Students from the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu and Leeward Community College recently participated in a shadow congressional hearing with U.S. Rep. Ed Case and U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda — offering an opportunity for students to experience what it’s like first-hand to provide testimony to members of Congress.
Organized by the UH West O‘ahu Office of Government Relations, the event took place on March 12 at UH West O‘ahu’s James & Abigail Campbell Library. It drew about 30 attendees, including seven student testifiers.
UH West O‘ahu Vice Chancellor for Administration David McDonald said students from the two campuses were fortunate to be able to interact with both members of Congress from Hawai‘i.
“Students received feedback and both (Case and Tokuda) took notes and pledged to consider proposed solutions and investigate identified problems,” McDonald said. “This was a unique and impactful learning opportunity for students and our members of Congress.”
At the event, Case and Tokuda thanked the student testifiers and also shared their insights and guidance on providing written and oral testimonies at such hearings.
“Make sure you pull the most salient points out (of your written testimony) of what you want to tell us, and more importantly, what you want us to do — what’s the ask of Congress?” said Tokuda, who represents Hawai‘i’s Second Congressional District, which includes suburban and rural parts of O‘ahu, the islands of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i, Maui, Lana‘i, Moloka‘i, Ni‘ihau, Kaho‘olawe, and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
She added, “We have thousands and thousands of bills that come through Congress, and it’s hard to keep track of them all. So the ones that mean a lot to you, the ones that can make a difference in your life, bring that up.”
Case, who represents Hawai‘i’s First Congressional District, O‘ahu from Makapu‘u through Central Honolulu and Leeward to Mililani, Waipahu, and ‘Ewa and Kapolei, agreed with Tokuda’s advice to students about providing written and oral testimonies.
“What we’re trying to do is to get you to summarize (your written testimony) … also to relate it to your own personal situation,” Case said, “because for me, this is about putting the right laws together, but it’s (also) understanding how those laws are hitting in real people’s lives — and that’s really the purpose of the hearing.”
The hour-long shadow congressional hearing featured testimony topics that ranged from college affordability to the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) international maritime exercise and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) .
Among the testifiers was UH West O‘ahu student Rigo Gomez, who is a veteran and interim program manager of the Veteran Center of Excellence on campus.
“I testified in strong support of congressional oversight, responsible policymaking, and support for legislation H.R. 6358 Veteran Education Empowerment Act which is essential to fulfilling our nation’s promise to those who served,” Gomez said.
Gomez, who is also president of UH West O‘ahu’s student government, the Associated Students of the University of Hawai‘i—West O‘ahu (ASUHWO), noted the importance of an event like this.
“Students are directly impacted by policy, having the opportunity to fill the gap between policy intent versus the real outcomes with policy makers in the room is mutually essential to governance and advocacy,” Gomez said. “Especially for student veterans who are not just transitioning into classrooms, we are often navigating recovery, identity, and purpose at the same time.”
Gomez said participating in the shadow congressional hearing was a great experience.
“It was truly a privilege and a great opportunity as a student not only to engage with elected leaders, but to learn and be mentored by them on advocacy, congressional testimony, and legislative process was invaluable,” he said.
To see more photos from the event, visit the album, Shadow Congressional Hearing with U.S. Representatives Case and Tokuda, on Flickr.
This event is one of the “50 Acts of Pueo Pride” — events highlighted as part of the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu’s 50th anniversary in 2026.
