3 Hawaii teachers return from Washington as national AI challenge finalists

News admin June 20, 2026 0 Comments

3 Hawaii teachers return from Washington as national AI challenge finalists

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Three Hawaii teachers returned home as national finalists Thursday after presenting their statewide program in Washington, D.C.

Kawika Gonzales, Leah Aiwohi and Chloe Sato presented Global Innovation Race Hawaii, which teaches students to use artificial intelligence responsibly.

“To be selected as a National Finalist out of 2,500 projects is an incredible honor,” Gonzales said. “Representing Hawaii and the entire western region of the United States on a national stage proves that our students are not just participating in the future of AI; they’re helping shape it.”

Three student submissions won regional awards. The projects include a deepfake detector to help kupuna using the internet, an AI program that detects fire danger early, and a third that combats bullying.

The competition ran June 7 to 10 at the Mellon Auditorium following an April 2025 executive order advancing AI education for American youth.

Teachers create statewide model

The teachers developed a statewide model for engaging students in using AI responsibly to solve community problems. The initiative eventually reached two-thirds of Hawaii’s public high schools.

“What was unique also about our project is that these students came from different islands, from different cultures,” Gonzales said. “Having these students working together on these team projects, they get to share a bit of their culture infused into their projects. And that’s what makes it special and unique, every project.”

The teachers focused less on teaching technical AI skills and more on guiding students through the learning process.

“A lot of them, they already were very familiar with prompting and the tools themselves,” Sato said. “Our bigger mission was a different part of the how, not how to technically use them, but how to use it for something bigger than themselves or bigger than convenience.”

Students conducted listening tours to build empathy with community members before developing their projects. The teachers held office hours with students, helped them narrow broad problems and connected them with industry professionals.

“We shouldn’t underestimate our students,” Aiwohi said. “For us, honestly, it wasn’t so much about teaching the tools, the AI tools, but guiding them through the process.”

High school students also mentored elementary students and presented their work at conferences across the state.

Presidential AI Challenge

As students developed their projects, the teachers discovered the Presidential AI Challenge, which had opened in August 2025.

Students submitted 14 projects to the challenge, including 10 high school teams and three elementary teams. Gonzales, Aiwohi and Sato submitted their statewide model as the educator team.

Three student projects won state awards. The elementary project, Non-Bully Helpers, partnered student leaders with an AI website that detects bullying through voice recognition and helps students know the next steps in handling bullying situations.

The high school project Ho’oia is a browser-based AI authenticity tool designed to help communities navigate AI-generated content online.

Another high school project, AI Fire Guard, developed an AI video monitoring system that provides real-time assistance in addressing fires. Students who worked on this project were moved by the Lahaina fires.

Educator project advances to nationals

The educator project won at the state level and advanced to the regional competition, where they competed against entries from California, Oregon, Alaska and other western states.

After winning the regional competition, they became national finalists. The three teachers traveled to Washington, D.C., for about a week while the competition officially ran over four days.

The Presidential AI Challenge drew 2,500 projects from all 50 states. The top 40 projects were selected as national finalists.

During the week, the teachers visited Microsoft and Amazon and spoke to industry leaders and professionals. Participants submitted documents and videos and completed live interviews with event organizers.

White House reception

First Lady Melania Trump hosted the finalists at the White House.

“I think the greatest highlight of our experience was being invited into the White House,” Gonzales said. “She personally congratulated all of the finalists. She even hosted a private reception in the Rose Garden.”

The experience took place during the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding.

“To have been there in Washington, D.C. during this time was really wonderful in the sense that it helped create a deeper sense of patriotism,” Aiwohi said.

Sato said the experience deepened her appreciation for education focused on ethics rather than just technical skills.

“It’s so important to have ethics and to stress the humanness and connection within our classrooms and in our everyday life too,” Sato said. “The importance of connection.”

Gonzales teaches at Kaunakakai Elementary School on Molokai. Aiwohi teaches at Kauai High School. Sato teaches at Kalani High School on Oahu.