The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the nationʻs largest student affairs professional in higher education organization awarded the Pillars of the Profession to University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Christine Quemuel, the interim assistant vice provost for student diversity and inclusion.
[This award] represents generations of my family and my community who never even imagined that college was possible.
—Christine Quemuel
“I am overwhelmed by this honor, because the award isn’t just about me. It represents generations of my family and my community who never even imagined that college was possible,” said Quemuel, a first-generation college student with military connections and both of Yonsei (fourth generation Japanese immigrant) heritage and the daughter of an immigrant parent from the Philippines. “They are always with me in the work I do to provide access, opportunities and support for student success.”
Commitment to enhancing access and success
Quemuel has dedicated 27 years of service at UH Mānoa. As part of the Office of Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity (SEED), she is committed to enhancing access and success for traditionally excluded student groups. She manages scholarships, facilitates lifelong learning for seniors, and implements policies for campus diversity and inclusion. She oversees various programs promoting educational equity, providing support services for a diverse student body and actively contributes to initiatives like the Mānoa Commission on Inclusion and Diversity, aligning with the university’s equity and diversity goals.
“I am eternally grateful to the entire SEED family, past and present—a truly amazing team of students and professionals who are deeply committed to communities that have been historically excluded and marginalized in education. I am able to do what I do because of their dedication to the success of our students, their families and communities,” she said.
“I can think of no one more deserving to be honored as a NASPA Pillar of the Profession than Christine Quemuel,” said nominator Romando Nash, associate vice president of student life services at the University at Nevada at Reno, who worked closely with Quemuel through their involvement with NASPA. “She is a consummate professional in all that she does and has made a difference in countless studentsʻ lives. Her congenial presence, keen insights and genuine care for students and the profession is not only impressive but a model for many professionals across the nation. Her being named a Pillar of the Profession is an honor that is long overdue.”
Quemuel is an alumna of UH Mānoa where she earned her MA in American Studies and her PhD in Educational Administration. She earned her BA from Fairhaven College-Western Washington University.
Quemuel will be officially recognized as a Pillar of the Profession during NASPA Annual Conference in Seattle, WA, on March 12.
