Abstract
Native Hawaiian students attending four-year nonprofit colleges and universities on the continental United States often experience unique cultural, social, and geographic challenges that shape their sense of belonging. However, these experiences remain underrepresented in higher education research because Native Hawaiian students are frequently combined with Asian American and Pacific Islander populations. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological Dissertation in Practice was to explore how Native Hawaiian students who graduated from Hawaiʻi high schools and enrolled at four-year nonprofit institutions on the mainland experience a sense of belonging. The study sought to better understand participants' lived experiences and inform institutional practices that support Native Hawaiian student success. Twelve Native Hawaiian undergraduate students participated in semi-structured interviews. This Dissertation in Practice includes a review of relevant literature, a description of the research methodology, presentation of the findings, discussion, and practitioner recommendations. Keywords: Native Hawaiian students, sense of belonging, phenomenology, higher education, transition