MAHALO NUI LOA!!! Here’s to another Commencement in the books!
We appreciate everyone who has helped in some way or form — whether you helped set up the day before, picked up food or consulted on what needed to be done to ensure equity, or provided moral support. Thank you for everything. Shari and I (Katherine) are so grateful for all of you. We have such a good team of staff and faculty that made the process easy and smooth.
We would like to say thank you to our committee and consultants:
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Tiffany Macanas (CHECK IN) for making check-in a smooth and organized process!
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Mahalo Shari Tamashiro (STAGE) for keeping everything with stage running smoothly as always.
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Shannon Sakaue (GRAD PREP) and the Marshals for ensuring the excited graduates were prepared, were lined up on time, and made it to the stage and back!
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Amy Shiroma & Sheryl Fuchino-Nishida (HOSPITALITY) for managing all of the hospitality stations, such as the overflow/lei zone, and getting food and snacks for volunteers! Liked the snack spread and enjoyed the food? It was all them!
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Kristy Yoshikawa for managing all of the volunteers coming in and out and training them and getting them to where they needed to be!
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Lisa Yamamoto (ONLINE) for ensuring the Commencement website was updated with the online program booklet, list of student names, messages and live stream.
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Lori Maehara and Alfie Gonzales (SPEAKER SELECTION) for coordinating the Commencement speaker selection process! We had TWO awesome Commencement speakers, Kai Otomo and Miku Nagano!
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Our consultants: Michaelyn Nākoa Hall for Hawaiian Protocol, Wayne Fredericks for security and managing parking, Jameson Ramelb & Wanda Mita for all facilities things, and Deneen Kawamoto for Disability Services.
More to thank!
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Nāwaʻa Napoleon, Michaelyn Nākoa Hall, and Puʻu Zablan for organizing and leading the pu and oli
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Mahalo to those who participated in the Moanaliha: Joe Yoshida, Palakiku Yagodich, Kohlby Soong, Jace Ogata, Misaki Takabayashi, Nawaʻa Napoleon, Joel Sovea, Natalia Brown, Kahilo Keller, Elaina Malm, Pōhai Medeiros, Keala Meyer, Skye Kaupiko, Michaelyn Nākoa Hall, Puʻu Zablan, Karen Boyer, Kahele Cruz, Veronica Ogata, Colette Fujii, Sydney Burgher, Nadine Wolff, and Hoʻopuka participants.
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Brandon Marc Higa and Dave Evans for serving as emcee.
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Lillie Jackson, Lauren Tamamoto, and Allyson Ota for name reading the candidate names during the Presentation of Candidates and for reading with confidence and conviction!
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Kekaulike – For rolling ALL the scrolls every time! Thanks for making extras too especially with the increase of grads!
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Colette “Aunty Coco” Andrade-Fujii, Alfie Gonzales, Grant Itomitsu, Ryan Mudd, Alan Tsuchiyama, and Shawn Yacavone for running things behind the scenes backstage.
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Aloha Club for handling hospitality in the Overflow/Lei Zone and very much spreading that aloha to everyone!
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Stacey Oho, Department Chair Emergency Medical Services, for providing First Aid support.
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CELTT crew for producing the live stream so that loved ones could watch it no matter where they were, and to Raphael Lowe for working with Lisa on the Commencement webpage.
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Diamond Head Theatre staff for being great partners and collaborators on this event. It’s easy every time and it’s always a pleasure. Y’all really make things work and it’s great!
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ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS for all your work especially those who consistently volunteer at EVERY SINGLE COMMENCEMENT. We APPRECIATE YOU!!
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Mahalo to Chancellor Misaki Takabayashi, UH President Wendy Hensel, UH Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Garret Yoshimi, Board of Regent Diane Palomo, Board of Regent Joshua Faumuina, Interim Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services Justin Kashiwaeda, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Nāwaʻa Napoleon, Interim Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Devon Peterson, Executive Director of Strategy Michaelyn Nākoa Hall, Director of the Culinary Institute of the Pacific Roy Yamaguchi – thank you for your support in this Spring commencement and congratulating the students on their achievement!
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Mahalo to Veronica Ogata, Dean of Arts and Sciences; Laure Burke, Interim Dean of Business, Legal, Technology, Culinary and Hospitality; Karen Boyer, Dean of Health Sciences; Carol Hoshiko, Dean of Community & Continuing Education; and Calvin Tan, Business, Legal & Technology Education Department Chair, for assisting with the Presentation of Candidates.
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Mahalo to Kohlby Soong for creating an extraordinary lei for the Queen’s Portrait!
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Mahalo to Jan Fried and Kat Taylor for providing sign language interpreting services for our students and guests.
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Mahalo to the students from the Service and Sustainability Learning Program for making lei for all the graduates! Their talent and time ensured all the graduating students felt the aloha for their accomplishments.
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Mahalo to Debralee Goto from the Bookstore for keeping the bookstore open on Commencement day for those last minute purchases!
Thank you again so so much! We appreciate everyone that has helped out! You can find the video and Commencement booklet here. You can see Commencement photos here! Thank you everyone!
P.S. If you are interested in participating in making these ceremonies happen then please email kapcomm@hawaii.edu, we would love to have y’all join us! It takes a campus to make Commencement happen!
Mahalo nui loa,
Commencement Committee
(Shari Tamashiro, & Katherine Moats)