From left: David Ciano AAF-Hawaii board member, Jess Manapul, Katrina Hicks (2nd place scholarship winner), and Jennifer Tanabe, AAF-Hawaii vice president
Jess Manapul, a UH West Oʻahu Academy for Creative Media student, has been chosen as the winner of the American Advertising Federation-Hawaii’s Shining Star Scholarship for 2017.
Manapul took the first-place award of the scholarship, which is open to full-time Hawaiʻi college or university student majoring in advertising or an advertising-related field. Manapul was presented with the scholarship during the AAF-Hawaii Fundraiser Brand Bash 2017 Friday, Sept. 29.
Scholarship winners are selected based on academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, need, school and community service participation, honors and awards, and other factors. Manapul, who transferred to UHWO from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, is a 2015 alumna of Kapolei High School’s Fine Arts Academy.
Manapul said she decided to switch to UH West Oʻahu to take advantage of the Kapolei campus’ offerings. She had been an architecture and computer science major.
Jess Manapul
“The program here allows me to combine various forms of art (graphic design, film, sound, etc.) to produce a project,” Manapul said, explaining she liked creative freedom offered by UHWO ACM and the opportunity to expand my skillset. Manapul said she gained access to many valuable resources.
“First, the ACM program offers incredible mentorship. My professors have years of experience to share and make great resources for us students to enhance our work and hone our skills for the workforce,” Manapul said.
“Second, the ACM program is always on the lookout for opportunities for its students. It’s because of them that I learned about the AAF Shining Star Scholarship, which I then applied for and was awarded a first-place prize of $2,000! Just like that, UHWO helped me cancel my student loan for the next semester.”
Manapul, who designs, codes, and makes music, plans on using a UHWO degree to pursue a degree in design and marketing, allowing her to combine art and code to design and developing branding materials and websites and apps.