Award-winning UH Hilo alumna Whitney Aragaki inspires Hawaiʻi’s future leaders, educators

Posted on March 25, 2025March 25, 2025 by Staff

Whitney Aragaki earned her master’s degree in education from UH Hilo in 2012. She says her time at UH Hilo and assembling her master’s thesis laid the groundwork for her career.

Whitney Aragaki with aerial view of UH Hilo campus.

As a proud University of Hawaiʻi alumna, Waiākea High School teacher Whitney Aragaki, a presidential awardee with a doctoral degree from UH Mānoa, credits her time earning her master’s degree at UH Hilo with shaping her approach to teaching.

She was recently honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the highest honor for STEM educators in the U.S.

Aragaki earned her master’s degree in tropical conservation biology and environmental science from UH Hilo in 2012 and earned a doctorate in education from UH Mānoa in 2024. She said her time at UH Hilo, and assembling her master’s thesis laid the groundwork for her career.

“That really formed a foundation of what my teaching was going to look like in the future,” she says.

She is no stranger to recognition for her educational prowess — earning the 2022 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year for her work in biology, environmental science, and research. She also was nominated for the 2022 National Teacher of the Year.

However, Aragaki said the true reward is being with her students.

“It’s so fun getting to work with students every day,” she says. “When we innovate, we think about how to make our community stronger and more sustainable, helping students become stewards of this world.”

She remains actively involved with the UH alumni community, underscoring its role in supporting local students.

“It’s so important for UH alumni to stay connected with the UH community, especially education, because many of our students will go into the UH system,” Aragaki says.

“I am thinking about the ways I can help my students in achieving careers that will help them continue to help the community.”

–UH System News