Eleven University of Hawaii graduate students from the Manoa and Hilo campuses have been selected as the latest conservation fellows in a program funded by the Hauoli Mau Loa Foundation.

The two-year fellowships, which include tuition exemption, a regular stipend and funds for professional development, went to students with ties to the local community with a passion for protecting natural resources.

They also had to be committed to a career in preserving and sustaining the local environment, UH said in a release.

In addition, recipients had to be Hawaii high school graduates and have strong academic records as undergraduates.

One of this year’s fellows, Anela Akiona, is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapalama and has a bachelor’s degree in marine science from the University of San Diego, with a minor in mathematics.

The fellowship allows her to return to Oahu to study the dynamics and management of Hawaiian fisheries, UH said on its website.

She will pursue a master’s in marine biology at UH-Manoa’s Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology within the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.

“Our support of graduate assistantships at the university stems from our belief that the future of Hawaii’s environment depends upon a new generation of natural resource managers who have strong ties to the communities in which conservation is occurring or needed,” said Janis Reischmann, executive director of the foundation.