Free summer program for Hawaiʻi students interested in the intelligence field

This summer, a cohort of 25 Hawaiʻi high school students will take an in-depth look at the fast-growing field of national intelligence, and have the opportunity to network with industry experts from Hawaiʻi-based firms.

The Academy for Hawaiʻi Intelligence Studies Summer Program is a free four-week course offered by the Department of Political Science in University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences.

Running July 6 through July 29, the Academy for Hawaiʻi Intelligence Studies Summer Program includes three weeks of online learning, culminating in a one-week in-person capstone experience on the UH Mānoa campus.

The program will introduce students to a wide variety of concepts including power and contemporary world politics since 1945, with an emphasis on the U.S. role. Simulation games, field trips and networking opportunities will occur during the final week at UH Mānoa.

“We are excited to offer Hawaiʻi’s youth this immersive experience in one of the state’s fast-growing fields. The federal government is adding hundreds of new jobs in national intelligence each year right here in Hawaiʻi,” said Jairus Grove, Academy for Hawaiʻi Intelligence Studies Summer Program program director, and associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science.

Academy for Hawaiʻi Intelligence Studies Summer Program is open to qualified Hawaiʻi high school juniors and seniors, and incoming UH Mānoa freshmen statewide. Applicants must be Hawaiʻi residents with a minimum GPA of 2.8, based on cumulative grades from the 9th grade through fall 2022.

Expenses, including registration, tuition/fees, airfare and on-campus housing/meals, are paid through the Pacific Intelligence and Innovation Initiative (certain restrictions may apply).

Upon successful completion of the program, participants will earn college credits in the form of a 3-credit, university-level course in political science (POLS 120: Introduction to World Politics). POLS 120 is the first course in the Intelligence Studies course sequence currently under development at UH Mānoa.