VIDEO NEWS RELEASE: More than 4,800 students from 9 UH campuses participating in spring commencement

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Dan Meisenzahl, (808) 348-4936
Director of Communications, UH Communications
Posted: May 9, 2019

Link to video and sound:  https://bit.ly/301zpXH

WHAT:  Nine of the 10 University of Hawaiʻi campuses will hold their spring 2019 commencement ceremonies beginning today, May 9 (UH Maui); Friday, May 10 (Hawaiʻi, Honolulu, Kauaʻi, Kapiʻolani, Leeward and Windward Community Colleges) and Saturday, May 11 (UH Mānoa, UH Hilo and Hawaiʻi CC Pālamanui). UH West Oʻahu held its ceremony on May 4.

WHO: An estimated 4,800 UH students will participate in the commencement ceremonies. More than 8,400 undergraduate and advanced degrees and certificates will be awarded this semester.

ADDITIONAL FACTS:

  • Significant milestone in the lives of more than 4,800 UH students who are graduating from college and earning a degree or certificate

  • The University of Hawaiʻi System provides high quality education at an affordable price, one of the reasons Hawaiʻi has among the lowest student debt rates in the country (https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2018/10/02/hawaii-student-debt-among-lowest-in-us/)

  • Compared to those who earn a high school degree, those who earn a higher education degree or certificate have significant advantages when it comes to  quality of life including earning more money over their lifetimes; being less likely to be on government aid programs; more likely to live longer, healthier lives. In turn, their children are more likely to attend college and live longer, healthier lives

  • The breakdown of participating graduates by campus is as follows:

    • Hawaiʻi Community College - 214 participating (Hilo); 57 (Pālamanui)

    • Honolulu Community College - About 300

    • Kauaʻi Community College -  127

    • Kapiʻolani Community College - 455

    • Leeward Community College - 375

    • Windward Community College - 233

    • University of Hawaiʻi Maui College - 296

    • University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo -  640

    • University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa - About 2,200

  • The video and interview features Tehani Keanini, who is graduating from Windward CC Friday with her associate’s degree and will attend UH Mānoa in fall 2019 to major in accounting. Keanini is a returning or nontraditional student, single mother of two who graduated from high school 16 years ago and returned to college in 2017.


VIDEO: B-roll (1 minute 46 seconds):
0:00-0:22, 4 clips: Hawaiʻi CC commencement

0:22-0:49, 4 clips: UH Maui College commencement

0:49-1:03, 3 clips: Kauaʻi CC commencement

1:03-1:40, 6 clips: Tehani Keanini at Windward CC

1:40-1:46: Photo of Tehani with son and daughter


SOUNDBITES:
Tehani Keanini - Windward CC graduating student (7 seconds)

“My time here at Windward has been awesome, I loved it. It was so much fun. Two years was not enough, but I have to move on.”


Keanini (14 seconds)
“I’m planning to transfer to Shilder this coming fall and I'm really excited and nervous. New place, new people, but I'm excited to take on that journey.“


Keanini (18 seconds)
“It wasn’t until 2017, 14 years later after graduating, that I was like, I'm finally ready, This is what I want to do. This is the pathway I want to take to get me where I want to be and that's why I started.”