester, the students of Lahainaluna High School returned to their hilltop campus. From up there, they could look down at what remained of Lahaina — a barren landscape where a bustling town once stood.

They chose to show up anyway.

Attending classes became a way to cope. Cliques faded. Bullying largely disappeared. Their shared trauma had quietly united them in a way that nothing else could. They just wanted to be together. They wanted something to feel normal.

Ma ka hana ka ʻike. In doing, one learns.

Our community refused to let them fail.

The broader community — island, state and nation — rallied around these young people. David Lassner, then president of the University of Hawaiʻi, secured donations to offer every Lahainaluna senior in the class of 2024 up to four years of free tuition at any UH campus.

The results were stunning.

The national average for high school seniors going directly to college hovers around 62 percent. Before the fires, Lahainaluna’s college-going rate was between 40 and 50 percent. In 2024, 85 percent of Lahainaluna seniors enrolled in a college or university.

They had hoped for normalcy. They achieved something extraordinary.

A ʻohe hana nui ka aluʻia. No task is too big when done together.

The commitment continued.

In 2025, UH Maui College Chancellor Lui Hokoana extended that support, offering eligible Lahainaluna seniors free tuition at UHMC — renewable for two years toward an associate’s degree, or four years toward a bachelor’s.

When this year’s seniors visited campus for a tour on Feb. 24, Chancellor Hokoana stepped to the front of the room and announced that he had once again secured the funding to give the new graduating class the same opportunity.

The room erupted in applause.

Kūlia i ka nuʻu. Strive to reach the highest.

A legacy never forgotten.

This May, 12 Lahainaluna students will earn their associate of arts degrees in liberal arts — 10 days before they receive their high school diplomas. Lahainaluna is a Title I school, where nearly 46 percent of students come from low-income families. These 12 young people are the first cohort of high school students on Maui ever to accomplish this.

They are all my students.

Our island lost so much because of those fires. But our students — our children — show us every day what we still have.

He lei poina ʻole ke keiki. A child is a legacy never forgotten.

Ho ʻomaikaʻi, e nā haumāna o Lahainaluna! Congratulations to the students of Lahainaluna!