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.

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.

04/16/2026

You’re Invited to A Global Affair!

PAAC’s signature gala returns for a night of global impact and celebration—honoring Lynn Babington, recipient of the Paul S. Bachman Award.

Tuesday, May 19 | 5:30–9:00 PM
The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Honolulu

Your support empowers Hawaiʻi students to become global leaders.

What’s in store:
✨ Award-winning cuisine
✨ Hosted bar
✨ Exclusive silent auction
✨ Inspiring company

Support the mission:
🌟 Sponsor a Table ($5K–$11K)
🎟️ Individual Tickets: $275 | Alumni: $175

Reserve now: Link in bio 🔗

Let’s celebrate global education together ✨💙

04/15/2026

No better way to end off this trip than from where we started! ✈️

We spent the last few days exploring our connections right in the capital city of Manila.

From visiting cultural heritage sites to pouring our hearts out at karaoke. Tears filled with joy, sadness, and life-long memories were shed as the end drew near, but nonetheless, a time was had!

Agyamnak, Salamat po, and Aloha ‘oe Philippines 🇵🇭🫰

10 REASONS NOT TO VISIT TO JEJU ISLAND WITH PAAC*NOT CLICKBAIT*
04/08/2026

10 REASONS NOT TO VISIT TO JEJU ISLAND WITH PAAC

*NOT CLICKBAIT*

03/07/2026

🚨 IT’S HAPPENING 🚨

Get ready to put your global knowledge to the test at Academic WorldQuest TOMORROW!

Compete with the best, challenge your mind, and see if you have what it takes to take home the title and win a chance to go to Washington D.C. sponsored by Southwest Airlines ✈️🌎

Who’s ready to make history?!

📆 Date: Saturday, March 7, 2025
⏰ Time: 1:00 - 4:00pm (Doors open at 12pm)
📍 Location: Hawaii Imin International Conference Center at Jefferson Hall

Tag your team and let’s go! 🗣️🎉

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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