2025 PacYES event at UH Hilo energizes and inspires high school students of Pacific Islander heritage

Posted on October 21, 2025January 10, 2026 by Staff

200+ high school students attended presentations, workshops, panel discussions, and a resource fair showcasing UH Hilo programs and support services, career possibilities, poster presentations, and community organizations.

Over head view of PacYES attendees on the campus plaza. — On Saturday morning, October 18, 2025, more than 200 high school students of Pacific Islander heritage gathered at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo for the annual Pacific Youth Empowerment for Success (PacYES) conference. (Photo: Julia Polloi))

By Neilynn Domnick/PacYes.

On Saturday morning, October 18, 2025, more than 200 high school students of Pacific Islander heritage gathered at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo for the annual Pacific Youth Empowerment for Success (PacYES) conference. The purpose of the yearly event is to motivate, inspire, and prepare high school students of Pacific Islander heritage for college and career opportunities as well as to foster cultural connections within their own communities.

This year’s theme, “Interweaving Generations, Connecting Skills and Heritage,” set the tone for a full day of cultural grounding, skill-building, and community connection. PacYES 2025 reaffirmed that bridging heritage and future skills is vital to empowering the next generation of Pacific Islander leaders. The energy, enthusiasm, and community support throughout the day reflected the strong foundation being built for years to come. As these young leaders move forward, they carry with them the wisdom of their ancestors, the support of their mentors, and the collective hope of a community dedicated to their success.

Welcome and Opening

(Selfie) Chancellor with all the high school visitors seated in the audience behind her. — UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin takes a selfie with audience prior to her remarks at the 2025 PacYES event on Oct. 18, Campus Center Plaza.

The 2025 PacYES event commenced with a traditional kīpaepae protocol ceremony that welcomed students and guests into the UH Hilo campus space, paying homage to the land, the culture, and the shared journey ahead. Following the cultural welcome, Chancellor Bonnie Irwin offered opening remarks, emphasizing UH Hilo’s commitment to diversity and encouraging students to think deeply about their futures and the journeys yet to begin.

“We pride ourselves on being one of the most diverse campuses in the country and, even more importantly, that this diversity of people feel welcome on our campus and in our community,” said Chancellor Irwin.

“Today you will hear about the rich array of opportunities before you,” Chancellor continued. “Listen with intention. Think and dream about what your voyage will be. At your local university and your local college here on Hawaiʻi Island, you have teams of people ready and waiting to help you realize those dreams. Here we can bring the world to you and also send you out into the world. You can nurture your island values through ʻāina-based education and even carry them with you to study on the continent or internationally, all while being a student at UH Hilo.”

President speaks from podium. She wears lei and holds a mic. — President of the Marshall Islands Hilda Heine addresses PacYES attendees Oct. 18, 2025, UH Hilo. (Photo: Samelda Leon)

Chancellor then welcomed special guest and keynote, Hilda Heine, President of the Marshall Islands. “Welcome, Madame President, to Hawaiʻi Island and UH Hilo.”

Keynote Remarks

President Heine’s keynote was the highlight of the morning.

In her inspiring address, she used Gen Z slang, “Big Moves Start with Small Moves — No Cap!” to challenge students to recognize that leadership and impact often begin with small, intentional steps rooted in purpose, culture, and connection.

Her message deeply resonated with participants, reminding them that every action, no matter how modest, contributes to lasting change.

Workshops and Resource Fair

After the keynote, students rotated through a series of engaging, hands-on workshops that combined skill-building in career readiness, educational pathways, and leadership, with cultural reflection on heritage, identity, and community.

In one of the workshops, “Cultural Roots and Urban Forestry,” students planted a coconut sapling and a breadfruit sapling on the UH Hilo campus. This activity was led by UH Hilo alumnus Jermy Uowolo (BA in Geography, 2008; MA in Heritage Management, 2025), vice president of the nonprofit Micronesians United—Big Island. Uowolo specializes in enhancing community resilience using a traditional cultural understanding of canoe plants and trees. He serves as project coordinator for the Grow Tree Grow Community Project, a partnership with Kaulunani Urban Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service. Previously, he was a high-elevation forest restoration specialist with the Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project under the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources and UH Mānoa.

The planting at the PacYES workshop symbolized an opportunity and vision for the students to one day maintain and harvest from the very seeds they helped plant, fostering a lasting connection between education, sustainability, and culture.

Students plant a palm. — 2025 PacYES students participate in planting a coconut sapling on the UH Hilo campus, Oct. 18.

Instructor speaks to students in outdoor area where they just planted a palm. — UH Hilo alumnus Jermy Uowolo speaks to students as they plant palm.

Group of students stand next to the coconut sapling they just planted. — 2025 PacYes workshop participants with their newly planted coconut sapling. (Planting photos courtesy of PacYES)

Simultaneously, a vibrant Resource Fair featured stations staffed by partner organizations, colleges, health centers, service providers, and local businesses. These opportunities allowed students to connect directly with mentors, explore programs, and discover resources to support their educational and professional journeys.

Closing and Student Reflections

In the afternoon, a student panel gave participants the opportunity to reflect on what they had learned, how they were inspired to take action, and what the day’s experiences meant for their personal growth.

Five students, each in a black PacYES t-shirt, sit on stage during panel discussion. One holds a mic. — Student panel, from left, UH Hilo alumna Eva Emji (facilitator) with UH Hilo students Trinity Pskowski-Philippo, Janis Taitano, Calson Tiweyang, and Cyrus Susaia. (Photo: Julia Polloi)

The program concluded with closing remarks by former Mayor Mitch Roth, a long-time supporter of PacYES. The annual event was previously known as Pacific Islander Youth Empowerment Day back when it started in 2010, sponsored by the County of Hawaiʻi Office of the Prosecutor, where Roth was prosecutor. He has attended every annual PacYes event since 2010.

At this year’s event, as he has done in the past, he invited every student to write their dream on a star and place it on a banner symbolizing that Pacific Islanders are navigators of both the sea and the stars, a lasting reminder of their guiding values, purpose, and potential.

Cut out yellow stars tacked to a large banner on a cement wall. The stars are written on by students, with their future dreams. — Former mayor Mitch Roth invited every student to write their dream on a star and place it on a banner symbolizing that Pacific Islanders are navigators of both the sea and the stars, a lasting reminder of their guiding values, purpose, and potential. (Photos: Julia Polloi)

Support and sponsors

PacYES 2025 would not have been possible without the incredible college student volunteers from Hawaiʻi Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Their dedication, leadership, and encouragement helped guide the high school participants throughout the day. Many students looked up to them as mentors and role models — an inspiring reflection of how the next generation of Pacific Islander leaders continues to lift one another.

Two students with "SUCCESS" and canoe sails on the front of their shirts. — PacYES 2025 student volunteers, from left, UH Hilo students Trinity Pskowki-Philippo and Nerlynn Iseia. (Photo: Julia Polloi)

Community sponsors: Stupski Foundation, Rotary Club of Hilo Bay, Islands of Opportunity Alliance-LSAMP, U.S. Army National Guard, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Hawaiʻi Community College, Hilo, County of Hawaiʻi Office of the Mayor, County of Hawaiʻi Office of the Prosecutor, Hawaiʻi Police Department, Hawaiʻi State Department of Education–Hawaiʻi District, Kumukahi Health Center, Hilo Benioff Medical Center, Upward Bound Program, American Jobs Center Hawaiʻi, Emoji Co., Candy Apple Bananas, Anchor Point Youth Center, We Are Oceania (WAO), and Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Water.