The newly crowned Miss Hawai‘i 2026, Carly Yoshida, is a University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu alumna who graduated in spring 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences with a concentration in Psychology. Yoshida succeeds Miss Hawai‘i 2025 Emalia Dalire, who also graduated from UH West O‘ahu.
“The moment I was named Miss Hawai‘i 2026 felt surreal — I honestly just remember being so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude when they called my name,” said Yoshida, 26, of Honolulu. “I’ve been working at this dream for so long, so there are so many different layers of purpose and emotion in this win. I’m also celebrating my 10-year anniversary as Miss Hawai‘i’s Teen 2016, so another full circle moment.”
The competition, presented by the Miss Hawai‘i Organization, took place on June 19 at Hawai‘i Theatre. The Miss Hawai‘i 2026 recorded telecast is scheduled to air at 8 p.m. June 23 on KITV4.
Yoshida competed as Miss Kaka‘ako and topped nine other competitors, called “delegates,” for the title. She was crowned by Dalire, who graduated from UH West O‘ahu in fall 2024.
“It’s really special that Emalia is also a UH West O‘ahu grad!” Yoshida said. “It shows how much the school prepares its students for success, and I’m excited to follow in her footsteps. I’ve watched her grow up, so it’s a very interesting dynamic of her being my big/little sister. We also share the same birthday!”
UH West O‘ahu a ‘formative time’
Yoshida is from Waikoloa Village on Hawai‘i Island and she graduated from Kealakehe High School. She earned her associates degree in Liberal Arts from Hawai‘i Community College at Pālamanui, then transferred to UH West O‘ahu.
“UH West O‘ahu was such a formative time for me,” Yoshida said. “It really helped me build the foundation for my career and understand the community better before I started working full time.”
Yoshida works at KITV4 as the full-time weekday weather anchor for both “Good Morning Hawai‘i” and “Island News Midday.” Her duties also include anchoring, reporting, and digital content producing.
During the Miss Hawai‘i competition, Yoshida’s platform, or community service initiative, was “Weather the Future,” which is all about safety and emergency readiness for Hawai‘i. Yoshida said she is looking forward to expanding this initiative during her upcoming reign.
“I believe that this is not just a statewide issue, but a national and global ambition, and I‘ve already planted the seeds by networking with scientists, STEM experts, and globally known science content creators who are excited about this initiative,” she said. “So, I feel that Hawai‘i has a really strong suit to bring to the table at Miss America this year.”
Yoshida will represent Hawai‘i at the Miss America competition in September in West Palm Beach, Fla.
