Meet the UH Hilo Bonner Leaders

Antonio Miguel Vite

Hometown: Waipahu, Hawai‘i Major: Hawaiian History

When planning out his college life, Antonio made sure to find ways to connect with the community and create positive change in the place he will live. Learning about Bonner and how it would help him achieve those goals, he knew that he should apply. He hopes to make use of his background in education and various non-profits to do good in Hilo and Hawaiʻi Island!

John Maneja

Hometown: Kea‘au, Hawaiʻi
Major: Nursing

John joined Bonner with the goal of making a positive impact on the lives of others. During his time at Keaau High School, he actively sought opportunities to give back to his community. With his major in Nursing, he aspires to further his commitment to service by providing quality healthcare to those in need. He believes that by combining his passion for helping others with his professional skills, he can contribute meaningfully to the well-being of his community.

Kaylee Brower

Hometown: Hilo, Hawaiʻi
Major: Marine Science

Kaylee Brower joined Bonner to help her Hawai‘i community and make a significant change to ensure a brighter tomorrow. Kaylee is especially passionate about projects having to do with conservation.

Lexy Ramos

Hometown: Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Major: Biology, Pre-medical focus

Lexy joined the Bonner program because she was inspired by her peers, educators, and role models to pursue commitment, leadership, and civic engagement.

Luz Vargas

Hometown: Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico
Major: Chemistry, Biosciences concentration

Luz joined the program to learn and engage with the community that she'll be living with for the next few years. She thought this would be a good opportunity to put herself out there and give back to this beautiful 'āina while working on strengthening her leadership skills.

Maria Garces Adrian

Hometown: Quito, Ecuador
Major: Marine Science

Maria joined the program to gain meaningful experience and develop herself mentally and spiritually while engaging with the local community. She hopes to learn more about Hawaiian culture and marine conservation through her service work, aligning with her interests in marine science.

Sarah Huegler

Hometown: Clearfield, Pennsylvania
Major: Geology

Sarah joined the Bonner Program because she is passionate about being able to volunteer and reach out to the community while being a college student. She sees the program as a great opportunity to learn about and connect with her new home in Hawaiʻi.

Annelise Hogan

Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Major: Linguistics

Annelise is interested in being partners with Clean Rewards Hawai'i and aims to expand their operations to Hilo. The organization incentivizes beach and land cleanup by offering coupons based on the amount of rubbish collected by tourists and locals. Committed to sustainability and a zero-waste lifestyle, Annelise believes creating a clean environment is essential. She recently collaborated with another Bonner student to organize an efficient cleanup event on Ali'i Drive, demonstrating effective teamwork and communication skills.

Shanai Koli

Hometown: Waipahu, Oʻahu
Major: Chemistry - Health Sciences

At Hawaii Island Adult Care, Shanai assists floor staff with daily activities and provides administrative support through organizational tasks. Through this role, she gains hands-on experience working with elderly care while developing professional skills in a healthcare setting.

Mark Niko Casimiro

Hometown: Nueva Ecija, Philippines and Kohala, Hawai‘i Major: Chemistry - Health Sciences

The main non-profit worksite Niko has been working with is Hawaii Island Adult Care, Inc. (HIAC). He works with the program, where he helps with maintenance tasks and regularly engages with the elderly to provide companionship and support. He also serves as the local chapter president of UH-Hilo HOSA-Future Health Professionals, a non-profit organization, through coordinating meetings and workshops and fostering collaboration among HOSA

Misty Cruden

Hometown: Hilo, Hawaiʻi
Major: Psychology

Misty’s focus for community engagement projects has primarily centered around political advocacy. For the 2025 legislative session, she is currently working with the League of Women Voters to research and track specific bills that pertain to education and healthcare issues here in Hawai’i. Through her Bonner journey and beyond, she aims to amplify non-profit voices and strengthen their presence within the State Legislative branch.

