‘Take Me to Manoa’ winner surprised with free year of tuition at UH

本站添加: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]All right, this is always [music] a fun story. The Take Me to Manoa contest winner was announced today.

[00:00:05]>> Billy V went to UH Manoa to surprise this year's lucky high school senior who had no idea she was about to win a year of free tuition. Hi, today's the day of surprises. I'm going to invite and introduce you to some guests real quickly here. Uh Vasilis Sheramos is the interim provost for UH Manoa. Take Me to Manoa, where did this all begin from?

[00:00:24]Oh, that's a great program we started with the University of Hawaii Federal Credit Union. It is a program for transfer freshmen.

[00:00:32]They create a video and send it in and then we pick the winner and this is today. It's going to be a great day for the winner. Okay, and the winner gets?

[00:00:40]Uh the winner winner gets free tuition for a year. Isn't that awesome? Now, we have uh the athletics director here, Matt Elliott. Um Matt, tell us how this affects athletics. Your thoughts on this contest. Uh first of all, we love a game. We love a sport. Anytime there's a contest, that's fun. But um you know, there's been a ton of great success across the university and in athletics this year.

[00:01:02]But what makes it most important is when the whole student body is there. When they celebrate these things with our student athletes, support them on the football field and the basketball and volleyball arena. And to have another student coming here with her enthusiasm for UH, we're just so excited.

[00:01:14]>> Okay, President Wendy Hensel, this stuff like this must make you just happy. Tell us why this makes you happy. We are bringing someone home uh from the mainland who wants to come back to the University of Hawaii and she's getting free tuition. What's more fun than that?

[00:01:28]Okay, so actually, we are surprising the person they're about to walk through the doors right now. So, let's go ahead and see what's going on on this side.

[00:01:39]We're talking story with people. Hi, come on through. Hi, and your name is?

[00:01:44]>> Lilly. Lilly, what's your last name?

[00:01:46]>> Okimoto. Really? Come on over here with me for a moment. Hey everybody, LOOK WHO'S HERE!

[00:01:50]>> [cheering] [applause] >> WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR you and there is a reason why you submitted for the Take Me to Manoa contest, right?

[00:02:03]>> [laughter] >> Yes.

[00:02:04]Well, I have a gentleman over here Vasilis has flowers for you. He's been waiting all morning to smile and give these to you. Come on here and in here.

[00:02:12]Welcome to Manoa. Congratulations. This is the athletics director of the University of Hawaii that you get to shake hands with. This is the president of the University of Hawaii system.

[00:02:23]>> Welcome home, Lily. We're so glad you're coming. And you have tuition for a year UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII FEDERAL CREDIT UNION.

[00:02:31]>> [applause and cheering] >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. AS YOU CAN GUESS, MOM has been in on this.

[00:02:39]Okay. Tell first of all, what are you planning to study? Do you know yet?

[00:02:43]>> Um psychology and then studio art. How do you feel right now? I'm I'm in shock. Oh my goodness. I didn't She told me that I was going to meet um the undergraduate chair of the psych department. I was like, "Oh." Sorry, we bumped that up to the president, [laughter] okay? So, congratulations to you once again. You have tuition for an entire year at the University of Hawaii Manoa and all I can say is welcome home. How about a NICE ROUND OF APPLAUSE?

[00:03:11]>> [cheering] [applause] >> HER MOM TOLD HER THAT SHE WAS meeting with an undergraduate counselor. Little did she know that she would meet the athletics director, the interim provost for UH Manoa, and the UH system president. Congratulations to Liliana Okimoto, winner this year of Take Me to Manoa. From the University of Hawaii, I'm Billy V. Hawaii News Now.

[00:03:36]That's so cool.

[00:03:37]>> Her face was priceless.

[00:03:38]>> Yeah. I love those.

[00:03:39]>> moment. All right. Happy Aloha Friday, everybody.