College of Life Sciences

FINDING A GAP

While attending high school in Fiji, Sai Balenacagi struggled in her biology studies. The U.S. textbooks and curriculum seemed foreign to what she knew. That changed when she took a course incorporating native ecology and plants. Finally biology clicked — science becomes more meaningful when students can see themselves in it.

INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE

In finishing her undergraduate degree at BYU Hawaii, Sai, first-generation student, wondered if there was a better way to teach Biology. She began to develop the idea of incorporating TEK — indigenous elders’ wisdom passed down through generations about the spiritual connection of all life within one living system — into native classrooms to create a more culturally inclusive curriculum.

MAKING SCIENCE RELATABLE

Sai’s vision ultimately led her to BYU where she could study the intricacies of pedagogy and culture in the sciences. Sai is collaborating with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations to create lesson plans that weave traditional ecological knowledge with scientific concepts. She is aiming to make science more accessible and relatable for every student.

To read more of Sai's story, please visit Rooted in the Pacific: A Student’s Quest to Bring Island Culture into Education - BYU Life Sciences