Two UH Hilo students awarded scholarships from Big Island Press Club

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Lichen Forster and Maya-Lin Green were awarded $1,250 each to pursue a higher education degree in journalism or a related field.

Lichen Forster and Maya-Lin Green pictured against an aerial view of the UH Hilo campus.
From left, Lichen Forster and Maya-Lin Green. (Courtesy photos)

By Susan Enright.

Two students at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo have received scholarships from the Big Island Press Club. Lichen Forster and Maya-Lin Green were awarded $1,250 each to pursue a higher education degree in journalism or a related field.

Awarding scholarships to promote journalism is an annual event and one of the primary projects of the press club, which is the oldest in the state.

“Sponsoring the Big Island Press Club scholarship program is one of the initiatives the club is most proud of,” says Patsy Iwasaki, assistant professor of English at UH Hilo and member of the press club’s board. “It is extremely important for the club to support aspiring media writers in our community and we are so impressed at the talented group of recipients this year.” (Two other students, Kai Hayashida and King James Mangoba, both 2023 graduates of Hilo High School, also won BIPC scholarships and will be attending universities on the continent.)

Forster, a geology major and editor-in-chief of the UH Hilo student-run news publication Ke Kalahea for the past three semesters, wants to pursue a career in science journalism. Forster plans to be an exchange student at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand for the fall semester, while continuing the newspaper work as copy editor. This is their third scholarship from Big Island Press Club.

“I’ve enjoyed leading the team and being able to make important decisions about how our budget is spent and our team operates,” Forster says about her work at Ke Kalahea. “I’m excited to use the skills I’ve gained to make our writing as good as I know it can be.”

Green is a 2008 graduate of Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is majoring in communication with a certificate in business analytics. Green joined Ke Kalahea as a staff writer in the spring semester. She plans a career in public relations and is also interested in data science.

“I love writing, and it would be incredible to write about things that I find interesting, engaging and dynamic,” Green says. “I like reading and writing about the intersections of pop culture, environmentalism, human interest, psychology, science, and politics.”

Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.

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