Pacific & Asian Affairs Council

Pacific & Asian Affairs Council 🫱🏻‍🫲🏽 Building Bridges
📢 Inspiring Young Leaders
🌎 Developing Global Citizens

The Pacific & Asian Affairs Council (PAAC) is an independent, international education 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to promote understanding and empower engagement on global and international issues with special attention to Hawaii’s role in the Asia-Pacific region.

Meet one of our interns for AY2026-2027, Julie Matsumoto! Julie is a Class of 2026 Valedictorian from Mililani High Scho...
09/16/2026

Meet one of our interns for AY2026-2027, Julie Matsumoto! Julie is a Class of 2026 Valedictorian from Mililani High School and is currently attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with plans to double major in Biology and Psychology. Swipe to get to know her a little more!

Support Marc Russell, a 2025 PAAC alum, on his heart transplant journey! Any support would be greatly appreciated 🫶 Plea...
09/14/2026

Support Marc Russell, a 2025 PAAC alum, on his heart transplant journey! Any support would be greatly appreciated 🫶 Please share and repost💙

🌏 Interested in representing Hawaiʻi abroad this spring?Join us for our 2027 Sister-State Study Tours Applicant Info Mee...
09/11/2026

🌏 Interested in representing Hawaiʻi abroad this spring?

Join us for our 2027 Sister-State Study Tours Applicant Info Meeting to learn more about the program, what it means to be a Student Ambassador, the application and selection process, and what to expect if selected. Bring your questions!

📅 Friday, September 18
⏰ 3–4 PM HST | Online via Zoom
🎓 Open to interested students/families

Registration required: paachawaii.org/ssst-info

Applications are open now through October 15!
*You must be a Hawaiʻi public high school student to apply for the program.*

StudentAmbassadors

07/03/2026

From dramatic coastlines to deep-rooted traditions, our visit to Hualien and Taitung became a meaningful journey into Taiwan’s indigenous culture, history, and identity. 🌊🇹🇼

Through our time at National D**g Hwa University, the National Museum of Prehistory, Just Arts House, and the Hunter School, we experienced how Taiwan’s Austronesian roots and indigenous knowledge continue to shape everyday life.

Beyond what we learned, we made friendships that will last a lifetime and created memories that will forever be engraved in our hearts. We thank PAAC and the Freeman Foundation for organizing and allowing us to embark on such an unforgettable and eye-opening experience. ✈️🌏

Masalu! 我們愛你! 🤙❤️

-Jerry J., Jariya B., Evan B., Anika C., Akira F., Tehani Y.

06/05/2026

We taking pics like there’s 10 points on the line 📸😵‍💫

Part two of our Chinatown scavenger hunt: the photos

As part of orientation for our Taiwan and Palau summer study tours, students teamed up with their chaperones to explore, pose, navigate, create, and capture moments around Honolulu’s Chinatown.

From team shots to creative challenges, they practiced the art of seeing a place with curiosity (and a bit of chaos) 😏

Watch out Taiwan + Palau content creators in training 💫🌏

06/05/2026

Silly videos, serious bonding 🎥✨

This past week, our Taiwan and Palau study tour students took on a photo/video scavenger hunt around Honolulu’s Chinatown as part of their multi-day in-person orientation, practicing teamwork, confidence, creativity, and noticing the little things before heading abroad.

Were some of the submissions chaotic? Yes.
Did they all share laughs and make lasting memories? Also yes 🙂‍↕️

Next stop: Taiwan + Palau ✈️🌏

The Eddie Tangen Award isn’t applied for — it’s earned through the eyes of the people around you.Named for Eddie Tangen,...
04/28/2026

The Eddie Tangen Award isn’t applied for — it’s earned through the eyes of the people around you.

Named for Eddie Tangen, a Hawaiʻi labor movement pioneer and beloved former PAAC board member, this $300 annual award recognizes a student in grades 9–11 whose peers see something worth celebrating. This year, eight of them saw it in the same person: Thalia Grace Hoapili of Hawaiʻi Technology Academy.

Swipe to hear what they said. Read her full story with the link in bio 💙🌏

From Ala Moana to Hội An. From Pearl Harbor to the Philippines. From a school with no student council to one that has on...
04/28/2026

From Ala Moana to Hội An. From Pearl Harbor to the Philippines. From a school with no student council to one that has one because she built it.

The Paul S. Honda Scholarship was founded by longtime PAAC supporter Paul S. Honda to celebrate graduating seniors who are headed into higher education with a clear-eyed sense of what they’re building toward — and a $1,000 boost to help them get there.

Meet this year’s recipients: Conner Birdsall and Shayna McElhannon of Hawaiʻi Technology Academy, and Elizabeth “Ella” Balanza of Roosevelt High School.

Read their full story on our blog. Link in bio 🔗🌏💙

04/24/2026

🌍🏆 Academic WorldQuest 2026 Recap! 🏆🌍

147 students. 19 schools. 3 islands. One massive upset. 📚✨

This year’s Hawaiʻi Regional Academic WorldQuest brought together students from across the state to test their global knowledge — and Kalani High School made history, sweeping the competition! 👑

🥇 1st Place Overall: Kalani High School — Shocked n’ Appalled ↳ Advancing to Nationals in Washington, D.C. with Southwest Airlines this weekend! 🇺🇸✈️
Jayden Tran, Ivan Tse, Bryce Hara, Anson Li

🥈 2nd Place Overall: Kealakehe High School — Royal Clashers
Jerry Jiang, Nathan Masquida, Lucy Cameron, Luke Gee

🥉 3rd Place Overall: Kalani High School — YALL
Yinyi Chen, Leala Florendo, Aurora Sullivan, Lino Tseng
🏝️ County Champions:

📌 Honolulu County: Kalani High School — The Kneecaps
Museong Kim, Amelia Sullivan, Cathy Tran, Leo Tse

📌 Hawaiʻi Island County: Kealakehe High School — Golden Plovers
Autumn Brown, June Wheeler, Leah Hillert, Hakyung Jun

📌 Maui County: Maui High School — Wisdom Warriors
Athena Dela Cruz, Julieanne Espanol, Nicole Espanol, Rhianela Palapar

Shoutout to ALL 147 competitors who showed up, studied hard, and gave it everything they had! 🌎💡 Who’s coming for the title next year? 🤔💭

📸 Check out the full recap — link in bio! 🔗

04/22/2026

From Global Action Projects in their home communities to study tours across Asia-Pacific, PAAC students have been doing the work 👏

Now it’s time to celebrate what they’ve built.

The 2026 PAAC Student Showcase is where Hawaiʻi’s next generation of global leaders gets to shine — and we want YOU there with us ✨

Scholarship recipients, study tour alumni, award-winning clubs, seniors stepping boldly into their next chapter.

🗓 Saturday, May 9, 2026
⏰ 10AM - 2PM
📍 Weinberg Hoʻokupu Center, 1125 Ala Moana Blvd
🥢 Light refreshments provided

Students, educators, alumni, community — all welcome 🤗

Come celebrate them and be part of what’s next 💫

🔗 Link in bio.

Address

1601 E West Road Fl 4
Honolulu, HI
96848

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

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