Raven Brazee

Hometown: Kuna, Idaho
Major: Marine Science

Raven's focus overall with volunteer work has been related to environmental work, especially with activities like beach cleanups, weeding of invasive plants, and native outplanting work days. She has been working with Hawai'i Wildlife Fund as a potential host site, and attending as many of their community beach cleanups in Ka'u as possible. During her time in the Bonner Program she plans to continue her involvement with the HWF organization. Her main goal is to do what she can to protect the native species here and maintain a healthy environment!

Hayden Niles

Hometown: Waubay, South Dakota Major: Marine Science

Hayden has been involved in multiple different volunteer opportunities. Coming from South Dakota he was involved in a wide variety of volunteer service before coming to UH Hilo. Recently he has been involved in running and maintaining two hydroponic towers at the Food Basket for over a year. He has hopes to improve the systems and share that knowledge with others on and off campus. He believes that this will help to fight shipment and food insecurity issues that are present on island.

Hina Spielman

Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Major: Art

At CAFNRM, the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management, Hina is involved with creating unique bee products using UHH beeswax and honey to send out to beehive adopters to show appreciation for their support. These adopters help sustain the beehives and keep the bee program running for students at UH Hilo who wish to get a beekeeping certificate.

Leiya Torrano

Hometown: Honokaʻa, Hawaiʻi
Major: Business Administration with a focus on Healthcare Management, Philosophy Minor, and Pre-Law Certificate

Lei has worked with the First Love Yourself Community as a program coordinator volunteer. Lei is very passionate about prioritizing wellness and self-care which led her to work with the First Love Yourself Community. She assisted with refining the Self-Love Series Curriculum for youth. In doing so, Lei has learned what it takes to develop a program from scratch. She learned how to communicate and describe clearly what the objectives are and how the program will teach youth acts of self-love.

Milia Dela Cruz

Hometown: Hilo, Hawaiʻi
Major: Communication

Milia has gained valuable experience through her various roles in community engagement. She previously worked at HEART Youth as a social media intern, where she supported an organization dedicated to enriching Big Island keiki through theatrical arts. Currently, she serves as a Student Intern for the Bonner Program at the Center for Community Engagement at UH Hilo. In this role, she focuses on Notion Integration for both staff and students, where she creates, tests, and troubleshoots the program to ensure it meets organizational needs. Her interests include program coordination and grant writing, particularly in non-profit organizations where she can help support underserved groups in her community.

Amena Tep

Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Major: Political Science & Administration of Justice

Amena holds her family at her center, which is evident in the value she places on relationships and teamwork. She joined the Bonner Program because “studying our community allows us to put a stop to repeated social/political/economic issues it faces.

Bella Chapman

Hometown: Rome, Georgia
Major: Marine Science

Bella’s minors in Political Science and English, with certificates in TESOL and International Politics reveal her range of passions and her strong work ethic. Despite her busy schedule, she joined the Bonner Program because she strives to enact change through community interaction.

Carley Atkins

Hometown: Hilo, Hawaiʻi
Major: Communication

Carley’s appreciation for the beauty around her shines through in all that she does. Discovering the Bonner Program felt like kismet, and she felt called “to join others and help engage with the community around me.""

Devin Brown

Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Major: Geography

Devin brings his genuine care for others to the Bonner Program, which is reflected in his interest in the environment and in working with under-resourced communities. He became a Bonner Leader because “it’s a great way for me to get to learn about my new community, meet new people with similar interests, and make the community more beneficial for future generations.

Evonne Fronda

Hometown: Waikoloa, Hawaiʻi
Major: Accounting

Evonne feels a strong connection to her Filipino heritage and community and saw the Bonner program as a sign because it combined her love of community with the internship experience that she felt she needed. She looks forward to working with the community to create better resources and nurture her leadership skills.

Lavinia Manufekai

Hometown: Hilo, Hawaiʻi
Major: Administration of Justice

Spending a year of high school in Tonga made a deep impression on Lavinia. She understands the importance of community, and hopes that through the Bonner Program she can develop the skills to affect change and impact the lives around her.