UH Hilo 2026 Spring Commencement scheduled for Saturday, May 16
The keynote address will be given by UH Hilo Professor of Education Michele Ebersole. Psychology major and Vulcan athlete Imani Lee will be student speaker.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will celebrate 2026 Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 16, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium. The ceremony is limited to invited guests and not open to the public. The event will be livestreamed and also recorded for future viewing (watch this space).
Approximately 557 students have petitioned for degrees, certificates, and/or various post-graduate credentials from the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management; College of Arts and Sciences; College of Business and Economics; College of Natural and Health Sciences; Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy; and Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language.
The keynote address will be given by UH Hilo Professor of Education Michele Ebersole. Psychology major and Vulcan athlete Imani Lee will be student speaker.
Keynote Speaker: Professor Michele Ebersole
Prof. Ebersole received her doctoral degree in language, reading, and culture from the University of Arizona and went on to build a career grounded in literacy education and culturally responsive teaching. For two decades, she has prepared future teachers and strengthened educator development across Hawaiʻi Island and the state.
Her area of expertise is in language and literacy development with particular emphasis on integrating culture, community, and identity into teacher preparation. With a focus on children’s literature, narrative, and local context, she is widely published in peer-reviewed journals and has contributed to national and international conversations on culturally responsive teaching and literacy practices.
- UH Hilo Quintessential University Citizen: Michele Ebersole, changing K-12 education with aloha (Feb. 6, 2020, UH Hilo Stories)
At UH Hilo, Prof. Eversole has played a central leadership role in shaping the School of Education. She previously served as chair of the school and has contributed to the development and coordination of key programs including the master of arts in teaching and new undergraduate pathways into teacher education.
“Community outreach and partnerships are an important part of the work that we do in the School of Education,” says Ebersole, who was named a Quintessential University Citizen by the Chancellor’s Executive Council in 2020. “I believe that it is reciprocal in nature: both our community partners and the School of Education mutually benefit from the service work.”
That outreach includes her fostering strong connections between local schools, communities, and place through serving on advisory boards, facilitating professional development for teachers, and working closely with the Hawaiʻi Department of Education to support literacy and culturally-grounded instruction. Among this work is her leadership role in a multi-year “Grow Our Own” teacher development grant aimed at addressing teacher shortages in the state of Hawaiʻi.
Her contributions to teaching and service have been recognized through numerous awards, including the UH Board of Regent’s Medal for Excellence in Teaching in 2009.
Student Speaker: Imani Lee
At spring commencement, student speaker Imani Lee will receive her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in political science and a pre-law certificate.
Lee, who hails from California, is a Vulcan student-athlete on the women’s volleyball team, a position she’s held during her four years at UH Hilo. She was honored as a 2023-2024 scholar athlete. She also served as the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in 2025.
“I have specific interests in environmental policy and climate justice, while also personally connected to the sports world and having an interest in sports psychology,” she says on her LinkedIn. “To help narrow down my path, I am actively seeking hands-on opportunities in the Psychology, Political Science, and Law fields, including any research experience that might align with topics I am passionate about.”
Also in 2025, Lee was chosen in a highly competitive process as one of 15 interns placed in prestigious positions by the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE), a nonprofit based in Los Angeles, California. She joined the 2025 CAUSE Leadership Academy cohort with students from well-known universities such as Georgetown, Princeton, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UCLA.
- Real world experience: UH Hilo senior Imani Lee interns in CA U.S. representative’s office (Sept. 24, 2025, UH Hilo Stories)
This semester, Lee studied abroad in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, expanding her worldview as both a Gilman Scholar and a recipient of the John and Anja McVickar Study Abroad Scholarship. She plans to go abroad for her master’s degree in public administration while continuing her volleyball career with the goal of eventually working in foreign service.
-See also: Media release
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.
