Thomas J Nartatez - UH Hilo Spring 2022 Commencement Celebration Graduate

Mahalo to my family. They have all supported me through my journey of academic enrichment and it has been a challenging but wonderfully fulfilling adventure!

Mahalo to my significant other Hoku, my sister Sarah, and my Dad for giving me the support I needed when I was facing seemingly unsurmountable challenges! And mahalo to my children, Thomas, Mika, and Esther, for giving me the motivation to succeed and become a good role model for them. I love you all!

My family relaxing at Kalamaula, Moloka'i in Coconut Grove's pool!

"THE" stands for my ohana, the "Tom, Hoku, and Esther Ohana".

My family up at Volcano National Park!

Hanging out in Halawa Valley on Moloka'i with my significant other!

My family enjoying some time together at the Kalaupapa National Park Lookout on Moloka'i!

Mahalo to the faculty and students at the Mathematics department of UH Hilo for welcoming me into the math community! I transferred into UH Hilo feeling anxious and unsure if I could manage the amount of work required at a 4-year college. but as I began to approach others for help, I was no longer uncertain of what I wanted to do!

I'd like to thank Dr. Raina Ivanova for having such incredible patience to help me catch up to my peers. Mahalo to Dr. Brian Wissman, Dr. Grady Weyenburg, Dr. Zorana Lazarevic, and Dr. Efren Ruiz for also extending incredible amounts of patience towards my learning of difficult math theories and concepts! I've grown a lot under your guidance and I thank you for it! And Mahalo to my classmates, Kealaula and Mingxia, for always including me in groupwork! We did it

I was blessed to have been a part of the student employment society of the UH System. Mahalo to the Molokaʻi Education Center for giving me my start as a Math tutor for UH Maui College. Mahalo to Kilohana at UH Hilo for allowing me to continue tutoring math at a 4-year college! Mahalo to the math department at UH Hilo for allowing me to become a private tutor as well! And mahalo to the First Year Experience crew for letting me be a mentor and pass on my knowledge to students who wanted it.

And I would also like to thank the various scholarships that helped support my academic journey. Mahalo to Dr. Raina Ivanova and the S-STEM community for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of their cohort! And mahalo to the Ka Hikina O Ka La scholarship from UH Maui college for all the support!