The newly crowned Miss Â鶹´«Ã½ 2026, Carly Yoshida, is a University of Â鶹´«Ã½–West Oʻahu alumna, who earned a bachelor of arts in social sciences with a concentration in psychology in 2023. Yoshida succeeds Miss Â鶹´«Ã½ 2025 Emalia Dalire, a 2024 UH West Oʻahu graduate.
“The moment I was named Miss Â鶹´«Ã½ 2026 felt surreal—I honestly just remember being so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude when they called my name,” said Yoshida, 26, of Honolulu. “I¡¯ve been working at this dream for so long, so there are so many different layers of purpose and emotion in this win.”
It was a full-circle moment for Yoshida, who works at KITV4 as the weekday weather anchor for both Good Morning Â鶹´«Ã½ and Island News Midday. She is celebrating 10 years since being crowned Miss Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s Teen in 2016.
The Miss Â鶹´«Ã½ competition took place on June 19 at Â鶹´«Ã½ Theatre. Yoshida competed as Miss Kakaʻako and topped nine other delegates for the title. She was crowned by Dalire.
- Related story: Â鶹´«Ã½West Oʻahu alumna crowned Miss Â鶹´«Ã½, June 24, 2025
UH West Oʻahu a ‘formative time’
“It¡¯s really special that Emalia is also a UH West Oʻahu grad!” Yoshida said. “It shows how much the school prepares its students for success, and I¡¯m excited to follow in her footsteps. I¡¯ve watched her grow up, so it¡¯s a very interesting dynamic of her being my big/little sister. We also share the same birthday!”
Yoshida is from Waikoloa Village on Â鶹´«Ã½ Island and graduated from Kealakehe High School. She earned her associate¡¯s degree in liberal arts from Â鶹´«Ã½ Community College–Pālamanui, then transferred to UH West Oʻahu.
“UH West Oʻahu was such a formative time for me,” Yoshida said. “It really helped me build the foundation for my career and understand the community better before I started working full time.”
Weather safety platform
During the Miss Â鶹´«Ã½ competition, Yoshida¡¯s platform, or community service initiative, was “Weather the Future,” which encourages safety and emergency readiness for Â鶹´«Ã½. Yoshida said she is looking forward to expanding this initiative during her upcoming reign.
“I believe that this is not just a statewide issue, but a national and global ambition, and I¡®ve already planted the seeds by networking with scientists, STEM experts and globally known science content creators who are excited about this initiative,” she said. “So, I feel that Â鶹´«Ã½ has a really strong suit to bring to the table at Miss America this year.”
She will represent Â鶹´«Ã½ at the in September in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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— By Zenaida Serrano Arvman