Awhat Awenpopo, an alumnus from the 2nd cohort of our program, currently serves at the Changhua County Fire Bureau. With over 10 years of firefighting experience, he is also a certified fire instructor accredited by the Fire Service College in the United Kingdom.

Since graduating from our program, Awhat has continuously dedicated himself to academic research and public practice. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of Geography at National Changhua University of Education, he has long focused on issues such as defense resilience, disaster governance, and indigenous public affairs. Committed to fire safety professionalism, public governance, and indigenous public participation, he actively promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, connecting academic research with frontline public practice to explore new possibilities for disaster governance and social resilience development.

Since 2020, Awhat has led Changhua County in pioneering cross-agency collaboration. By integrating fire, environmental protection, and other relevant units, he organized the "Nation's First Toxic Chemical Substance Disaster Response Center Tabletop Exercise," establishing a cross-agency coordination and response mechanism that serves as an important practical reference for central and local governments in disaster governance.

Since 2022, appointed by his superiors, he has taken charge of the residential fire prevention promotion business in Changhua County, driving the implementation and refinement of the "Residential Fire Prevention Strategy 2.0." Through institutional construction, education and training, and promotional model reforms, he has continuously enhanced the overall effectiveness of residential fire prevention efforts. These achievements have been recognized by the National Fire Agency under the Ministry of the Interior, with Changhua County winning the national top-grade full score in the 2025 Residential Fire Prevention Strategy 2.0 evaluation, demonstrating concrete results in local residential fire prevention policy.

In terms of institutional development, Awhat authored the "Changhua County Fire Bureau Residential Fire Prevention Strategy 2.0 Guidance Outline" and integrated the concept of all-civil defense resilience into the "Changhua County Fire Instructor Teaching Guidelines." He established a teaching method enabling firefighters to combine fire prevention promotions with the content of the "Taiwan Civil Defense Guide (Little Orange Book)," extending residential fire prevention education from traditional disaster prevention to total defense and civic resilience cultivation.

In addition to urban defense resilience and disaster governance, Awhat has long focused on indigenous public affairs and tribal disaster prevention issues. During this year's 228 Liberty Plaza Symbiosis Music Festival, he and partners from the "Taiwan Indigenous Youth Public Participation Association" completed the "Tribal Edition of the Little Orange Book," attempting to develop disaster prevention teaching materials and recommendations closer to tribal needs based on indigenous culture and tribal living experiences, providing a new practical direction for indigenous tribal disaster prevention education.

This year, Awhat was awarded the "Third-Class Medal by the Council of Indigenous Peoples," recognizing his long-term dedication to disaster relief, indigenous public affairs, and total defense resilience work, while highlighting his years of effort and contribution to public practice and social participation. From frontline firefighting to academic research and indigenous public participation, Awhat responds to social issues through interdisciplinary practice, demonstrating the action-oriented engagement of indigenous youth in public affairs and the connection of professional skills with social needs.

Moving from classroom learning to public practice, Awhat has transformed what he learned into concrete action, continuously cultivating practical experience and research outcomes in disaster governance, defense resilience, and indigenous public affairs. Our program is immensely proud of Awhat's growth and achievements, and we look forward to seeing more alumni apply their professional learning to society and continue making an impact across various fields.