Charter School Commissioner Alencastre

He kūpaʻa kēia i ka hoʻōla ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma o ka home a me ka hoʻonaʻauao. He lima kōkua wiwoʻole nō hoʻi no ka pono o ke aʻo ʻana i kā kākou poʻe keiki ma o ka ʻike kūpuna o nēia ʻāina aloha. Pēlā e hoʻokele mau ai i kaʻu hana ma ka noho ʻelele ʻana ma kēia ʻAha Kula Hoʻāmana.

Makalapua has focused her life’s work on the reestablishment of Hawaiian as the primary language of the home and education. Her professional and research interests are inspired by her commitment and respect for the Hawaiian language and culture and include language acquisition, immersion education-program planning and evaluation, educational resource development, teacher education, and educational reform. Makalapua attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, for undergraduate and graduate degrees earning a B.A. in Hawaiian Studies, a professional diploma in language education, a M.A. in ESL, and an Ed.D. in Professional Educational Practice. As a Hawaiian educator for over 40 years, Makalapua has taught at the elementary, secondary and university levels and has served as administrator of Oʻahuʻs five ʻAha Pūnana Leo preschools and Ke Kula ʻo Kamakau, a P-12 indigenous medium public charter school. Recently retired from the University of Hawaiʻi as Associate Professor at Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language, Makalapua serves on numerous educational committees, as well as mentors graduate level students.