The Women of UH Esports (Women of UHE), an organization within the award-winning University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa esports program, has achieved a program milestone: competing in its first national tournament.
The organization was founded in 2022 to support women and all marginalized genders in esports at UH Mānoa. Several of its players competed against more than a dozen institutions in a Valorant competition called the Aurora Series in February 2024. While the team didn’t capture the top spot, UH Mānoa esports program director Nyle Sky Kauweloa said it wasn’t as much about winning as it was getting the players experience, and playing against and interacting with other women across the country.
“Taking part in the Aurora Series allowed our students to interact, socialize and interface with a larger community of women and non-binary players,” Kauweloa said. “That’s the mission of these tournaments. It’s not so much about being the best.”
Read more about the Women of UHE
“We only had a couple of practices together before competing so our main goal was to try our best and play well as a team,” Zelda Cole said. “After competing against some crazy good teams, we all felt inspired and excited for the potential of Women of UHE. It’s always been a dream to play in a supportive community with other girls. Being able to turn to them, fist bump, laugh at our mistakes, and cheer each other on side by side was so special and I can’t wait to compete with them again.”
Haley Teramoto added, “This past Aurora tournament was my first time competing in any video game at a higher level, and while we may have lost I felt like it was a really good learning experience for us. We had fun implementing what we’d learned into a match with actual stakes and got to see the level of other teams in the field. Now that we’ve been practicing as a team for a bit longer now I’m excited to see how much we’ve improved in this upcoming tournament.”
Cora Kennedy, the founder of the Aurora Series, explained why she started the series for marginalized genders in esports.
“I have always recognized the power of marginalized gender competitive spaces because, for many players, it is a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space that they feel comfortable starting out their competitive journey in,” Kennedy said. “These players are typically ignored and disenfranchised in the traditional esports infrastructure, so by creating a dedicated space for them, they can grow and thrive in a place free from the harassment and trappings of traditional esports communities.”
The Women of UHE will be participating in the Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup later this spring.
For more about Women of UHE, visit the organization’s Discord.
UH Esports receives funding from the Academy for Creative Media System. Visit the UH Esports team’s X and Discord. More stories on UH’s esports program.
