For the Moanalua High School senior class of 2025, Thursday, May 22, appeared to be another morning of rehearsal for their upcoming graduation ceremony. There was an additional surprise for one special student heading to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Maiya Sugimoto entered the #TakeMeToMānoa social media contest hosted by Hawaiʻi News Now (HNN). Out of the dozens of entries, Sugimoto was chosen to win a free year of tuition at UH Mānoa, courtesy of UH Federal Credit Union (UHFCU). The online contest, which was open to incoming fall 2025 Hawaiʻi freshmen and transfer students, asked entrants to explain why UH Mānoa is the right college or how a year of free tuition could help them.
Hawaiʻi News Now reporter Casey Lund made the surprise announcement to the group of seniors. Sugimoto was visibly surprised when her name was called.
“It’s still shocking to me, to be honest,” Sugimoto said. “I’d like to thank my family and friends for always supporting me, and especially my teachers.”
Sugimoto was handed a giant check to commemorate the scholarship by UHFCU Jason Lippert and covered in lei by her parents and UH Mānoa Associate Director of Admissions Shauna Pimentel-Motooka.
“We love this day,” UHFCU Vice President of Member Experience Lippert said. “UHFCU is happy to support our students and truly being at this scholarship event each year is one of the best moments we participate in. Maiya had such a great video explaining why she is going to UH Mānoa. We can’t wait to see what she will accomplish.”
“Maiya’s video really captured our hearts and definitely showed the kind of students we hope to attract,” Pimentel-Motooka said. “She is so motivated. We look forward to her joining our UH Mānoa ʻohana.”
Sugimoto also recently earned her associates degree in liberal arts from Honolulu Community College’s Early College program before she earned her high school diploma.
“I’m gonna be studying business marketing and digital design, so I’ll double major in the two,” Sugimoto said of her journey continuing at UH Mānoa.
UHFCU has sponsored the #TakeMeToMānoa contest for seven years, surprising recipients with HNN since 2018. Read more about previous winners.
