A Makawao resident has been elected the 97th student body president at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
"I feel like this school gave a lot to me, and I want to give back," said Mark Kaniela Ing, a 2006 Kamehameha Schools Maui graduate now studying on Oahu.
Ing said he is the first Maui resident to serve as UH-Manoa's student body president in decades. He said he ran his campaign on the promise to "bring the Hawaii back into UH," and work toward making student government more open and accessible to all studying on the campus.
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MARK KANIELA ING
Elected 97th student body president at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
Ing's campaign included T-shirts that were produced and donated by the Wailuku-based Royal Hawaiian Shirtworks. He also received contributions from other supporters.
"We came through because we had the aloha, laulima and genuine malama on our side, and really got out and made personal connections with each student we met," Ing said.
He won 43 percent of the vote, with his closest competitor receiving about 38 percent of the vote.
Ing, 20, is studying both psychology and music, and expects to graduate in spring 2010. The son of Annette Ing of Makawao, Mark Ing attended Makawao Elementary and Kalama Intermediate schools.
He said he plans to enroll in law school at UH after earning his bachelor's. He said he's interested in a career in public interest and Native Hawaiian rights law.
For more information about student government or Ing's initiatives, visit: asuh.hawaii.edu or www.uhelections.com.
Ing is also an executive with the fledgling Maui nonprofit Roots Rhythm Foundation, whose purpose includes introducing and preserving music programs in Hawaii public schools.
Ing's brother, Matthew Kaulana Ing, is the founder and chief executive officer of the nonprofit, and currently runs a project at Palolo Elementary School on Oahu, where he volunteer teaches ukulele to 3rd- to 5th-graders. For more foundation information, send e-mail to info@rootsrhythm.org.
* Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.
