In this episode of HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i, the second of two special episodes, meet five outstanding graduates from HIKI NŌ’s Class of 2024 as they share their memories from HIKI NŌ productions and their future aspirations.

Emi Sado, a 2024 graduate of Maui High School, first began working on HIKI NŌ projects in middle school at Maui Waena Intermediate School. She remembers that first year as being “chaotic,” but becoming hooked on the craft of storytelling.Sado credited her teachers Jennifer Suzuki at MWIS and Clint Gima at Maui High School for encouraging her to continue pursuing media and video production.

“The reason why I was so successful I feel in that first year and later into the second year and all the way to high school is because of the confidence she (Ms. Suzuki) gave me,” she said.

One of her most memorable stories was covering the cancellation of the national Student Television Network conference in Washington, D.C., because of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020.

Sado ended up hosting two HIKI NŌ shows, one remotely from her school library during the COVID pandemic, and another in the PBS Hawaiʻi studio.

“It was incredible — the lights and sound,” Sado noted. “I had never been in an actual TV studio until that.”

Sado is headed to college at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, also known as Cal Poly, to study construction management.

Mari Iwata, a 2024 graduate of Waiākea High School on Hawaiʻi Island, reflects on how the Student Reflection she produced during a summer workshop ultimately had so much value and meaning to her and her community.

In the piece, she tells the story of almost losing a spot on her school’s tennis team and how she coped with the fickleness yet gratification of high school competitive sports.

It was an interesting experience to share a vulnerable time with a larger audience, she said. Ultimately she was recognized for a HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawaiʻi and Mental Health America Hawaiʻi Student Voice Award.

“The impact I want to leave on the world is just being able to give voice to people who wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity or chance to have that kind of voice,” she said.

Iwata will attend Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles to study scriptwriting this fall.

Tristyn Rivera, a 2024 graduate of Kapaʻa High School on Kauaʻi, says her interest in video production came to her as a surprise during her sophomore year.

Her memorable Student Reflection took viewers behind the scenes with her family on one of their frequent wild boar hunts. The video was ultimately awarded with a HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawaiʻi and Mental Health America Hawaiʻi Student Voice Award.

She was encouraged by the positive response from her classmates, teacher Chris Sanderl, and family, and continued to work on HIKI NŌ projects and enter HIKI NŌ Challenge competitions, where she and her classmates received several awards.

“After that I got hooked into filming and that’s when I decided I was going to make this a career for myself,” she said.

Rivera plans to continue to tell stories that share Hawaiian culture, but first, she’ll attend Grand Canyon University to major in film in Phoenix, Arizona.

Misty Griffith and Ashlyn Tamura, 2024 graduates of Moanalua High School on Oʻahu, share multiple fond memories of competing in HIKI NŌ Challenges and discuss how they discovered the power of storytelling in making human connections.

They began their HIKI NŌ journey in high school but found quick success entering HIKI NŌʻs competitive five-day production Challenges.

One story was a profile of their math teacher who became paralyzed after surviving a car accident when he was in high school. Another award-winning profile story they produced was about a man who shared his story about recovering from addiction after surviving a near-fatal accident that occurred while he was attempting to steal copper.

Griffith will attend the University of California Los Angeles to major in biology in pursuit of becoming a doctor. Both of them believe their experience with HIKI NŌ will pay off in their future endeavors.

“There’s so many ways you can apply that (skill) to any job,” Griffith said. “The communication skills will really set me up for success when I pursue my career as a doctor.”

“Through high school and being in the media classes  — it has really helped me because I’d get to connect with these people heart to heart,” added Tamura, who will attend University of Portland for Nursing.

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HIKI NŌ 10|8|24: 1522