As Jason Momoa becomes increasingly more popular following his role in DC’s Aquaman, many fans have been curious about his upbringing. In particular, people have been wondering if Jason Momoa went to college.
Though he did not graduate, Jason Momoa did go to college. Jason Momoa went to college in his home state, Iowa originally. He later switched schools and went to University in Colorado.
Continue reading to find out more about Jason Momoa’s schooling and why he didn’t finish his degree.
Jason Momoa in College
Though Jason Momoa was born in Nānākuli, Honolulu, Hawaii in 1979, he moved to the United States—specifically Norwalk, Iowa—with his mom when he was only six months old.
He completed all of his schooling in Iowa and even went to college in the state. He then moved from Norwalk to Des Moines and attended the Des Moines Area Community College.
In Des Moines, he chose to major in marine biology. He then, however, decided to move to Fort Collins, Colorado to transfer to Colorado State University.
At Colorado State University, Momoa changed his major to wildlife biology. Before he was able to finish his degree, Momoa said he wanted to move back to his birthplace, Hawaii.
He said about his move, “I wanted to get to know my dad better in Hawaii, and then the TV show [Baywatch] came and it kind of changed my whole life.”
As Momoa grew up in the United States with only his mother, it is not surprising that he felt like he was missing a connection to his father who stayed in Hawaii.
Instead of continuing his education in Hawaii, Momoa started modelling. He was discovered by two talent agents, while he was at work at a surf shop.
After a short stint in modelling, Momoa was cast in a television show named Baywatch Hawaii in 1999. This kicked off his acting career and thus he never went back to school to finish his degree.
Jason Momoa’s Use of His Education
Though Momoa never finished his degree in marine biology or wildlife biology, he still put his education to good use.
As Jason Momoa is Hawaiian, he is very outspoken about nature and environmental causes, specifically in Hawaii.
In 2019, Momoa went on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to raise money for a charity called Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii. He won $31,000 from Ellen and her sponsor Shutterfly.
Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii educates locals on environmental causes and how to keep their environment clean. They frequently organize beach cleanups.
Jason Momoa has also delivered a speech about climate change to the United Nations in 2019. The meeting was specifically for small islands like Hawaii, Bahamas, Barbados, Samoa and more.
In his speech he said: “The oceans are in a state of emergency. Entire marine ecosystems are vanishing with the warming of the seas, and as the waste of our world empties into our waters, we face the devastating crisis of plastic pollution. We are a disease that is infecting our planet.”
Momoa’s background in marine biology and wildlife biology likely helped him with his speech.
In his speech, he also focused on how much plastic is in the ocean. He says that there is 19 billion pounds of plastic waste entering the oceans every year.
To try to combat this, Momoa started a water company called Mananalu. In an effort to eliminate single use plastic bottles, his water is sold in aluminum cans as it is one of the most recyclable materials in the world.
He named his company after the word Mana which is the sacred spirit of life and the word Nalu which is a powerful wave that pushes across the ocean. This is because he wants his company to start a wave of change.
So, Jason Momoa may have not finished his degree, but he is still putting his education and passion to good use.