Our students are cultivating their own narrative in education. We are honored to present a group of problem-focus, ambitious and critical thinkers to our platform. Please take a moment to learn more about our Spring Semester Student Athlete Features and how ISP positively impacts various aspects of their lives.
Meet Dominique Martinez
We are honored to present Dominique Martinez as Spring Semester's Student Athlete Feature Series. Dominique is on a softball scholarship as the pitcher for University of Hawai'i Mānoa. She joined ISP 2 years ago with the objective to take control of her education and
handpick classes that align with her interests in business and healthcare. Martinez was raised in Othello Washington, a small town where everyone knows everyone. Her passion for softball first sparked in Othello tee-ball where she found the game exhilarating. As Marinez’s athletic skill and passion for softball grew to the competitive level she realized she had the opportunity to play softball at the collegiate level.
Martinez was determined to stand out on and off the field. “I made sure to get the best grades I could in high school. I enrolled in challenging classes that would stand out when I started to become recruited by college scouts. During the recruitment period college coaches look at your athletic skill level and see if you can play on the team, as well as, they look at your grades to make sure you can balance school work with the sport that you are playing.” stated by Martinez.
Dominique’s tenacity on the field is undoubtedly indistinguishable with her persistence off the field. She is fearless in managing her educational journey, looking for resources and questioning what fits into her academic pursuit. We are so proud of you Dominique continue to stand out and follow your passions, the sky's the limit for you. ISP is honored to be a part of your extraordinary academic journey. Mahalo!
Meet Emily Klee
ISP is so excited to present Emily Klee as our second astounding feature in our Interdisciplinary Studies Student Athlete Feature Series. Emily is in her fourth year as a student in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program and a UHM softball pitcher. Born and raised in
Placentia, California Emily found passion in an active life, she was always involved in various forms of extracurriculars. Starting at a young age Klee’s parents immersed her in an array of sports to provide various opportunities in her athletic career. Emily decided to commit to softball as she advanced to a competitive level. The influence of her sport-oriented upbringing, love for an active life, and her main passion of giving back to others, drove her professional pursuit in an Interdisciplinary Studies Sport Management Degree.
Klee set her sight on UHM from a very young age; coming from a family of big time UH supporters she knew she would become a Rainbow Wahine. Additionally, since Emily’s extended family lives on the island of O’ahu she recognized her chance to connect her family overseas, learn about her Hawaiian culture and simultaneously obtain a degree.
Emily manifested her dreams to be a UH college athlete on the field and comparably demonstrated her sheer tenacity for her dreams off the field. When Klee began her freshman year at UHM she knew she wanted to take charge of her own individual education, Through help from her academic advisor Emily’s educational design for her 4-year plan suited her ambitions to bring Sports and Management together. “I was most excited about finding a major that fit my interests and allowed me to broaden my future with a degree that covered multiple fields. Getting my degree in IS allowed me to focus on what I was interested in and gave me connection with people who have helped me with my future,” stated by Klee.
The determination and persistence Emily applies on and off the field certainly signifies the limitless future of opportunities she will have in Sport Management. She is a true definition of an outstanding student athlete, Emily is a recipient of the NFCA All American Scholar Athlete and continues to secure her spot on the Dean’s List. We are so proud of you Emily continue to make all your dreams a reality and help pave the path to excellence here at UHM. Mahalo!
Meet Jonah Panoke
We are so eager to introduce our last ISP student feature of the UH Mānoa Athlete series. Please take a moment to learn about our very own all-star student Jonah Panoke. Jonah is in his first semester as an ISP student studying sports related business management and athletic administration with hopes of pursuing either a career as an athletic director at the high school or collegiate level or a role in sports business administration at the collegiate or professional level. As a wide receiver of the UH football team Panoke juggles family time with his two sons, practicing football and studying for class. Jonah’s determined mentality and tenacious spirit sought out ISP for freedom to reach his degree goals within his football scholarship and NCAA eligibility time frame. Through advising and research Jonah found opportunities that allow him to take “pre-planned” major courses essential for his potential career and mix various other courses into his degree plan to ultimately cultivate the most success post-graduation for Panoke. Due to ISP Jonah is able to plan both online and hybrid courses that align with his football and family schedules for balance suitable for Jonah and his ohana.
Panoke was born and raised right here in Honolulu, Hawai’i. The aloha spirit, friendly nature of the community and close family ties of Hawaiian culture was instilled in him at a young age. The choice to play football for UH was very simple for Jonah due to his influential home roots, athletic connections and supportive fan base cheering him on as a student and athlete. Jonah began his journey with football “playing pop-warner football for both the Mānoa Paniolos and the Kalani Falcons. Playing the game of football at St. Louis really fostered my love and knowledge for the game and allowed me to develop into the football player I am today.”
As a father and athlete Jonah’s gained knowledge of patience, perseverance, understanding, time-management, responsibility, and accountability that radiate both on and off the field. We are so beyond proud of all you have accomplished Jonah and cannot wait to see where your educational pathway takes you!
Lastly, we would like to share Jonah’s best advice for all incoming or future ISP students, “Take the leap of faith, do not allow the predetermined degree frameworks confine what you want to be by determining what you want to major in.”
Interested in being featured next semester? Reach out to ISP's Program Coordinator: esanch41@hawaii.edu to learn more.