May 2024 Gleanings
6 students awarded scholarships, changes at the top, get involved
Awarding scholarships to deserving students and promoting transparency in state and local government are two areas where the Big Island Press Club really shines!
We're already planning our Torch of Light luncheon with this year's winner, retired Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Daniel Foley. Save the date -- December 14 at Pueo's Osteria in Waikoloa.
Read on for more.
And, don't forget to renew your membership and pay your dues! Have news to share? Just email Gleanings editor Nancy Cook Lauer at nclauer@gmail.com for inclusion in an upcoming issue.
Next Meeting: 9 a.m. June 15 via Zoom. Email Director Jim Wilson at wilson1012@twc.com for a link.
Six receive Big Island Press Club scholarships
(Photos by Director Royelen Boykie). The Big Island Press Club Scholarship Foundation awarded 2024 college scholarships totaling $7,000 to six students dedicated to pursuing education for journalism or a related field.
Acknowledged at the annual Big Island Press Club Scholarship Foundation awards dinner held May 9, the winners are Waiakea High School senior Mari Iwata, Hilo High School senior Emily Wagner, Ohio University student Megan Moseley, Whitworth University’s Kai Hayashida and University of Hawaii at Hilo students Lichen Forster and David Mayser.
The event’s guest speakers were Honolulu Civil Beat journalists Kevin Dayton, a Big Island-based investigative reporter, and Chad Blair, Honolulu politics editor. Blair spoke on the current state of the media and felt that Civil Beat’s nonprofit, no-paywall model is working.
Civil Beat, the 13-year-old digital news platform, was named a 2023 finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in the breaking news category. The news outlet was founded by Omidyar Group philanthropist Pierre Omidyar, who founded eBay in 1995.
Mari Iwata received the $1,000 Omidyar Group scholarship.
“To me, it is an honor to be awarded with the Press Club journalism scholarship, Because it not only acknowledges the hard work I’ve put in but also acknowledges that other people see my potential,” Iwata said. “It’s motivating knowing that it’s more than just my parents encouraging my career, but professionals in the field.”
Kai Hayashida, who’s studying to be a sports broadcaster, won the $1,500 Hugh Clark scholarship. Clark was known as a “newspaperman’s newspaperman” and was inducted into the UH-Hilo Athletic Hall of Fame. Hayashida said “It’s a huge honor to win this scholarship so I can continue to pursue my dream job as a sports broadcaster.”
Lichen Forster won the $1,500 Bill Arballo Memorial Scholarship. Arballo was a founding a member of Big Island Press Club in 1967, its first president, and a World War II Silver Star and Purple Heart medal recipient as a medic in Italy.
The Robert C. Miller scholarship for $1,000, named in honor of the deceased Hilo-based UPI reporter, went to Emily Wagner. Miller’s 1968 Press Club speech motivated Ouida Hill, wife of then-state Sen. W.H. “Doc” Hill, to donate $1,000 to start the journalism scholarship program.
David Mayser received the Jack Markey award for $1,000. The late Jack Markey was a visible fixture in Hilo. With poor vision and unable to drive a car, Markey walked and hitchhiked around Hilo town selling radio advertising. He recruited members for BIPC and was instrumental in building the BIPC scholarship endowment.
“Being awarded with a BIPC scholarship is a big honor,” said Mayser, who was UH-Hilo’s 2024 spring commencement speaker. “Journalism plays a huge role in our society. As we go through a lot of uncertainty and challenges, I believe that journalism has the profound power to share information and knowledge.”
Ohio University student Megan Moseley won the $1,000 Yukino Fukabori award. Noteworthy as early as the 1930s for reporting “hard news” and not society page gossip, Fukabori wrote for the Hawaii Tribune-Herald and later taught news writing at Hilo High School. She funded a scholarship in 1993 and died in 1995.
Moseley, a writer for the Big Island Now web news outlet, noted, “Winning the Big Island Press Club Scholarship means the world to me. Feeling supported by my peers who I have the upmost respect for and being able to continue my education while pursuing journalism here in Hawaii is a dream come true.”
This year’s scholarship amount was a record. The increase is thanks to the Bill Arballo Memorial Fund, the Omidyar Group and Big Island Press Club Scholarship Foundation, 2023 Torch of Light auction donors, including Fairmont Orchid, Rosewood Kona Village, Four Seasons Hualalai, Royal Kona Resort, Auberge Mauna Lani, Nathan Gaddis and others.
The BIPC Scholarship committee for 2024 were Tiffany Edwards Hunt, Robert Duerr, Royelen Boykie and John Burnett.
Changes at the top
The Big Island Press Club announced a change in its top leadership this week, after BIPC President Michael Phillips stepped down in order to run for a County Council seat.
Phillips, who has served as president since 2022, will remain on the board as the immediate past president, but will recuse himself from political and fundraiser projects and related votes in order to avoid conflicts of interest.
"Michael, with his intense energy and deep connections in the community, has done such an incredible job revitalizing our press club for years even before he was named president," said Nancy Cook Lauer, a longtime BIPC member and past president who is now secretary on the board. "The board agreed that he has served as a tremendous face for the press club, but the club and its associated nonprofit Big Island Press Club Foundation need to remain independent of any political races. We wish all candidates the best."
Tiffany Edwards Hunt, the vice-president, was named president, according to the clubs bylaws. John Burnett, the former immediate past president, was named vice president.
"Our club is so appreciative of Michael's efforts to enhance and improve Big Island Press Club's events and to increase our scholarship coffers. I'm going to miss his energy on the executive board, and I wish him well as he ventures into politics," Edwards Hunt said. "Meanwhile, our 57-year-old club will keep trudging away, ensuring an open and transparent government."
Phillips has used his professional name, adopted when he became an on-air meteorologist, but is running for office under his legal name, Michael Konowicz.
“Post-pandemic, the Press Club has enjoyed a true renaissance. We have regularly scheduled, well attended Newsmaker events hosted around the island, a growing membership, a reinvigorated scholarship foundation that’s found a new, viable fundraising stream, we’ve had success with pro-journalism bills on the county and state level, and we’re giving away a record amount of scholarship dollars," Phillips said. "I am so proud and honored to have played a role in all of that.”
From the Classroom to the Real World: A word from our intern David Mayser
In my last semester as an undergraduate student at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, I was able to expand my skills and apply them in many different environments that fostered growth and learning opportunities.
One of these environments was created through the ENG499v Directed Studies course. The Directed Studies course in the form of a collaborative internship with the BIPC (Big Island Press Club) and the HVERI (Hawaii Volcano Education & Resilience Institute) was a great way to get professional experience in a field that I am very interested in. As an international student, this Course was extremely helpful as there are limited options to take what is learned in classes to the real world because of visa regulations that restrict working in the United States. The internship was overseen by Dr. Patsy Iwasaki who provided guidance and support throughout the semester. The workload was divided between the two non-profit organizations with 75% at HVERI and 25% at the BIPC.
I was introduced to the Volcano Education Program; background, live-streaming, interviewing, and the content creation process. I also learned about the Digital Resilience Program; its background, and the Hawaii Tracker Facebook Group. . I am beyond thankful for the close collaboration with Dane Dupont and Philip Ong, as they made me feel valued and encouraged me to share input and opinions. I enjoyed being trusted with responsibility and the freedom to complete tasks independently and creatively.
The work with the BIPC offered many opportunities to learn and grow. Although only 25% of the time was located for the BIPC, the experiences I gained will be very helpful for my future career. Royelen Lee Boykie, my supervisor was very engaged and supportive in terms of adjusting tasks to match the expected workload and time commitment. As an intern, my goals were to improve communication about Club activities, outreach about scholarships, awareness about the benefits of applying for scholarships, and contributing to the scholarship program. These tasks are aligned with the BIPC goals to further grow participation in club events, enhance funding of scholarships, and grow membership and outreach to students and former winners.
In biweekly meetings with Royelen, I was able to discuss ideas and share progress in specific tasks.
Overall, I am very appreciative that I had the opportunity to gain professional experience in the area of journalism. I am thankful for the connections I made, the guidance that was provided, and the freedom to work independently.
Lastly, I want to thank Professor Dr. Patsy Iwasaki for this Directed Studies course. It offered me the opportunity to gain professional experience and take what I learned throughout my undergraduate degree to a professional level. I think this collaborative internship allowed me to grow and get out of my comfort zone. At the same time, I was able to serve the community with the skills and expertise that I gained over the last few years. I appreciated the opportunity to work for two non-profit organizations as an intern.
Thank You,
David
Help wanted
Is the election season your favorite time of the biennium? Or do you find that planning interesting and fun events more your thing? Like to post blog entries or engage on social media? Would you like to network more closely with your fellow press enthusiasts? The Big Island Press Club has opportunities for you.
You can commit as much or as little time as you'd like. Please contact Secretary Nancy Cook Lauer at nclauer@gmail.com if you'd like to learn more.
Especially, we're actively in search of an observer on election days. Please consider helping us out, while experiencing firsthane look behind the scenes of local elections.
Elections and politics: BIPC will have opportunities to help with future mayoral forums and possible candidate interviews. We're also looking for hardy souls for a very important position on either or both the primary election (Aug. 10) and general election day (Nov. 5). The Counting Center Observer. This important individual, representing Big Island media, is tasked with staying at the county Election Office Counting Center.
"Official Observers test the voting equipment and monitor the handling and security of ballots at the counting center. Official Observers may be required to stand for long periods of time during shifts that may be more than 12 hours. Additionally, Official Observers walk between work areas to monitor the transfer and handling of voted ballots. Official Observers are expected to monitor operations of the counting center for the duration of the assigned shift and ensure coverage within the counting center," according to the Office of Elections.
Don't forget to pay your dues!
Your dues help us continue our programs and sponsor young journalists through internships and scholarships. Plus, you get valuable discounts on events!
You can pay your dues online at https://www.bigislandpressclub.org/page/1834376-why-join-us
Or, if you prefer paper checks, send them to Big Island Press Club, P.O. Box 1920, Hilo HI 96721.
Dues are only $25, with student dues just $5.
Mahalo for being a part of the Big Island Press Club!
2024 Big Island Press Club Board
Please feel free to contact any board members with your suggestions, or if you wish to volunteer!
President: Tiffany Edwards Hunt, former journalist, middle school teacher newswoman@mac.com
Vice President: John Burnett, journalist, Tribune-Herald <jburnett@hawaiitribuneherald.
com>
Treasurer: Bob Duerr, filmmaker and journalist, Hawaii Fishing News <surf77@me.com>
Secretary: Nancy Cook Lauer, retired journalist, blogger www.allhawaiinews.com <nclauer@gmail.com>
Director: Ross Wilson, PR, Current Events rossw@current-events.com
Director: Royelen Lee Boykie, retired digital strategist and fundraiser <Royelen@bigislandpressclub.org>
Director: Patsy Iwasaki, professor, University of Hawaii-Hilo
<piwasaki@hawaii.edu>
Director: Jim Wilson, retired publisher, Hawaii Tribune-Herald wilson1012@twc.com
Immediate Past President: Michael Phillips, meteorologist & earth science news reporter mphillips@weatherboy.com
