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WHERE- IN THE WORLD ARE MANOA ALUMNI? Here at Mānoa, your achievements extend beyond your degree of completion.
The connections you make, the communities you develop, the professors you encounter that nurture your growth provide the foundational stepping stones to propel you to great things on and beyond our campus. The success of a
graduate stands at the core of our mission.
We connected with our recent alumni to learn more about their experiences.
With a variety of backgrounds, selection of career choice and path to success, one thing is certain - our alumni are proud to have been Made at Mānoa.
The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa has over 194,000 alumni living in dozens of countries around the world! Here are a few fun and interesting facts about our
UHM-azing alumni around the globe.
194K
ALUMNI WORLDWIDE!
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66%
33%
Hawai‘i
1%
Mainland
94
Abroad
ALUMNI IN HAWAI‘I
Different Countries
ALUMNI IN U.S. REGIONS
2%
Midwest
85% 86%
O‘ahu
West
13%
4%
Neighbor Island
2%
Northeast
South
TOP 5 U.S. STATES IN WHICH ALUMNI RESIDE (EXCLUDING HAWAI‘I)
TOP 5 COUNTRIES IN WHICH ALUMNI RESIDE (EXCLUDING U.S.)
Washington 4,962
Japan 1,202
Canada 315
Oregon 2,000 California 19,263
S. Korea 377
Florida 2,511
Texas 2,842
TOP 5 U.S. CITIES IN WHICH ALUMNI ARE EMPLOYED Honolulu, HI 21%
San Francisco, CA 5%
Seattle, WA 3%
China
Vietnam 459
350
TOP COMPANIES IN WHICH ALUMNI ARE EMPLOYED
Los Angeles, CA 4%
New York City, NY 5%
Amazon
Korean Air
Boeing
State of Hawai‘i
Kaiser
U.S. Geological Survey
Bank of Hawaii Hawaii State DOE
Nordstrom
University of Hawai‘i
TOP 5 U.S. STATES MAJORS
Liberal Arts 11,444
Accounting 5,663
Psychology 5,599
Elementary Education 5,315
Nursing 3,965
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JESSICA VILLANUEVA Teacher, Suisun Elementary School B Ed Elementary Education & Special Education, UH Mānoa, 2007 Vallejo, California
Every professor I had was amazing and I loved how they mentored us. They really taught me how to be knowledgeable, effective and to be good at what you do and to have a passion for what you do. Being in Hawai‘i, the aloha spirit, translated into everything that we did. What makes me such a great teacher is my relationships with my students and my families and I learned all of that at Mānoa because its embedded in the culture and it’s the spirit of the people.” In 2017, Jessica was named one of the country’s top educators and selected for the Milken Educator Award. Deemed the “Oscars of Teaching,” the Milken Educator Award has been the nation’s premier teacher recognition program for 30 years.
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DERICK FABIAN Founder of 7Sketches BA Art Studio, UH Mānoa, 2012 Honolulu, Hawai‘i
My passion for art, guided by the education I received at UH Mānoa, brought me to where I’m at today. It’s amazing to still be doing what I loved most as a child, to have my artwork enjoyed my this many people from all over, travel to share my work, and make connections with creatives I have always been a fan of!” Although art was his lifelong love, Hawai‘i artist Derick Fabian bought the conventional wisdom that says, “If you major in art, you major in starvation.” He spent years searching for ways to combine his talent with something more sensible, but a conversation with a counselor at Kapi‘olani Community College helped him “cave in to his passion.” He then went on to pursue his BA in Art at UH Mānoa where he wrote and illustrated a comic strip for the student newspaper Ka Leo O Hawai‘i that he titled “7Sketches”. 7Sketches went on to become his brand known for his original sticker art, apparel, and prints. Blending the spheres of cartoons, anime, comic books and manga, along with hip-hop and local culture, 7Sketches has created a world of mashup characters that are infiltrating Hawai‘i. Follow Derick and his art on Instagram @7Sketches
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LAJOYA SHELLY Graduate Assistant, UH Mānoa College of Education, Office of Student Academic Services BA in General Studies, University of Dayton, 2011 MEd in Educational Administration, UH Mānoa, 2017 PhD in Educational Administration Student, UH Mānoa Blytheville, Arkansas
My involvement with Black Student Association has been one of the highlights of my time at UHM. I am also grateful for the continued support of faculty in the departments of Education Administration and Ethnic Studies, SEED, and countless others who have supported my personal, academic, and professional growth.” LaJoya is the first person within her family to pursue a college education immediately following high school. She spent her undergraduate years trying to find out who she wanted to be when she grew up. She is grateful for mentors who supported her during her uncertainty and were willing to share their own educational journeys. LaJoya’s educational journey is the direct result of positive mentoring relationships.
