IMR: People: Judy

Ma, Judy K.Y. Aliases: Unknown E-Mail: judyma@hawaii.edu Web: None

Judy joined the Ka Leo staff my first semester as editor in Fall 1995. She was one of the few strictly news writers we had. By the summer of 1996 she was appointed Associate News Editor, then promoted to News Editor that fall. It was quite a challenge, especially given the lack of wire copy that year. Fortunately, she had crack news writer William behind her. She survived in part thanks to the unprecedented 57 articles he wrote that semester. Exhausted, she opted not to return to Ka Leo in the spring, instead working a short stint with Aloha Magazine. But later, after I and a number of other Ka Leo veterans left the staff -- some by graduation, some by choice, and some by force -- Judy mysteriously decided to return to write. Though the move caused some consternation, her occasional bylines were at least a refreshing change from the fluffy feature stories and wire copy that frequently dominated the front page. She graduated in Fall 1997, landing a legislative internship at the Honolulu Advertiser, then working at the summer fun program at the Mo`ili`ili Community Center. In May 1998, she was hired as an intern for the Hawaii Catholic Herald and began working part-time at the UH Sports Information Department. Meanwhile, she returned to UH as a graduate student, pursuing a Master's Degree in Asian Studies (with a focus on Chinese Studies) and harboring dreams of someday studying law. In June 1999, she got a full-time job with the UH Institutional Assessment and Policy Office, a little-known sub-unit of the Office of the Vice President for Planning and Policy. It was a position previously held by Jenny Tom, a mutual acquaintence who'd moved on to the University Relations office. Apart from sporadic phone calls and e-mail messages, my friends and I rarely hear from her now.

Vitals:

Graduated from UH-Manoa in 1997 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. Currently working for the University of Hawaii at the Institutional Assessment and Policy Office and pursuing a Master's Degree in Asian Studies.

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