UH System News Image of the Week: Mōʻī Wahine

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UH Hilo’s director of Kīpuka Native Hawaiian Student Center, Rachel Hualani Loo, is this year’s Merrie Monarch Mōʻī Wahine (Queen).

Couple in period costumes.
(Photo courtesy of Merrie Monarch Festival)

This week’s UH System News Image of the Week is from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

We are proud to announce that this year’s Merrie Monarch Mōʻī Wahine (Queen) is Rachel Hualani Loo [pictured here with Mōʻī Kāne (King) Ikaika Marzo]. Born and raised in Hilo, Hualani is a force for our community. As the Director of the Kīpuka Native Hawaiian Student Center at UH Hilo, she has spent the last decade supporting generations of Hawaiian students on their educational journeys. Hualani is no stranger to the Festival stage, for nearly 20 years she has danced on opening night with Hālau o Kekuhi. The UH Hilo alumna and current UH Mānoa PhD student is a shining example of the University of Hawaiʻi’s mission in motion. Educator. Hula practitioner. Lifelong learner. Rachel Hualani Loo draws on the grace and resilience of her Hilo ancestors to serve the next generation.

Submitted by Mileka Lincoln, Communications Coordinator, University Relations, UH Hilo.

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