{"id":223489,"date":"2025-10-13T14:27:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T00:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=223489"},"modified":"2025-10-13T14:27:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T00:27:15","slug":"alumna-yamat-leads-mccarthy-mall-renovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/10\/13\/alumna-yamat-leads-mccarthy-mall-renovation\/","title":{"rendered":"From pageant queen to project engineer: Alumna leads McCarthy Mall renovation"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Kiana
Kiana Yamat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa alumna Kiana Yamat is back at her alma mater. This time, the College of Engineering<\/a> graduate and Miss Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> USA<\/abbr> 2022<\/a> is serving as a project engineer for the construction transformation at the heart of the M\u0101noa campus.<\/p>\n

\"Kiana
Yamat now works as a project engineer for Hensel Phelps.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yamat runs the office team for Hensel Phelps, the construction company in charge of the M\u0101noa Mini Master Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

She plays a key role managing contracts, ordering materials and handling finances in order to make these major upgrades to McCarthy Mall possible.<\/p>\n

“It’s surreal and it\u2019s an honor,” said Yamat. “Using the talent and experience gained from school, we are building something that impacts more than just the campus itself.”<\/p>\n

Giving back for future generations<\/h2>\n

A major part of the project is the construction of a modern building for interdisciplinary learning, which will replace Snyder Hall as the home of the College of Education<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Being a part of this opportunity is especially meaningful to Yamat, whose mother is a retired public school teacher with a special education background.<\/p>\n

\"Yamat
Yamat continues to give back to her alma mater.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Knowing that there are people like my mom that will one day influence the whole community, that\u02bbs a big deal,” said Yamat.<\/p>\n

Paving her path<\/h2>\n

During her time at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, Yamat was grateful for the many resources and partnering programs that the College of Engineering had to offer. It was through the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE<\/abbr>) UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa student chapter<\/a>, which she was president of, that Yamat landed her current engineering role.<\/p>\n

\"Group
Yamat’s company Hensel Phelps collaborates with the ASCE<\/abbr> student chapter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Hensel Phelps presented to ASCE<\/abbr> at one of their club meetings, it opened her eyes to civil engineering, a path she had not previously considered. Yamat connected with UH<\/abbr> alumni at Hensel Phelps, who encouraged her to join the team.<\/p>\n

Now, Yamat is on the other end, inspiring future engineers. Her company continues to partner with the ASCE<\/abbr> student chapter.<\/p>\n

“I want students to realize that no job is too small to be impactful,” said Yamat. “From the interns that we have on site all the way to the higher-ups, all of us are a piece of shaping something the public gets to see.”<\/p>\n

\u2014By Josslyn Rose<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa engineering alumna Kiana Yamat\u2019s position at Hensel Phelps has brought her back to her alma mater.<\/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":[21,90,679,669,95,179,19,182,9,1626],"class_list":["post-223489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-21st-century-facilities","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-recognition","tag-capital-improvements","tag-college-of-education","tag-college-of-engineering","tag-construction","tag-engineering","tag-uh-manoa","tag-women-of-uh","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t