Eliesse Hihara received her B.S. degree from the University of Hawaii in 2021. She was a Chancellor’s scholarship recipient and majored in Electrical Engineering. She is now pursuing her M.S. degree in Green Technologies from the University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering.
Eliesse's VIP Experience
We spoke to Eliesse about her experience in the UH VIP Program. This is her response:
If I had to choose an experience that has undoubtedly shaped my undergraduate education, it would be joining the University of Hawaii Drone Technologies (UHDT) [see Space and Aerial Robotics]. I first learned about UHDT when I was a junior in high school participating in the 2016 College of Engineering High School Internship. This later prompted me to join UHDT in 2017 as a freshman in college, and I remained on the team until graduating in 2021. Being a part of this Vertically Integrated Project for four years challenged me in many ways and taught me countless lessons and skillsets that I would not have acquired in college classes.
Joining the team as a freshman was crucial to my development as an engineering student. As an underclassman, I spent a lot of time learning about the team’s unmanned aerial system through hands-on work. This exposure allowed me to develop problem-solving and time management skills, which helped me to serve the team as the chief engineer in my sophomore year. As an upperclassman, this project challenged me to develop communication, organization, and team management skills, which helped me serve UHDT as the team’s project manager. Writing reports and speaking at presentations also refined my writing, oral presentation, and interpersonal skills, which I am confident will aid me in graduate school and a future career. Overall, the aspect I enjoyed most about being on the team was constantly learning and actively engaging with other students. Spending many hours working through obstacles and making sure our work was of the highest quality was often stressful. However, I always had good team members surrounding me to make the time go by quickly. This collaboration not only made being on the team highly enjoyable, but it also allowed me to form strong relationships with my peers.
Eliesse's Advice
To future VIP students, I highly encourage you to participate in a VIP project that interests you. Even if a project may not fully align with what you are looking for, you should still consider joining. You may find out that you are interested in areas you have not yet considered. To current VIP students, don’t be discouraged if you are the youngest student in a project or if don’t know any of the current members. This is a great way to meet others and learn from their experiences. Build relationships with your team members, work as hard as you can, and don’t give up when it gets tough!