Members of the Fall 2016 graduating class celebrate during commencement.
Graduates, family, and friends will celebrate spring 2017 commencement exercises on Saturday, May 6. Nearly 320 students – the University’s largest graduating class to date – will earn bachelor’s degrees and certificates during a 9 a.m. ceremony at the UH West Oʻahu Lower Courtyard. UH West Oʻahu alum and MAʻO Organic Farms co-founder, J. Kukui Maunakea-Forth, will give the keynote address.
Chancellor Maenette K.P. Ah Nee-Benham will preside over the festivities. University of Hawai‘i System President David Lassner and University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents’ Vice Chair Benjamin A. Kudo, and Regents Simeon Acoba, Stanford Yuen, Michael McEnerney, Ernest Wilson, and Michelle Tagorda, will be on hand to congratulate the graduates.
Waiʻanae Coast resident Valery Atkinson will speak on behalf of the graduating class. Atkinson is a 4.0 student who is receiving her bachelor of Arts in Social Science, with a concentration in Anthropology. She is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, Golden Key International Honors Society, and the Lambda Alpha Honors Society. She is involved with the Anthropology Club and participates in the numerous service learning opportunities that UH West Oʻahu offers.
UH West O‘ahu graduates will receive their baccalaureate in Applied Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Public Administration and Social Sciences during the commencement ceremony. Graduates will also receive certificates in various programs including Applied Forensic Anthropology, Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Health Care Administration, Risk Management and Insurance, Substance Abuse and Addictions Studies, and Democratic Principles and Social Justice.
The commencement ceremony will be streamed live on the UH West O‘ahu website at http://www.uhwo.hawaii.edu.
UH West O‘ahu Spring 2017 Commencement details:
- Family and friends are welcome to attend commencement in the UH West O‘ahu Lower Courtyard. No tickets will be issued. Guests may arrive at 8 a.m. The seating area will be closed off once it reaches maximum capacity.
- The parking lot is expected to fill to capacity. There is a new procedure regarding parking for the spring 2017 commencement. UH West Oʻahu commencement parking passes are required to park on campus. Cars without a parking pass will be turned away. Individuals who need to be dropped off will be directed to a designated area. Graduates will be issued a total of three parking passes for their use and their guests.
- Lei vendors will be on site. Balloons and strollers are not allowed in the commencement seating area for safety reasons.
- A first-aid station will be available.
- A UH West Oʻahu Bookstore tent will be on-site selling UH West Oʻahu merchandise.
- Graduates may greet guests following the ceremony at approximately 10:30 a.m. at the UH West O‘ahu Great Lawn near alphabetical signs.