Twenty years ago, educators with courage, perseverance and a love for Hawaiian language and culture created Hawaiian language immersion education in the Islands.

The program was not without its struggles early on.

But, as a yearlong celebration of the 20th anniversary of Hawaiian immersion education begins now, all those involved in the effort over the past two decades can look back with great pride.

Pride in their role in helping to resuscitate and save the Hawaiian language.

Pride in their perpetuation of Hawaiian culture.

And pride in the thousands of students they have educated, nurtured and mentored.

More than 100 years ago, Hawaiian was banned from public schools. Today, graduates of immersion schools have learned their academics in Hawaiian and have gone on to further education and successful lives. And they, too, can now play a role in keeping the Hawaiian language and culture vibrant and alive.

Thanks to the program's success, even more teachers fluent in Hawaiian are needed. And there is an effort under way to get 500 immersion education graduates from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and University of Hawai'i-Hilo over the next five years.

Immersion education started small but with big hopes. Today, the benefits have been real and measurable and there is no reason the dream cannot blossom further.