UH Hilo Director of Career Services Marcy Martinez named 2026 State Internship School-Based Coordinator of the Year
Marcy Martinez is known for her strong advocacy of internship experiences that broaden students’ skills and perspectives.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
Marcy Martinez, director of career services at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, has received the 2026 State Internship School-Based Coordinator of the Year award bestowed by the Hawaiʻi State Workforce Development Council. She received her award this week at the inaugural Hawaiʻi Internship Summit held on Oʻahu, announced Chancellor Bonnie Irwin and Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lei Kapono in an email this morning to the UH Hilo community.
Martinez is known for her strong advocacy of internship experiences that broaden students’ skills and perspectives.
“When a student leaves us, their knowledge should reflect the ability to utilize their education and experience in a fruitful way that allows them to connect their academic journey goals and dreams,” she says. “This should also include the ability to define and later redefine what success looks like to them.”
To achieve this goal, Martinez and UH Hilo’s Kīpapa I Ke Ala: Center for Career Advancement team assists with on-campus employment, internships, and experiential learning.
“Through practical experience and opportunities, students will gain knowledge and the ability to identify transferable skills, which include technical and durable or soft skills,” Martinez explains. “As career agility is becoming even more important in todayʻs world, it is required to have the ability to adapt quickly to remain relevant using those transferable skills.”
To support UH Hilo students, Martinez says she and her team meet them where they are in their journey of career readiness, using the Kaʻao Framework for Transformation that utilizes “Hawaiʻi traditional myth culture as a framework to transform the student experience and the culture of academia.”
Martinez adds that “we also have our alumni who can speak of their journeys and successes through our Nā Mamo A Hanakai Video Library.”
“In just our third semester — spring ʻ26 — of existence, we are building partnerships with our community members,” she says. “Some of the most exciting examples include Maunakea Observatories, Hele Mua, State of Hawaiʻi Department of Labor, and Hawaiian Electric.”
Learn more at the Kīpapa I Ke Ala Kaʻi: Center for Career Advancement website.
Story by Susan Enright, 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.
