UH Hilo honors employees at annual awards celebration

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo recently recognized recipients of various UH Hilo and UH System awards at its 2026 End of the Year Awards Celebration held May 13 on campus. The event also honored retired employees and faculty and staff for various years of service.

Award recipients include:

• Kekoa Harman, Associate Professor of Hawaiian Studies & Hawaiian Language, UH System Board of Regents Excellence in Teaching Award
• Elisabeth Gallant, Assistant Professor of Geology, UH System Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
• Kekoa Harman, UH Hilo Pūlama ʻIke Award
• Adriane Lewandowski, Instructor of Nursing, UH Hilo Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
• Luzviminda Miguel, Associate Professor of Nursing, UH Hilo Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi Award for Excellence and Innovation
• Hollind Paiva, Janitor, UH Hilo Excellence in Building and Grounds Maintenance Award
• Kathleen Hughes, Information Technology Specialist, UH Hilo Excellence in Service

For a description of awards, see: https://hilo.hawaii.edu/uhh/awards/.