Cherry Blossom Festival

Newly crowned Cherry Blossom Festival queen Lauren Sugai drew the winning entries in the 36th “Guess the Cherry Blossom Festival Queen” contest. Sugai pulled Käne‘ohe resident Jemalee Wong’s ballot for the first prize of a $500 travel gift certificate from Regal Travel.

JACQUELINE MIYUKI ARELLIANO Parents: Janet and Dwayne Arelliano High School: Sacred Hearts Academy College/Degree: Whittier College, Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science and minor in Biology Occupation: Procurement Specifications Specialist I What or who drives you to keep moving forward? “Experiencing the quality traits of faithfulness, empathy and love drive me forward through life. We....

ARIEL KWAI YING KIYOMI LEE Parents: David and Gail Lee High School: Lutheran High School of Hawaii College/Degree: Hawaii Pacific University, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Occupation: Behavioral Health Outpatient Program Coordinator and Therapist What or who drives you to keep moving forward? “My mom has....

KATRINA EIKO SHIMOMURA Parents: Karen and Arnold Shimomura High School: Mililani High School College/Degree: University of Hawai’i at Mänoa, Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering candidate Occupation: Student and Part-time Security What or who drives you to keep moving forward? “What inspires me to keep moving forward is my family. They’ve shown me strength from....

Departing Cherry Blossom Queen Melanie Carríe Looks Ahead to a New Chapter Jodie Chiemi Ching In the 2018 Cherry Blossom Festival souvenir booklet published by the festival’s sponsor, the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce, queen contestant Melanie Camille Michiko Carríe wrote: “I am inspired by the idea that obstacles are stepping stones towards the....

Melanie Carrié, 66th Cherry Blossom Festival queen, visited the Hawaii Hochi offices in March and drew the winning ballots for the 35th “Guess the Cherry Blossom Festival Queen” contest sponsored by The Hawai‘i Herald...

Cherry Blossom Festival Queen Melanie Carrié visited the Hawaii Hochi offices on March 28 and drew the winning ballots for the 35th “Guess the Cherry Blossom Festival Queen” contest, assisted by Hawaii Hochi, Ltd. president Taro Yoshida (pictured above).

66th CBF Queen Brings an International Perspective to Her New Role Gwen Battad Ishikawa Melanie Camille Michiko Carrié, the newly crowned Cherry Blossom Festival queen, has lived in places others have only dreamed of — and in less than a quarter of a century! Carrié was born in Antwerp, Belgium, to her Japanese American mother....

65th Cherry Blossom Festival Queen Heather Omori Reflects on the Past Year Gwen Battad Ishikawa As any Cherry Blossom Festival queen will tell you, their year as queen was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and a whirlwind one at that. It’s been nearly a year since Heather Kiyomi Omori was crowned the 65th Cherry Blossom Festival queen.....

CHELSEA MOMOKA BRIGGS Parents: Raymond Briggs and Tia Takae Briggs High School: Kapolei High School, 2016 College/Degree: University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu, bachelor’s degree in political science and business administration – finance, anticipated graduation in 2020. Occupation: Student, AVID tutor and college math peer academic leader. What or Who Inspires You? “All my life....