{"id":234131,"date":"2026-05-12T15:21:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T01:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=234131"},"modified":"2026-05-12T15:29:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T01:29:11","slug":"uh-hilo-valdez-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/12\/uh-hilo-valdez-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging tradition and technology: Meet Tori Kiliʻohu Cashman Valdez"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Valdez (second from left) with her Hawaiian language class during a trip to Kahoʻolawe.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tori Kiliʻohu<\/span> Cashman Valdez has spent her years at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo training in everything required to care for the ʻāina<\/span> (land)—studying ʻōlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> (Hawaiian language) over late nights with fellow haumāna<\/span> (students) at the campus\u2019 Kīpuka<\/span> Native Hawaiian Student Center<\/a>, then analyzing aerial imagery the next morning in the geospatial research lab<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Valdez conducts field research that integrates Indigenous knowledge and modern ecological data.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This spring 2026, she graduates with a double major in environmental science<\/a> and Hawaiian studies<\/a>, headed into a master\u2019s program where the full breadth of her training meets a single research focus.<\/p>\n

For Valdez, the choice to pursue two seemingly different degrees was a natural extension of her upbringing in Waimea, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and Kailua, Oʻahu.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We very intimately see the connection between the condition of our ʻāina<\/span> and its impact on our livelihoods,” she explained.<\/p>\n

This “ʻāina<\/span>-first” perspective is what led her to UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s Ka Haka ʻUla<\/span> O Keʻelikōlani<\/span><\/a>, where she found a community dedicated to the perpetuation of culture.<\/p>\n

“We cannot care for ʻāina<\/span> in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> without that ʻike<\/span> (knowledge) about language, about culture, about people, about history,” Valdez said.<\/p>\n

Valdez said she was deeply inspired by her ʻōlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> class with associate professor of Hawaiian language and literature, Kumu Hiapo Perreira, whose passion for language unlocked a desire for her to find even more meaningful ways to solidify the intersection of ʻike<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> (Hawaiian knowledge) in and across all areas of life in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>—including her interest in science.<\/p>\n

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Valdez and horse Jedi. Her ranching and taro farming roots shape her commitment to sustainability.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Valdez\u2019s time at UH<\/abbr> Hilo has been defined by rigorous academic achievement and high-level research. Working in the Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization Lab<\/a> under geography and environmental science Professor Ryan Perroy, she has utilized aerial imagery for coconut rhinoceros beetle detection and presented her findings at the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Conservation Conference.<\/p>\n

Despite a grueling schedule—often reaching 18 credits per semester in order to complete her double major within four years—Valdez found her “home away from home” through Kīpuka.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hilo takes care,” she noted, reflecting on nights spent playing music and speaking ʻōlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> with friends. “Hilo makes it easier [to be away from home].”<\/p>\n

Valdez\u2019s journey at UH<\/abbr> Hilo doesn\u2019t end with her undergraduate degrees. She has already been accepted into the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science<\/a> master\u2019s program, where she will use LIDAR<\/abbr>, a laser-based mapping technology to protect cultural historic sites from climate change.<\/p>\n

For more go to Kūkala<\/span> Nūhou<\/span><\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Double major Tori Kiliʻohu<\/span> Cashman Valdez graduates with one ambition: ʻāina-first<\/span> land stewardship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":234137,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[234,758,1500,14],"class_list":["post-234131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-commencement","tag-environmental-science","tag-hawaiian-studies","tag-uh-hilo","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/uh-hilo-valdez-kahoolawe-trip.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234131"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234180,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234131\/revisions\/234180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}