18-05-2025
UH Mānoa students celebrate 2025 Spring Commencement
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Over 2,500 graduates participated in University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's 2025 Spring Commencement ceremonies on May 17, with a ceremony in the morning and another in the afternoon.
Graduates walked in the commencements at the Stan Sheriff Center and were joined by thousands of UH Mānoa community members, including friends, family, faculty and staff.
Hawaiʻi Island nurses hold informational picket
The commencement featured Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion surfer Carrissa Moore as this year's speaker, and also marked UH President Wendy Hensel's inaugural commencement.
'It is such a special time of year, always, but really so this year since it's my first as president of the system,' Hensel said. 'And seeing the joy on the faces of our graduates and the excitement about the future is just unmatched.'UH West Oʻahu was the first UH campus to have a commencement on May 10, with UH Mānoa and UH Hilo marking the final set of commencements on May 17.
For graduates, commencement is a time to reflect on the past several years of their life, and the hard work they put into getting their degree.
'UH Mānoa has given me so many opportunities from internships to student work opportunities and just being able to get immersed into my passions and what I like to do, and I'm just overall so grateful for everything,' 2025 graduate McKenzie Kurosu said.
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