Chaminade University of Honolulu

cathychong

$1.25 million grant for early intervention education

Chaminade University has been awarded a five-year, $1.25 million federal grant aimed at bolstering Hawai‘i’s early intervention workforce so that infants and toddlers with developmental concerns have greater access to high-quality and timely services. 

Elizabeth Park, Ph.D., who is a professor and director of Chaminade’s Early Childhood and Montessori Programs, said the islands face a critical shortage of early intervention professionals. The lack of early intervention services is especially acute in rural or Neighbor Island communities.

And the greatest cause of the shortage? A gap in higher education programming. Park said no university-level academic program in Hawai‘i previously focused on preparing early intervention (birth to age 3) professionals—and those who sought training on the mainland didn’t always return. 

With the grant funding, Chaminade plans to launch an Early Intervention Certificate and offer generous scholarships to cohorts. Project MĀLAMA (Mentoring and Advancing Local Access for Meaningful Achievement), as Park’s initiative is dubbed, will also work to build partnerships with local organizations so that students can get hands-on opportunities and job placement.

Park said the hope is to help build a stronger ecosystem for early intervention in the islands.

The inaugural cohort is slated to include 10 to 12 students with Jonathan Alexander (also pictured) serving as project co-director.

Early intervention services are delivered by a range of  professionals focused on cognitive development, including social workers, speech pathologists, physical therapists and occupational therapists. Park said early interventionists train on neurodiversity, inclusion and much more.

And, she added, early intervention can sometimes make all the difference. “Especially for those children who are really at the borderline, with a little bit of early intervention like speech therapy or physical therapy, they can really transition to the mainstream for education,” Park said. 

The early intervention grant comes as Chaminade continues to collaborate with the state Department of Health, Early Childhood Action Strategy, Kamehameha Schools and other entities to increase the number of highly-trained early childhood educators in the islands.

Park said a strong focus on serving Hawai‘i’s youngest keiki will pay big dividends.

And through Project MĀLAMA at Chaminade, “graduates will be well-equipped to deliver inclusive, equitable early intervention services across Hawai‘i,” Park said, in the grant application.

“The project strengthens long-term workforce sustainability,” she continued,” by fostering a pipeline of professionals who reflect the communities they serve and are committed to improving developmental outcomes for young children and their families.”

Park said she decided to apply for the grant after conferring with other professionals and academics focused on improving the pipeline of services to young children. She added the grant was a collaborative effort and was made possible with technical assistance from Chaminade’s Sponsored Programs and Research Integrity team and grant specialist Andrew Perez.

Additionally, Park said she received support from the state Department of Health, Executive Office on Early Learning, Hawaii Pacific University, University of Connecticut Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, and Early Childhood Action Strategy.

Opening Doors to Early College

After registering for a day of college experiences at Chaminade University, twin brothers Lawrence and Andrew Robello sat patiently as other high school students trickled into Ching Hall for the third annual Early College Summit. The brothers say they felt genuinely welcomed by Chaminade. Seniors at St. Louis School, they are among the 92 high school students currently enrolled in the program’s fall 2025 term which culminated with the Summit on December 11th. 

“I like how the people are really welcoming here,” Lawrence says. “The college students don’t isolate us because we’re in high school but they welcome us in. If you also need help, the counselors, Ms. Kim (Baxter), Noe (Tugaoen), are there for support.” 

In addition to St. Louis School, students from Sacred Hearts Academy and Kapa’a High School attended the Summit that included interactive workshops and opportunities to connect with other students, Chaminade faculty, and Chaminade academic support programs. Students also engaged with peer mentors and participated in sessions on leadership, time management, and college selection, and were introduced to professors for their spring courses.

Students were impressed with tours of the dormitories, visits to the nursing labs and seeing the high-tech manikin (full-body patient simulator). A visit to the “Crime Scene” house with Professor Carlos Gutierrez of the school’s Forensic Sciences program was also a hit. Also on the day’s agenda: Discussions with Chaminade student-athletes on their athletic programs. Students also had the opportunity to speak with Chaminade admissions and the counseling center. 

“I love this program because it gets me ahead of the game and it opens doors for me, ” says Carlee Lomabita of Sacred Hearts Academy.

Chaminade University’s Early College Program allows high school students to earn college credit, as well as be eligible for high school credit. The program provides a college education to a diverse group of Hawai’i high school students, in line with the University’s mission to prepare leaders for tomorrow, ready to make impactful contributions to their communities and professions. 

Studies show that Early College students are better prepared for full-time college entry, college life and expectations. Students also tend to exhibit higher grade point averages, retention rates and graduation rates.

For more information on how to enroll in the Early College program at Chaminade, visit https://chaminade.edu/earlycollege/

    • Student Surfboard as Art

    Who says surfboards are meant only for surfing? They also double as works of art. That’s what Shania Lindsey Gervacio proved by winning the Maui Invitational Surfboard Design Contest this past November.

     A third year student majoring in Environmental + Interior Design, Gervacio initially based her design off of island tribal patterns and flora specific to Hawai’i. This concept later transitioned into the foundation icon of Chaminade Athletics that represents the Marianist approaches to education. 

    “I also included hibiscuses as well as plumerias to refer to the pua commonly seen around the university campus,” she said. For the ‘silverswords’ in the center of the board, this was inspired by the fact that the previous surfboard designs mentioned ‘Chaminade’ or ‘Chaminade Silverswords,’ rather than only ‘Silverswords.’”

    Gervacio’s professor, Dr. Junghwa Suh DArch, encouraged her to participate in the surfboard design competition during the 2025 spring semester. While designing, she also balanced working on a huge design project yet was able to brainstorm three different surfboard designs and fully execute one. 

    The experience of designing a surfboard adds to the experience of her reaching the goal of becoming an interior designer after she graduates from Chaminade for hospitality spaces, such as restaurants, hotels, resorts and spas. 

    She’s off to a great start. The Maui Invitational surfboards will eventually be displayed in the Silversword Cafe for all to enjoy and see. 

    “I feel extremely excited that the surfboard will be displayed in the Silversword Cafe!” she said. “I feel that utilizing my design skills to create something tangible was an incredible accomplishment, and I hope for many Silverswords and Chaminade faculty to enjoy the design when they view it.”

    Entrepreneurship Soars in Silversword Competition

    In the spirit of entrepreneurship and creativity, business and community leaders gathered in Chaminadeʻs Ching Conference Center on November 20 to hear and judge five student business pitches in the annual Silversword Business Competition. Director of Chaminadeʻs MBA Program, Masahisa “Masa” K. Yamaguchi, and Dean of the School of Business and Communication, Annette Taijeron Santos, as well as President Lynn Babington greeted guests. Program. 

    As part of the Business Strategy Class in the School of Business and Communication, student businesses provided goods and services that ranged from  baked goods to menʻs hair cuts to fitness. All of the student presentations and business plans were well-done. 

    1st Place: Open Oven – Team Members: Kyla Castro, Daniella Bali, Lrae Anne Pungtilan

    2nd Place: C.U.H. Cuts – Team Members: Jace Tsutomi, Cade Fujii, Max Patterson

    3rd Place: Fuel Soda – Team Members: Adrianna Nichols, Marianna Carpenter, Owen Malone

    Wags for Wishes – Team Members: Isabella Minaudo, Nathan Medina, Delaney Poling

    Step Wealth – Team Members: Eli Loebll, Kira Ferguson, Killen Kawelo

    Following each presentation, judges asked students about their finance and marketing strategies as well as provided guidance and advice for their  emerging businesses. 

    Judges included: Eric Fujimoto, MBA ʻ94 member of the Chaminade University Board of Regents and President of Hoʻea Wealth Advisory; Jerry Garcia ʻ82, former Chief Financial Officer of Aria Home Health in Dallas, Texas and and owner of Consolidated Sports Products Hawaii; Alana Iuga, co-owner of Voyage Rental Cars; Stacey Katakura, Chief Financial Officer of Accumulus: Lisa Kracher, Vice President at Array Corporation; Lori Lum, Senior Vice President at Anthology FINN Partners; and Tim Moore, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Hawaii at Republic National Distributing Company. 

    Mahalo to all of the judges who shared their wisdom, insight and served as role models for students. Special thank you to Eric Fujimoto, MBA ʻ94 who provides the prize money to encourage students to gain real-world experience while applying what they’ve learned at Chaminade to an actual business plan.