UH Hilo communication major awarded Big Island Press Club scholarship
Rianne Angelique Kealohaokalani Kalama Empaynado, a Hilo High School alumna, received $1,500 as first place winner.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
A communication major at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has received one of two scholarships awarded annually by the Big Island Press Club.
Rianne Angelique Kealohaokalani Kalama Empaynado received $1,500 as first place winner.
A Big Island Press Club media release notes Empaynado is a Hilo High School alumna with a passion for digital media. She’s made contributions to Hilo High KVIKS Spotlight and yearbook, UH Hilo’s student-run newspaper Ke Kalahea, and several award-winning public service announcement animations, including Ōlelo Youth XChange 2024, Nā Leo Youth Challenge, and SHOOTS Hawaiʻi 2024–2025.
Alongside her graphic design work, Empaynado led KVIKS Media, Hilo High School’s communications and creative media program, for two consecutive years, developing both technical and leadership skills.
“The Big Island Press Club scholarship has been a tremendous help in supporting my college education,” says Empaynado. “As a communications major focused on graphic design and creative media, this scholarship helps me pursue my goal of funding my education through scholarships and my own work while continuing to use storytelling and communication to serve my community.”
Second place winner of a $1,000 scholarship is Mari Iwata, a Waiākea High School alumna pursuing screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.
Patsy Iwasaki, an associate professor of English at UH Hilo and board member at the Big Island Press Club, says, “We are incredibly proud of our two 2026 recipients, Mari Iwata and Rianne Angelique Kealohaokalani Empaynado.”
“Rianne was a student in my ENG/COM 285 Introduction to Media Writing course during her very first fall semester at UH Hilo,” says Iwasaki. “She wrote outstanding assignments and articles for the class, including a feature piece on her media journey at Hilo High School and an interview-driven, insightful look into the challenges of AI in education today.”
Iwasaki says the press club celebrates its annual scholarship awards program “as a cornerstone of our mission to support Hawaiʻi island youth in media education and careers.”
Founded in 1967, the Big Island Press Club distributes annual scholarships to support students with Hawaiʻi Island residential ties pursuing careers in journalism or related communications fields. Since 1968, the group has awarded approximately 130 scholarships totaling more than $100,000.
“We look forward to continuing this important legacy,” Iwasaki says.
For more visit the Big Island Press Club website.
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UH Hilo students awarded Big Island Press Club Foundation scholarships
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.
