How Southwest Airlines is helping UH students soar

In Hawaiʻi, opportunity often comes with a boarding pass.

For astronomy students, the stars aligned when they were invited to visit the Maunakea Observatories and learn from experts at the Institute for Astronomy (IfA). In the digital arena, student-athletes in the UH eSports program were over the moon after winning a recent national championship for the Rocket League team.

Over the past five years, Southwest Airlines has helped close gaps – and miles – across the University of Hawaiʻi system. Between 2021 and 2026, the airline provided more than $553,000 in combined cash support and in-kind flight assistance for programs serving students, educators and communities throughout the state.

“At Southwest, we believe in connecting people to what’s important in their lives,” said Kelly Knox, Southwest Airlines’s Partnerships & Community Engagement Sr. Advisor. “By investing in education, we're helping connect students to new opportunities, meaningful experiences and brighter futures. Supporting their educational journey today helps empower the leaders, innovators and changemakers of tomorrow.”

The impact is most visible in the individual students and families able to say yes to opportunities that might otherwise have been out of reach.

Leveling Up: eSports Takes Flight

For the premier UH eSports program – which features more than 100 student-athletes competing year-round in national tournaments – competing at the highest level means traveling beyond the islands. Recently, the UH Mānoa Rocket League completed an undefeated 10-0 spring 2026 season and swept the grand finals 4-0.

“Building the program for Rocket League in Hawaiʻi was an amazing opportunity to prove that Hawaiʻi can compete on a national level when leadership, teamwork and dedication are put together into one team,” said Logan Gregory, a Mililani High School graduate known in-game as “Sly.” “Coming in as my first year, I wanted to help create something special here at UH Mānoa.”

To support these digital athletes, Southwest provided 135 round-trip tickets that allowed the team to travel to competitions on the continent. This vital assistance helped ease the logistical burdens of representing the university away from home.

“Without Southwest's support, the Hawaiʻi eSports Invitational and the Video Games and Careers trip to Boston would have prevented our neighbor island campuses from attending the largest eSports tournament in Hawaiʻi,” said Sky Kauweloa, director of UH eSports. “We also would never have been able to send UH eSports students to PAX East in Boston, one of the most important gaming industry events in the country. It’s support like this that literally changes the lives of UH students.”

That same transformational support empowers a wide range of passions across the university, elevating everyone from eSports athletes competing in digital arenas to aspiring astronomers unlocking the secrets of the cosmos.

While visiting Maunakea Observatories, students learned about the research being done by our astronomers.

Star Gazing

UH’s ifA is a globally renowned research center and home to one of the world’s largest university-based astronomy programs, with observatories on Maunakea and Haleakalā that have helped make some of the most remarkable cosmic discoveries ranging from exoplanets to distant galactic phenomena.

While visiting the world-class Maunakea Observatories, astronomy students traded their textbooks for hands-on telescope observations, working directly with ifA astronomers to learn the complexities of data analysis.

Expanding Horizons Beyond the Islands

Additional support has reached programs across the UH system, including the nursing program at UH Maui College, the College of Engineering, Shidler College of Business and UH Athletics. Students have traveled for field-based learning on Hawaiʻi Island, engineering competitions, professional networking opportunities and athletic programs that support student well-being and development.

Taken together, the partnership reflects something uniquely important in an island state where geography can so often shape access. Whether helping eSports athletes reach their tournaments or opening doors to professional experiences beyond Hawaiʻi, Southwest’s support has helped UH students move forward – one flight at a time.