{"id":214525,"date":"2025-04-25T14:17:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T00:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=214525"},"modified":"2025-04-25T14:17:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-26T00:17:10","slug":"uh-alumni-shine-at-merrie-monarch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/25\/uh-alumni-shine-at-merrie-monarch\/","title":{"rendered":"<abbr>UH<\/abbr> alumni businesses, more, shine at Merrie Monarch Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_22568\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HLoLydIvj1A?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Â鶹´«Ã½Alumni: Merrie Monarch Festival 2025\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> alumni filled the vendor lineup at this year\u2019s Merrie Monarch arts and crafts fairs, with more than 30 alumni owned or operated businesses participating in markets across Hilo. Since its inception more than 60 years ago, the Merrie Monarch Festival showcases the finest Hawaiian artistry and hula from across the islands, making a powerful statement about <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and its people.<\/p>\n<p>With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DIzOHw4T86q\/\">alumni representation from all 10 campuses<\/a>, many are proud to be part of the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> <span aria-label=\"ohana\">&#699;ohana<\/span> at Merrie Monarch.<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Super Bowl of hula and shopping&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_214563\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-214563\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-wong-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"woman standing in front of sign\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-214563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-wong-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-wong-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-wong.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-214563\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jessica Wong (<abbr>BS<\/abbr> \u201813, <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa), owner of <span aria-label=\"Kakoo\">K&#257;ko&#699;o<\/span> <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 2022, Jessica Wong, a <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa alumna, launched the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kakoohawaii.com\/vendors\"><span aria-label=\"Kakoo\">K&#257;ko&#699;o<\/span> <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Market<\/a> with the goal of creating a more family-oriented market in Hilo.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The best part is being able to see our customers in person,&rdquo; Wong said. &ldquo;Merrie Monarch is the Super Bowl of hula and shopping, you have the best entertainment at night and the best shopping experience during the day.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A Hilo native, Wong chose <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa to pursue her dream of playing Division I soccer&#8212;close to home, yet still a step away. She spent two years on the Rainbow W\u0101hine Soccer team before an injury led her to take on a new role as team manager. After graduating in 2013 with a bachelor of science degree in human resources, she remained on <span aria-label=\"Oahu\">O&#699;ahu<\/span> for a few years before eventually returning home to Hilo.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;<span aria-label=\"Oahu\">O&#699;ahu<\/span> has so many amazing markets and opportunities for small business owners, so I wanted to bring that to Hilo and to our community,&rdquo; said Wong.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_214562\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-214562\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-jaime-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"woman holding sign\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-214562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-jaime-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-jaime-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-jaime.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-214562\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Emily Jaime (<abbr>AA<\/abbr> \u201814, Windward Community College), owner of <abbr>YIREH<\/abbr><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This year\u2019s lineup has both seasoned and first-time vendors&#8212;including a Windward Community College alumna.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is our first Merrie Monarch Festival and we are so excited to debut at Sangha Hall,&rdquo; said Emily Jaime, owner of <a href=\"https:\/\/shopyireh.com\/\"><abbr>YIREH<\/abbr><\/a> and 2014 Windward <abbr title=\"Community College\">CC<\/abbr> graduate. &ldquo;My favorite part is getting to meet everyone and getting to talk story, so come see us!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Biggest blessing in my career&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_214559\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-214559\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-ancheta-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"man holding a sign\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-214559\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-ancheta-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-ancheta-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-ancheta.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-214559\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dillon Ancheta (<abbr>BA<\/abbr> \u201817, <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa), reporter Hawaii News Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Alumni representation at the Merrie Monarch goes beyond retail. A <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa journalism alum is also sharing the festival\u2019s stories as a television reporter.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Covering Merrie Monarch is truly something that is the biggest blessing in my career,&rdquo; said Dillon Ancheta, a reporter for Hawaii News Now who earned a journalism degree in 2017. &ldquo;With that comes the responsibility to treat this with respect and to know that the <span aria-label=\"moolelo\">mo&#699;olelo<\/span> (stories) you share is about people and culture.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ancheta credits his time at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> for preparing him to cover events as meaningful as Merrie Monarch.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Without my time at <abbr>UH<\/abbr>, I wouldn&#8217;t be here,&rdquo; said Ancheta. &ldquo;When I was a high school senior looking at colleges, I knew I wanted to work here in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> one day, so I decided to learn here, too, and I\u2019m so grateful I stuck with <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_214561\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-214561\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-chun-lai.jpg\" alt=\"woman holding sign\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-214561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-chun-lai.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-chun-lai-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/system-merrie-monarch-chun-lai-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-214561\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sharayah Chun-Lai (<abbr>BA<\/abbr> \u201816, <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa), owner of Ola Hou Designs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><abbr>UH<\/abbr> grads turn passion into thriving businesses at Merrie Monarch\u2019s celebration of culture and creativity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[90,271,71,319,9,56,66],"class_list":["post-214525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-alumni","tag-uh-alumni-association","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-foundation","tag-uh-manoa","tag-video-2","tag-windward-community-college","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 5.0.0.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Â鶹´«Ã½grads turn passion into thriving businesses at Merrie Monarch\u2019s celebration of culture and creativity.\" \/>\n\t<meta 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