Fewer Native Hawaiian men are going to college. The repercussions may last generations.

Growing up, Miki Cook never really saw college as a path for himself. That changed when he enrolled at Windward Community College in his 30s. Today, Cook is pursuing a PhD in education at the University of Hawaii Manoa, while also teaching high school students enrolled in Windward’s early college program. He hopes that effort can address a real challenge in Hawaii: the declining number of Native Hawaiian men enrolled in the state’s university system.