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TY SANGA Freelance Filmmaker, Writer & Producer, Family Ingredients BS Ethnic Studies, UH Mānoa, 2006 MFA Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Chapman University Kalihi, Hawai‘i
My films have allowed me to travel and share Hawai‘i’s stories with the world. To see them resonate with people not from the islands validates what I am doing because these stories have a universal message and people want to hear them.” Ty Sanga is a renowned Native Hawaiian freelance film maker, director and indigenous story-teller. In 2010 his short, Stones, won best short at the Maui Film Festival and was screened at NMAI’s Pacifika Showcase in New York and Native Cinema Showcase in Santa Fe. The film was an official selection for the Indigenous Shorts Showcase at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and the first film entirely in the Hawaiian-language to be shown at Sundance. Today, Sanga writes and directs a foodtravel television series called Family Ingredients, the first-ever Hawai‘i production included on the PBS’ national prime-time lineup. In its pilot episode in 2014, the series won a regional Emmy at the 43rd Annual Northern California Area Emmy Awards in San Francisco.
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DR. ANELA CHOY Research Oceanographer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute BA Environmental Sciences, UH Mānoa, 2004 MS Oceanography, UH Mānoa, 2008 PhD Oceanography, UH Mānoa, 2013 Honolulu, Hawai‘i
One of my most influential experiences on campus was co-founding the SOEST (School of Ocean and Earth Science Technology) Maile Mentoring Bridge during my graduate studies which provided a source of inspiration and led to many peer and faculty-based relationships that are still important to me today. This program was born out of the hope that as the faces of science change against a rapidly evolving and increasingly diverse society, that we can provide Native Hawaiian and local students fulfilling, meaningful and exciting career paths in earth science.” Dr. Anela Choy, is a postdoctoral fellow in biological oceanography and marine ecology at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). In 2016, she was one of five women in the U.S. who was selected for the L’Oréal Woman in Science Fellowship, which recognizes exceptional female scientists with grants of $60,000 each for their innovative research and dedication to inspiring the next generation of Source: L’Oreal women in STEM.
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JOEY RAMIREZ Digital Media Manager, Los Angeles Lakers BA Communications, UH Mānoa, 2015 Los Angeles, California
I love everything about what I do. I put in a lot of work, and long hours, but I never feel like I’m working. Everyday is something new and exciting; I watch every single Lakers game in person, talk to players in person. I can’t ask for anything more.” Growing up, Joey Ramirez always knew he wanted to work in sports. Coupled with a passion for writing and journalism, Joey pursued a degree in Communication and worked on-campus at the student newspaper, Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi, covering various aspects of athletics - from basketball to football, on-camera and radio. Now a digital reporter for the Los Angeles Lakers, Joey looks back at his time at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and credits landing his dream job to the experiences he had as a Rainbow Warrior.
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TIFFANY QUEZADA Co-Founder & Design Lead, Hobnob BA Speech Communications, UH Mānoa, 2006 Hilo, Hawaiʻi
I never imagined I would be here today. I could have moved, but I wanted to build my business here and contribute to the startup ecosystem, locally. Hawai‘i is a great place, especially for tech. I believe in our community, our ties. Being an entrepreneur is being a problem solver; you are always learning - failure is the tuition for success.” Tiffany Quezada, Co-Founder & Design Lead of Hobnob, a Honolulu-based startup focused on helping people reimagine the way they get together through beautiful mobile invitations. Born and raised in the town of Hilo on Hawai‘i Island, Tiffany is a passionate entrepreneur with a love for beautiful design. She is a self-taught designer with a background in event management, fashion, and non-profit marketing. Previously she co-founded Minded, a Blue Startups Accelerator company (one of the top 20 U.S. Accelerators, TechCrunch). Tiffany graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Speech Communications.
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COLBY HANSEN Airport Operations Specialist - Polices & Procedures, Hawaiian Airlines BBA Management & International Business, UH Mānoa, 2015 Snohomish, Washington
I chose UH Mānoa for its sense of community. There was so much diversity of people from around the world. Being with Hawaiian Airlines now, there is a mutual understanding, connection and extended community I have especially with others in the company who also graduated from Mānoa whether it be recent or many years ago.” One of the aspects Colby enjoyed most about UH Mānoa, was essentially being able to go to college in different locations throughout the world while he was a student. He took advantage of the opportunity to study abroad in Spain, and spent a year on exchange at the University of Alabama while earning his degree in business.
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808-956-2586 1-877-UH-ALUMS (toll-free) uhalumni.org/manoa contact@uhalumni.org facebook.com/uhmanoa instagram.com/uhalumni twitter.com/uhalumni youtube.com/universityofhawaii Visit us! Experience a campus tour by calling 808-956-7137 or visituhm@hawaii.edu “Made At Mānoa” Typography: Erica Kunihisa ‘12 Born and raised in Mililani, Erica lives, breathes and even sweats design. She earned her BFA in 2012 at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and currently is freelancing in Portland, Oregon. In her free time, she enjoys hikes, movies and concerts. Follow her exploits on Instagram at @ekunihisa.
6.5M 4/19
The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution.