I Ola Kohala is an educational pilot project that strengthens opportunities for middle and high school students in North Hawai?i to explore opportunities in higher education and health professions through strengthening cultural identity and civic responsibility. The program is also focused on delivering quality rural health education for health professions students, including pharmacy students from the University of Hawai?i at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICOP) and medical students at the University of Hawai?i at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). The project's purpose is to strengthen the pipeline for local students to pursue higher education and consider careers in health and promote physician retention in North Hawai?i by connecting with the medical community at JABSOM. Designed and funded by the medical school's Department of Native Hawaiian Health's Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence (NHCOE), the project worked closely with community partners to develop an educational curriculum that enabled participants to better understand the critical connection between cultural traditions and the importance of higher education as it relates to health concerns within their community. All activities took place in the Kohala district to strengthen participants' sense of place and nurture the practice of aloha ?aina. The long-term goals of the I Ola Kohala project are to provide participants with connections to resources that further their education and potential to pursue careers in the health professions, increase the number of medical student experiences in North Hawai?i, and empower the Kohala community to build educational pathways to promote students' educational success. The hope is that these types of programs will allow physicians in training to learn about rural communities and may potentially influence their desire to provide health care for underserved populations.