Julie Matsumoto walked into a disbanded PAAC club at Mililani High School and rebuilt it from scratch. Jayden Tran boarded a plane to Vietnam and came back knowing that life is bigger than himself. Ninety-five seniors are stepping into what's next — and the Class of 2026 is taking everything with them.

All three 2026 Sister-State cohorts independently chose the same value to guide them: aloha. Before 42 students ever boarded a plane to Okinawa, Jeju, or the Ilocos, they spent two days at orientation learning what that word actually asks of them once they land.

Expanded from 14 to 42 student ambassadors, the 2026 Hawaiʻi Sister-State Study Tours mark a major investment in the next generation of leaders. With statewide representation and subsidized access, PAAC and the East-West Center are building Hawaiʻi’s global leadership pipeline.