Made at Mānoa 2023

WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE MĀNOA ALUMNI?

Here at Mānoa, your achievements extend beyond your degree of completion. The connections you make, the communities you develop, the professors you encounter that nurture your growth provide the foundational stepping stones to propel you to great things on and beyond our campus. The success of a graduate stands at the core of our mission.

We connected with our recent alumni to learn more about their experiences. With a variety of backgrounds, selection of career choice and path to success, one thing is certain - our alumni are proud to have been Made at Mānoa.

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa has over 196,000 alumni living in dozens of countries around the world! Here are a few fun and interesting facts about our UHM-azing alumni around the globe.

WOLFPACK ADVENTURES HI

Owner of Wolfpack Adventures HI

BS in Astrophysics, UH Mānoa, 2018

Honolulu, HI

PETER

Owner of Wolfpack Adventures HI

BA Political Science UH Mānoa, 2018, MPA Public Administration, UH Mānoa, 2022

Don’t lock yourself in, whether it be an area of study, who you are, who you want to be! Be an eternal student, not just a university student. Live curiously!”

L.K. DILWITH

Spend as much time on campus as you can if you’re a commuter. Ask faculty for help and remember they are humans too. TAs are humans as well! Make use of all the resources available to you.”

NIKKI (PASCUA) DILWITH

SHAIYANNE DAR DOLKII

Owner of Dolkii BBA in Finance and International Business, UH Mānoa, 2008 Los Angeles, CA

I can’t express enough how proud I am to be a UH Alumna. All 3 of my siblings and I graduated from UH Mānoa. My parents graduated from UH Mānoa, it’s where they met! I’m so honored and grateful to be a part of this special network. Graduating from the Shidler College of Business helped lay the foundation for me to succeed as a business owner. I participated in a number of Business Clubs, including the Entrepreneurs Club, where I was able to create friendships and connections with other amazing UH students who also aspired to take the path of entrepreneurship.”

RISA YAMAMOTO

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in the International Peace and Security Cooperation Division BA in Japanese, BA in Political Science, UH Mānoa, 2021

UH Mānoa has helped me gain a different perspective that I will always be grateful for. I majored in Political Science, and we learned a lot about indigenous politics and looking at politics from a decolonial aspect, which I probably would not have had the opportunity to learn in depth about if I studied elsewhere.”

KIANA YAMAT

Project Engineer and Hensel Phelps Construction Co./ Miss Hawaii USA 2022

BS in Civil Engineering, UH Mānoa, 2016

Honolulu, HI

I attended an open house for the College of Engineering the summer before my senior year of high school and was impressed by the student-led tours and professor’s presentations. I wanted to learn from educators and study with students who were passionate about their research, and that was the impression they left with me. In addition, there was a presentation about ASCE’s concrete canoe competition, a project I ended up captaining my junior year.”

CHUNG CHOW

Co-owner and Chef at noreetuh restaurant BA in Japanese, UH Mānoa, 1998 New York City, NY

What I love about UH is the diversity and the multi-ethnic makeup of the students and staff, setting a stage for a global learning environment. Also, the language program (especially of Asia) allowed me the opportunity to study abroad and to immerse myself in a country where I can learn the culture and language of the area more effectively.”

LILLIAN FORSYTH LEAD WITH EQUITY

Co-founder and CEO of Lead with Equity Master of Business Administration, UH Mānoa, 2012 New York City, NY

I attended Shidler College’s Executive MBA program in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (VEMBA program). I was working in Southeast Asia at the time, and I wanted to attend an MBA program that was in the region. What interested me in this program in particular, and UH more generally, was the deep connections the university has in the Asia Pacific region, the prestigious caliber of the alumni who are doing important and interesting work throughout Asia and beyond, and the way the program was structured so that I could learn at night and directly apply that learning the next morning at my job.”

ISAIAH LOPEZ

Salesforce

BBA in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance & International Business, UH Mānoa, 2021 San Francisco, CA

When I look back at my time at UH Mānoa, the Shidler College of Business club organizations shaped who I am today. Coming into Shidler as a second-year student, I was declared undecided until I joined the Business Executive Society of Tomorrow (BEST). I was surrounded by motivated, dedicated, and diligent individuals from Shidler who inspired me to always put my best foot forward in my career. To this day, I continue to leverage the skills, lessons, and network that I’ve obtained during my time at Shidler and its student organizations.”

LANA GRONWALD

JULES + GEM HAWAII

Owner of Jules + Gem Hawaii BA in Psychology, UH Mānoa, 2010 Honolulu, HI

My BA was in Psychology from UH. It was in my last year at UH that I realized that I had an interest in Marketing. I was taking a business class to fulfill a requirement and I loved it. With my background in Psychology, I was drawn to Marketing. It was then that I decided that I would go on to apply for a Masters in Business Administration and begin thinking about starting my own business.”

Collaborating on student films in the UH Mānoa School for Cinematic Arts (SCA) shaped me into the filmmaker I am today. I took classes on screenwriting, editing, directing, cinematography, and learned about creative collaboration and problem solving that provided the foundation for my career. SCA is unique with a student body and faculty that comes from Asian, Pacific Island, and Indigenous backgrounds that you won’t find at other film schools on the mainland.”

KASASHIMA

Everyone has their own path, but it can be helpful to get to know those who have been working for a while. Ask them about their journey, learn from them. Ultimately this can help to not only understand the industry but also learn that it is possible, that you can find your own unique path forward.”

CHRISTOPHER MAKOTO YOGI

Writer

and Film Director

BBA in Marketing, BA in English Literature, UH Mānoa, 2005 Los Angeles, CA

COSTAS THEOCHARIDIS

Real Estate Professional, Coldwell Banker BBA Finance & Management Information Systems, UH Mānoa, 2003

Boston, MA

Hawai‘i is an amazing place. I feel truly blessed and fortunate to have lived in this unique culture. The Hawaiian culture and its amazing people are what I value most about my time at UH. Hawai‘i has left its fingerprints on my heart forever. I will always consider Hawai‘i my second homeland after my native homeland, Greece.”

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Experience a campus tour by calling 808-956-7137 or visituhm@hawaii.edu

Cover Art: DOLKII and UH Alumni Collaboration

Cover Artist: Tiara Kobayashi-Bautista, BFA in Graphic Design, UH Mānoa, 2022

Originally from Maui, Tiara graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design from UH Mānoa in 2022. She is currently a graphic designer working from home and also part of a design team for Patino Designs located in Waianae on Oʻahu. She owns a small business called Tiara Koba Designs, where she sells accessories such as tote bags and pouches inspired by her island home of Hawaiʻi.

Follow Tiaraʻs design account on Instagram @tiarakoba

The University of Hawai‘i at Manoa is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution.