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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A 19-year-old undergraduate student at the University of Utah died over the winter break after she fell while hiking in Hawaii.
Tiare Cuoto, a native of Oahu, Hawaii, was attending the U of U studying environmental and sustainability studies and political science. She had returned home for the winter break when she unfortunately passed away.
According to both the Honolulu Fire Department and the Honolulu Police Department, Cuoto had been hiking on a trail on New Year’s Day on the North Shore of the island when she fell 40 to 50 feet. Cuoto reportedly suffered injuries and was unable to return to the trail and required help from rescue crews.
Rescue teams were able to reach Cuoto and provide life-saving efforts as she was transported to a local hospital. Unfortunately, she passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital.
“Tiare was an exceptional student, among a group of ten students selected to represent the College of Social and Behavioral Science as a Student Ambassador,” said U of U Dean Michelle Camacho, who added that Cuoto was recognized as a passionate and dedicated student leader.
Cuoto was featured in the University of Utah’s “Humans of the U,” where she said her experiences in Hawaii and Salt Lake City helped her realize there was a lot of room for environmental change.
“I love caring about the planet and I want to earn the skills I need to find common ground with people who have different viewpoints than me,” Cuoto said about her studies. “I am interested in working on environmental change at a policy level.”
Cuoto, who said she moved to Salt Lake City because of her family’s love for skiing, said her environmental fight started when more people began moving to her hometown. She told the U of U that she saw the direct impacts of pollution on the ocean and wanted to help people realize that there are things everyone loves that won’t be able to flourish without protecting the planet.