Newly elected Lt. Gov. Joshua Green will deliver the keynote address at the 2018 University of Hawaii at Hilo Fall Commencement at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, in Vulcan Gym.
The public is reminded that doors open at 8:15 a.m. for general admission, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. When seating reaches capacity, guests may view the ceremony via a live stream in University Classroom Building, Room 100.
Approximately 192 students have petitioned for degrees and/or certificates and for various post-graduate credentials.
Green has been a Hawaii state senator since 2008, serving as chair of the Health Committee, and currently chairs the Human Services Committee. Prior to that, he served in the State House of Representatives from 2004 to 2008.
In the Legislature, Green has been an advocate for strengthening health care. Green championed the initiative to create an insurance mandate for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the legislation known as “Luke’s Law,” which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2016. He also led a successful effort to raise the legal age for obtaining tobacco products and electronic cigarettes from 18 to 21, making Hawaii the first state to do so.
Green is an emergency room physician at Kohala Hospital, a position he has held since 2004. Green was named Hawaii Physician of the Year in 2009 by his peers.
English major Kai Anthony Gaitley will serve as student speaker. Originally from Castleford, West Yorkshire, England, Gaitley has a 3.8 grade point average and serves as a writing tutor at UH-Hilo’s Kilohana: The Academic Success Center.
Gaitley’s list of awards and recognition includes a 2015 Droste Award for English 100 and a 2016 Droste Award for English 200. He also received dean’s list recognition three times.
“I still cannot quite persuade myself that I have been given this honor,” Gaitley said about his selection as student speaker. “The incredible English faculty all helped me to fine-tune the ability to convert incomplete thoughts into meaningful words. Whether through essays or class discussions, this is perhaps the best skill I have gained throughout my education here. Now when I write something that I want to say, I can do so with precision (and a little flare, too!).”
Gaitley plans to enroll in the Master of Education in Teaching program at UH-Manoa and teach English on Hawaii Island.