{"id":231861,"date":"2026-04-08T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T18:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=231861"},"modified":"2026-04-08T13:42:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T23:42:30","slug":"image-of-the-week-moi-wahine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/08\/image-of-the-week-moi-wahine\/","title":{"rendered":"Image of the Week: M\u014dʻ\u012b Wahine"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Ikaika
Photo courtesy of Merrie Monarch Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This week\u2019s UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> Image of the Week is from UH<\/abbr> Hilo.<\/p>\n

“We are proud to announce that this year\u2019s Merrie Monarch Mōʻī Wahine<\/span> (Queen) is Rachel Hualani Loo [pictured here with Mōʻī<\/span> K\u0101ne (King) Ikaika Marzo]. Born and raised in Hilo, Hualani is a force for our community. As the Director of the K\u012bpuka Native Hawaiian Student Center at UH<\/abbr> Hilo, she has spent the last decade supporting generations of Hawaiian students on their educational journeys. Hualani is no stranger to the Festival stage, for nearly 20 years she has danced on opening night with H\u0101lau o Kekuhi. The UH<\/abbr> Hilo alumna and current UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa PhD<\/abbr> student is a shining example of the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>‘s mission in motion. Educator. Hula practitioner. Lifelong learner. Rachel Hualani Loo draws on the grace and resilience of her Hilo ancestors to serve the next generation.”<\/p>\n

—Mileka Lincoln, Marketing & Communications, University Relations, UH<\/abbr> Hilo<\/p>\n

\nPrevious Images<\/strong>
\nCleaning up<\/a>
\nThrough the water<\/a>
\nBreeze block<\/a>
\nShark tag<\/a>
\n‘Patrick Star’ tree<\/a>
\nAll Images of the Week<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Send us your image!<\/h2>\n

A big mahalo to everyone who has sent in their images! If selected, they will be posted throughout the semester, so check back to see the amazing work, research and experiences of the UH<\/abbr> ʻohana!<\/p>\n

Want to get in on the action? The next UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> Image of the Week could be yours! Submit a photo, drawing, painting, digital illustration of a project you are working on, a moment from a field research outing or a beautiful and\/or interesting shot of a scene on your campus. It could be a class visit during which you see an eye-catching object or scene.<\/p>\n