With her voice cracking and tears welling up in her eyes, Koran Munafo became emotional as she reflected on her unlikely journey through higher education. After dropping out of high school at 16 and earning her General Educational Development degree at 18, she didn’t return to school until she was a 35-year-old single mother with three kids.
“In retrospect, it was an immature decision to quit high school, but I had so many emotional issues going on in my life and with my family,” Munafo says. “Dropping out of school was the easiest thing to let go so I could move forward.”
A self-described “over achiever,” Munafo just didn’t stop with her associate degree from Hawai‘i Community College (HCC). She went on to achieve her bachelor’s from University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu and then pursued her master’s degree at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Not quite done, Munafo decided to chase her ultimate dream: a doctorate degree from the College of Education at UH Mānoa. When she started her Ph.D., she understood the challenges of juggling between her roles as a single parent and as a full-time student. She also worked full-time in the classroom at Waiākea Intermediate School in Hilo.
Munafo credits the hybrid feature of her Learning Design & Technology Doctoral Degree as contributing to her success. Without the online classes, it would have been impossible, she says, to finish her doctoral degree.
“The logistics of trying to manage in-person classes is not conducive to raising a family and working full-time,” Munafo says. “As a non-traditional, older student, having a hybrid schedule was the only path that would have worked for me.”
After more than six years since embarking on this doctoral adventure, Munafo will walk—clad in her new robe and cap—during December’s commencement ceremony. And when she crosses that stage, she will have arrived at that liminal space between what lies behind and what waits ahead.
“Without all the scholarships I received throughout my years in the UH system, I would have never been able to attain my degrees,” Munafo asserts. “Each scholarship was a confirmation that my abilities were going to serve me along every step of the way.”
Munafo adds that each scholarship acted as piece to her foundation, and allowed her to move forward no matter of the struggles and the challenges she confronted along the way.
In the new year, Munafo will transition from her full-time teaching position at Waiākea Intermediate School and partner with the Kaho‘iwai Center for Teaching and Learning to become a contractor with the Hawai‘i Department of Education. In her new role, she will provide teachers with professional development in instruction—the subject of her dissertation. In layman’s terms, she will be coaching teachers.
“Scholarships create a transformative impact on students' educational journeys, providing essential financial support that opens doors to academic opportunities,” Munafo says. “This support validates students' potential and empowers them to pursue their academic goals, ultimately contributing to their success and positive self-perception. Through donors' generosity, students receive not just financial assistance, but also the confidence and encouragement to achieve their educational dreams.”
Like she did.
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