By: Jenny Castro
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 09-02-2026
Originally from the Big Island of Hawaii, Carly Yoshida has built a multifaceted career that bridges broadcast journalism, pageantry and public-safety advocacy. A graduate with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, Yoshida first gained recognition in the pageant world as Miss Hawaii’s Outstanding Teen in 2016. Currently, she is Miss Hawaii, and is representing her state at this week’s Miss America’s pageant in Palm Beach, Florida.
With a background in hula and Tahitian dance, Yoshida’s introduction to the world of entertainment began at an early age through competitive dance. It was during one of those competitions that a judge introduced her to the Miss America Organization, an encounter that would eventually shape the course of her pageant career. “Once I learned more about the opportunities the Miss America organization gave women, I was hooked. At the time, I was in high school and wanted to earn scholarships for college, so that really drew me in. I also loved performing, and the talent portion gave me an opportunity to continue doing what I loved on stage.”
Currently, Yoshida is an on-air weather personality and broadcast journalist for KITV4 Island News which is an ABC affiliate in Honolulu. Yoshida’s transition into broadcast journalism was somewhat unconventional. Rather than entering the newsroom with years of formal journalism training, she was given an opportunity to work on air and develop her skills through hands-on experience. With the support of her newsroom mentors, Yoshida learned the fundamentals of broadcasting while gaining experience in weather, reporting, anchoring and digital content production. “From there, I just kept learning more and more,” Yoshida said. Adding, “I was able to take on the role of Good Morning Hawaii during the weekdays, Island News at midday and stay through the afternoon as well. I also learned how to produce digital content, which includes managing our social media, writing web articles and learning how to write like a journalist. Most importantly, I was able to get out into the community and actually tell stories from across our islands.”
Regarding Yoshida’s advocacy platform for Miss America, she is dedicated to safety advocacy, “My work is in media and in weather, and my community-service initiative is ‘Weather the Future,’ which is focused on emergency and disaster preparedness. And, as you know, we’ve experienced some significant weather events in Hawaii. We dealt with the Kona Low and the flooding in March, and I feel grateful I am able to give back to the community. The Miss America organization is truly about service, and being in your community through the hard times. I really take pride in that, especially coming from Hawaiʻi, where we have so many limited resources.”
Reflecting more on what the Miss America organization means to her, Yoshida explains, “Pageantry really developed a lot of my life skills and shaped how I approach every day. I have a really demanding schedule, and competing as Miss Hawaii’s Outstanding Teen taught me how to multitask. I was in high school at the time, dancing hula, competing in those types of competitions, staying connected to my cultural background, working and balancing all of those different responsibilities. There were moments when I thought, ‘I can’t do this.’ But the organization teaches you that you can handle anything. You just have to put your mind to it. It’s a really beautiful thing to look at my journey from growing as a teen into who I am now, and knowing that I’m still becoming. It’s really about the internal process of going through this journey. From the day you decide to compete to competition day, whether you win or not, you come out a changed person. You come out a better version of yourself than when you started. I’m also so proud to represent Hawaii, I don’t think there’s any words to express how much it means to me.”
Watch the Miss America pageant this Sunday Streaming Live on Youtube here.
Follow Miss Hawaii on Instagram here
