UH West O'ahu commencement ceremony Saturday, May 9

Senator Mike Gabbard to deliver keynote address

University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu
Contact:
Julie Funasaki Yuen, (808) 689-2604
Public Info Officer, University of Hawaii - West Oahu
Posted: May 4, 2015

UH West O'ahu commencement
UH West O'ahu commencement

Graduates, family, and friends will come together to celebrate spring commencement exercises at the University of Hawai‘i - West O‘ahu on Saturday, May 9. Two-hundred and twenty-six graduates, the University’s largest ever graduating class, will earn bachelor’s degrees and certificates during a 9 a.m. ceremony at the UH West Oʻahu Lower Courtyard. Hawaiʻi State Senator Mike Gabbard will deliver the keynote address.

“Seeing our hard-working students accomplish their goals and achieve a bachelor’s degree is so gratifying and we wish them nothing but success in their future careers and studies,” UH West Oʻahu Chancellor Rockne Freitas said.

Chancellor Freitas will preside over the ceremony and confer degrees. University of Hawai‘i System President David Lassner and University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents’ Chair Randy Moore, Vice Chair Jan Sullivan, and Regent Lee Putnam will congratulate the graduates. The UH West Oʻahu band will perform at the commencement ceremony, and UHWO Associate Professor Dr. Leilani Basham and UHWO Hawaiian-Pacific Studies graduate Jevis Sojot will give the UH West Oʻahu Oli, He aloha no nā ʻEwa.

Mellissa Lochman, one of this year’s outstanding UH West O‘ahu graduates, will speak on behalf of the graduating class. Lochman is the University’s first to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Humanities with a concentration in creative media, and plans to pursue a career in graphic design following graduation. She was the editor-in-chief of UH West Oʻahu’s the Hoot student newspaper, served on the University’s Communications Committee and Student Media Board, and worked as a graphic design student assistant in the UH West Oʻahu Communications Department. A U.S. Air-Force veteran, Lochman returned to Hawaiʻi after eight years of service to pursue her education and is the first in her family to graduate from college. Born and raised on the island of Molokaʻi, she currently resides in Waipio with her son.

UH West O‘ahu graduates will receive their baccalaureate in Applied Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Public Administration and Social Sciences during the commencement ceremony. Graduates will also receive certificates in various programs including Applied Forensic Anthropology, Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Health Care Administration, Risk Management and Insurance, Substance Abuse and Addictions Studies, and Democratic Principles and Social Justice.

The commencement ceremony will be streamed live on the UH West O‘ahu website at http://www.uhwo.hawaii.edu.

UH West O‘ahu Spring 2015 Commencement details:

  • All are welcome to attend commencement in the UH West O‘ahu Lower Courtyard. No tickets will be issued. Guests may arrive at 8 a.m. The seating area will be closed off once it reaches maximum capacity.
  • On-campus parking is free and open to the public. Carpooling is highly encouraged as there will be considerable congestion along the Farrington Highway entrance to the campus.
  • Lei vendors will sell lei on the grassy area at the campus entrance near the Dining Commons. Balloons and strollers are not allowed in the commencement seating area for safety reasons.
  • A first-aid station will be available in the UHWO Library.
  • A UH West Oʻahu Bookstore tent will be on-site selling UH West Oʻahu merchandise.
  • Graduates may greet guests following the ceremony at approximately 10:30 a.m. at the UH West O‘ahu Great Lawn near alphabetical signs.

Established in 1976, the University of Hawaiʻi - West O‘ahu offers quality education, small classes and personalized attention with academic programs that emphasize the exploration of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural studies. UH West O‘ahu serves approximately 2,700 students at its brand new, state-of-the-art campus that opened in the City of Kapolei in 2012. For more information, visit www.uhwo.hawaii.edu, call (808) 689-2800 or toll-free (866) 299-8656. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.