The Academy for Hawaiʻi Intelligence Studies Summer Program (AHI-SP) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences (CSS) celebrated the graduation of its Class of 2024 on July 26. The groundbreaking program, which expanded from 30 high school participants in 2023 to 40 this year, is quickly becoming a high-demand opportunity for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors in Hawaiʻi.
“AHI-SP is more than a summer program,” said Jairus Grove, AHI-SP program director and political science chair and professor. “It offers high school students statewide an unparalleled educational experience and a workforce pathway to career success in the growing field of national intelligence.”
Held July 5–27, 2024, AHI-SP provided a comprehensive curriculum developed by the Department of Political Science. The program included a three-week online component (July 5–20) followed by an immersive in-person residence week on the UH Mānoa campus (July 21–27). The high-schoolers explored the basics of international relations and national intelligence, laying a solid foundation for future studies and careers.
Said CSS Dean and Economics Professor Denise Eby Konan, “The holistic curriculum blends the theoretical knowledge with practical skills, equipping the state’s next generation of leaders with the tools needed to excel in this dynamic and critical field. The program not only enhances students’ academic credentials, but also provides valuable insights and hands-on experiences directly applicable to future careers.”
One AHI-SP participant was Cash McCloud, a 17-year-old from Lahaina who lost his home in the Maui wildfires last year and relocated to Kailua two months ago.
“When I heard about the AHI program, I immediately knew it would be the perfect opportunity for me,” said McCloud, who will be a rising senior at Kalaheo High in the fall. “Political philosophy is my greatest passion, and being able to explore these complex topics—so related to what I hope to define my future with—was exciting.”
Added AHI-SP participant Trinity Guillen, a 17-year-old rising senior at Kauaʻi’s Kapaʻa High, “I really liked this program, because it gave me a better sense of what I want to do for a career. I’m interested in chemical engineering, and perhaps later pharmaceutical engineering, and was especially fascinated by the topic of nuclear warfare. So watching the (1983) movie WarGames as a group was super interesting.”
The AHI-SP Class of 2024 included high school students from Kauaʻi, Maui, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island, with 60% coming from neighbor islands. Additionally, the program had strong participation among female students and from Hawaiʻi State Department of Education high schools and charter schools.
Participants who successfully completed the program earned three college credits for POLS 120: Introduction to World Politics, the first course in the intelligence studies course sequence at CSS.
Expenses for AHI-SP students, including registration, tuition/fees, airfare and on-campus housing/meals, were paid through the Pacific Intelligence and Innovation Initiative, a public-private partnership that develops a skilled workforce in Hawaiʻi.
