UH West Oʻahu Honors Student Award Winners for Outstanding Academic Achievements and Service to the Community

Each year, UH West Oʻahu (UHWO) faculty in the Humanities, Professional Studies and Social Sciences Divisions, and UH West Oʻahu Alumni Association members recognize graduating students for their outstanding academic achievements and exceptional service to the community. During an awards reception held at Honolulu Country Club, the following 2008 student award winners were honored:

Humanities

Ewa Beach resident Stacy Naipo and Mililani resident Nicholas Kimokeo took home the Humanities Writing Awards in recognition of their exceptional writing skills.

A history major, Stacy Naipo demonstrated outstanding writing and research abilities and served as a tutor in the UH West Oʻahu Writing Center. Following graduation, Naipo plans to attend graduate school to become an archivist.

Nicholas Kimokeo graduated from UH West Oʻahu with a degree in Hawaiian-Pacific Studies. As a UHWO student, Kimokeo maintained a 3.94 grade point average (GPA) and was selected as the 2007 Fall Commencement student speaker. Beginning his higher education pursuit after 20 years of serving as a warehouse foreman at a local food distributor, Kimokeo now plans to pursue a law degree.

Professional Studies

Dolores Bahnsen of Ewa Beach won the Outstanding Business Administration Student Award. In addition to her impressive academic record, Bahnsen participated in community service and extracurricular activities including the Internal Revenue Service‘s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and performed an instrumental role as president of the UHWO Business Club.

Kapolei‘s Kristina Valencia took home the Outstanding General Business Student Award for her exceptional academic successes and ability to apply classroom knowledge to real-life work situations.

Landon Watanabe of Pearl City was recognized as this year‘s Outstanding Public Administration Student. Watanabe demonstrates an excellent ability to analyze legal issues and ranks among the top five percent of the student body for written assignments and class presentations. He plans to pursue a law degree after graduation.

Ewa Beach resident Joshua Harding is a gifted writer with presentations and papers rated at the top of his class. Harding took home the award for Outstanding Justice Administration Student. He completed his degree while also serving in the United States Army 442nd Company and will be deployed to Iraq this summer.

The 2008 Hawaiʻi Association of Public Accountants Outstanding Senior is UH West Oʻahu‘s Yafen Wang. A Wahiawa resident, Wang graduated with a 3.6 GPA and was an active member of the Accounting Club and the Business Club.

The Hawaiʻi Society for Certified Public Accountants Outstanding Senior Award was given to Waimanalo resident Kealaonapua Kanoho. An excellent accounting student, Kanoho was actively involved with the UHWO Accounting and Business Clubs. She plans to become a Certified Public Accountant and work in the accounting field.

Social Sciences

Wahiawa‘s Kamoa Quitevis was selected as the Outstanding Social Sciences Student, Oʻahu. With a 3.95 GPA, Quitevis graduated from UH West Oʻahu with a Bachelor‘s degree in Social Sciences with a concentration in Anthropology. He is an intern at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in the Historic Preservation department and a teacher at the Native Hawaiian charter school, Halau Lokahi. Quitevis was accepted into the master‘s degree program at the Pacific Island Studies Center at UH Manoa and will be studying cultural anthropology and Native Hawaiian Studies specializing in historic preservation.

Judith Donovan of Captain Cook on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi was chosen as the Outstanding Social Sciences Student, Neighbor Island. Donovan graduated with a Bachelor‘s degree in Social Sciences and plans to continue her education and pursue a career as an advocate for the elderly.

UHWO Alumni Association

Alumnus and Honolulu resident Steven Ige was awarded the UH West Oʻahu Alumni Association $1,000 Scholarship. Ige graduated from UH West Oʻahu in 2000 with a degree in Social Sciences with a concentration in Psychology. He is currently a Juvenile Probation Officer with the State of Hawaiʻi Judiciary and was accepted to the master's degree in Social Work program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa.