• Sefulu Faavae of Hilo was among the 427 students who completed their degree requirements during the spring 2018 semester at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo. Faavae received a bachelor’s of science in criminal justice with a concentration in law enforcement.
• Dylan E. Butler of Keaau graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a bachelor’s of science degree in kinesiology-exercise/fitness management as part of the summer 2018 class.
• Ashlynn Shiraishi, daughter of Alan and Tammy Shiraishi of Keaau, was named to the Dean’s Honor Roll at the University of Northern Colorado for the 2017-18 school year.
• Nanea Thomas, a sophomore environmental science major at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, was awarded the Audrey S. Furukawa Study Abroad Scholarship in the amount of $1,500 for the fall 2018 semester. Thomas is a Kamehameha Hawaii High School alumna who carries a cumulative 3.94 GPA and currently is participating in the Semester at Sea Program.
• Four UH-Hilo students received the Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad. Asia Helfrich, an English major, received $2,500 to study at Uppsala University in Sweden for the fall 2018 semester. Mikiala De Mello-Miller, an art major, will study at Josai International University in Japan, for 2018-19. She received a $3,000 award. Kayla Cook received $3,000 and will study at Virje University in the Netherlands for 2018-19. She is a gender women’s studies major. And Amy Odaira, who is majoring in biology with minors in computer science and Japanese studies, received $2,500 and also is studying at Uppsala University this fall and then at Doshisha University in Japan for spring 2019.
• UH-Hilo students performed well during the 41st annual Health Occupation Students of America-Future Health Professionals International Leadership Conference hosted in June in Dallas. Sophomores Kateleen Caye Bio and Kendrick Justin Dalmacio placed in the top 10 in the pharmacology category. In the team category for public service announcement, Leslie Erece Arce (senior), Ridge Cabaccang (senior), Lark Jason Canico (graduate student), Kelly Gani (senior) and Travis Taylor (freshman) placed third. Competition resumes in January 2019 with the Hawaii Island HOSA Regional Conference taking place on the Kamehameha Schools Hawaii campus.