About 500 students walked across the stage and officially graduated from the University of Hawaii at Hilo Saturday morning.
UH-Hilo held its 2024 spring commencement ceremony at Edith Kanaka‘ole Multi-Purpose Stadium for students graduating with certificates, undergraduate and graduate degrees and post-graduate credentials from the university’s six colleges.
David Mayser served as the spring commencement’s student speaker and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in communications.
Originally from Munich, Germany, Mayser decided to move to Hilo for his education and athletic goals in the fall of 2020. He joined the Vulcan men’s soccer team that semester and played through his four years.
“My college experience was unusual, and I think this is true for all of us with the pandemic as part of our experience. I mean, I spent the first few weeks stuck in a dorm room,” Mayser said. “Looking back, I think those experiences gave me the time to think about what I could gain from college. I stopped thinking about what I want to do, but who I want to be.”
Mayser became the student-athlete representative for the PacWest Conference on the National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was a member of the UH-Hilo Student Advisory Board.
He plans to pursue a master’s in communication studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas this fall.
“In cities on the mainland, it is always fast-paced and people are always thinking about their next move,” Mayser said. “In Hilo, a lot of things move slower, but I think that environment gives us a better chance to know exactly who we are and what we truly want out of life.”
Students represented the College of Arts and Sciences, Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikolani College of Hawaiian Language, the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management, the College of Natural and Health Sciences, the College of Business and Economics, and the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy as they smiled while walking across the stage with some seemingly dancing back to their seats.
While the moment is special and meant to be celebrated, keynote speaker Dr. Terrance Jalbert, professor of finance in the College of Business and Economics, reminded the students that there is still so much left to do.
“This may seem like a finish line, but nothing can be further from the truth. Once you step out of here, you have the choice to do something great,” Jalbert said. “Earning a degree is an amazing first step, but you are not done yet. Now it’s time to build a quality career, work hard, stay motivated, and make a difference.”
While emphasizing the importance of hard work and the continuous pursuit of education, Jalbert also made sure to note that the balance between career and home life is important and one cannot exist without the other.
“Never stop learning. If you maintain your education, it will keep you current, keep you thinking, keep you young,” Jalbert said. However, you have a balancing act ahead of you. Never let your career consume family, and never let family consume your career. You need both.”
While much of UH-Hilo’s population comes from Hawaii Island residents, many of its programs and its intimate character attract students from across the state, the mainland U.S. and internationally.
UH-Hilo offers two Ph.D. programs through the College of Natural and Health Sciences and the College of Hawaiian Language as well as the Doctor of Pharmacy.
Its three master’s programs are unique to the UH system and offer degrees in counseling psychology, teaching, heritage management, tropical conservation biology and environmental science, Indigenous language and culture education, and Hawaiian language and literature.
Hawaii Island’s land and climate diversity also gives students interested in the study of volcanoes, astronomy, agriculture, marine science, and other natural sciences, a completely unique experience compared to mainland programs.
“UH-Hilo is a small, but mighty school. You can compete with anybody from any school at any time and excel in doing it,” Jalbert said to students. “If you can get to where you are today, you can get to anywhere you want to be.”
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com