The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo‘s 2017 fall commencement will be held on Saturday, December 16 at 9 a.m. in Vulcan Gym. Students have petitioned for degrees and/or certificates from the colleges of arts and sciences, agriculture, forestry and natural resource management, business and economics, pharmacy, Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language and for various post-graduate credentials.
Polynesian voyaging navigator, educator and UH Hilo alumnus Chad “Kālepa” Baybayan will deliver the keynote address. Born and raised in Lahaina, Maui, Baybayan currently serves as navigator-in-residence at the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi, developing wayfinding activities, curriculum and educational materials that engage individuals of all ages. He most recently took part in the three-year Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, which wrapped up in June 2017 after traveling 42,000 nautical miles, visiting 150 ports in more than 20 countries and training a new generation of navigators, educators, scientists and community stewards.
Anne Rivera, a communication major, represents the graduating class as student speaker. Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, Rivera transferred to UH Hilo in fall 2016 after earning an associateʻs degree in education from Guilford Tech Community College. Since coming to UH Hilo, she has maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.85, made the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s List each semester and was awarded a Dean’s Scholarship in June 2017.
Read more about the speakers at the news release.
—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong
