College announces 2025 JESSE Participants

The University of Hawai‘i College of Engineering is pleased to announce the selection of 21 exceptional high school juniors for the 2025 Junior Engineers Summer STEM Experience (JESSE) program. This prestigious summer initiative provides students with immersive, hands-on exposure to advanced engineering projects, research, and mentorship from June 3 to July 10, 2025.

The 2025 JESSE cohort includes:

Kylie Ancheta (Hawaii Baptist Academy), Brennan Agcaoili (Kamehameha Schools Kapālama), Ethan Chow (John A. Rowland High School), Leonard Cheung (Kaiser High School), Henry Huy Dang (Mid-Pacific Institute), Mason Domion (Punahou School), Gabriel Edamura (Punahou School), Lianna Feng (Roosevelt High School), Joseph Goodman (Radford High School), Elia Hakikawa (Mid-Pacific Institute), Gabriel Javier (Leilehua High School), Brendan Kajioka (‘Iolani School), Caleb Lavallee (Moanalua High School), Elyza Mae Leano (James Campbell High School), Andrew “Bo” Lasher (Assets School), Jason Longacre (Roosevelt High School), Morgan Pichon (McKinley High School), Alexis Phansaithong (Moanalua High School), Eunice Park (‘Iolani School), Thoma Seki (Assets School), Nathanael Shuai (‘Iolani School), and Rylan Terayama (Punahou School).

Due to an exceptionally strong pool of applicants—many with both weighted and unweighted GPAs above 4.0—the program expanded its usual cohort size to 22 students this year.

Throughout the six-week program, participants will visit leading engineering firms and organizations across Hawai‘i, including:

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & IMF (Mechanical Engineering)
Burns & McDonnell
SSFM International (Civil Engineering)
Booz Allen Hamilton
KAI Hawaii (Structural Engineering)
NIWC Pacific
Oceanit

In addition to these site visits, students will gain hands-on experience in state-of-the-art research facilities at the University of Hawai‘i, including the Water Resource Lab, Advanced Materials in Medical Instruments (AMMI) Lab, Biosensing Laboratory Human Body, Biosensing Lab (vital signs radar experiment and data acquisition), Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory, Robotic Space Exploration (ROSE), Microwave/Millimeter-Wave Lab, and the Hawai‘i Corrosion Lab. Students will work closely with distinguished faculty and graduate mentors, exploring cutting-edge technology and real-world engineering challenges.

The University of Hawai‘i College of Engineering congratulates all selected students and looks forward to supporting the next generation of Hawai‘i’s STEM leaders.