The purpose of this paper is to share an autoethnographic inquiry into the perceived effects of a pioneer University of Hawaii Master of Education with Pacific STEM focus (PACMED) degree program, from the perspective of the PACMED Director, as part of the little known narrative of intercultural learning in the wake of the Republic of Marshall Islands' sea-level rising migration and refugee crisis. Kwajalein Atoll is the largest low lying coral atoll in the world. Climate change is increasing sea-level rise, which may destroy Kwajalein's freshwater lens in 15 to 45 years (2035 - 2065), force migration from the islet, and erase the Republic of Marshall Islands' culture and sovereignty. The threat of sea-level rise and climate change migration is the current chapter in a tragic story of colonization and United States' nuclear bomb-testing in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). Border crossing of the Marshallese to Hawaii and the U.S. mainland has been unsuccessful due to high percentages of immigrants experiencing health problems and living in poverty or homelessness. However, this story is prompting a critical call to raise awareness and empower local Pacific leaders with place-based STEM education so that they might have the power to solve unique Pacific problems and preserve their threatened Pacific island homes. This reflective narrative is significant as an influence to policy decisions on the creation of a culturallyresponsive STEM graduate education program. The varied backgrounds and attributes of Marshallese teachers and learners has profoundly impacted how they engage with hegemonic United States educational standards and curriculum. This is an exploratory qualitative autoethnography to reflect on the effects of the pioneer RMI PACMED STEM program, from the perspective of the PACMED Program Director, as a means for continuous program improvement. Typological analysis of PACMED program data has revealed that the following programmatic structures were perceived to be meaningful for the RMI PACMED graduate level participants: a) culturally responsive cohort grouping, b) small homebase grouping with consistent faculty advisors within the cohort to collaboratively work on ePortfolio across the two-year program, c) place-based relevant STEM courses and field trips, d) indigenous teaching assistants, expansion of collaborative professional networks with colleagues, instructors and community agencies, e) practical instructional strategies and place-based curriculum creation that can be applied in the classroom, and f) synchronous online ZOOM course delivery. Areas for PACMED improvement were identified within the overarching themes of a) positionality and b) resources.
