Chaminade University of Honolulu

University Communications & Marketing

Chaminade Students Register 67 New Voters

A team of Hogan Entrepreneurial Program students took to the Chaminade campus in early October to register students, faculty and staff to vote. Over the course of a week, the volunteers registered 67 new voters.

Before heading out, Hogan students met with Corie Tanida, executive director of Common Cause Hawaii to learn more about voter registration in Hawaii. She also provided the students with handouts and sample scripts to prepare them for their outreach efforts.

Hawaii has the lowest voter turnout in the country and the students sought to change that. “We live in a democracy,” says Maddeline Smith ‘20, a Chaminade student majoring in business administration and one of the student volunteers. “It is our right to vote, and we need to exercise that right.”

All completed voter registration forms were hand delivered to the City and County of Honolulu Office by Hogan Program staff.

 

Alumni in Office

Derek Kawakami '01Derek Kawakami, ’01 was elected Mayor of the Garden Isle in a landslide victory, while a number of other Chaminade alumni succeeded in their bids to continue or begin public service as elected officials in Hawaii government offices.

Kalei Akaka, ’04, granddaughter of the late U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka, was successful in her bid to become an Oahu Trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Brandon Elefante, MBA ’11 was re-elected as Councilmember of the City and County of Honolulu.

Earlier, Heidi Tsuneyoshi, MSCP ‘02 won an outright victory in her primary race, becoming the first woman of Hawaiian ancestry to serve on the City Council.

Chaminade Grad Named Teacher of the Year

Mathieu Williams '14
Dr. Dale Fryxell (Dean, School of Education & Behavioral Sciences) and Mathieu Williams ’14 (2019 Hawaii Teacher of the Year)

Congratulations to Mathieu Williams ‘14 for being named the 2019 Hawaii Teacher of the Year. Williams is a visual media and technology teacher at Kealakehe Intermediate School in Kona who challenges his students to look inward and discover the individual they want to become.

“Media is such a great platform, but it’s all about building a brand,” says Williams. “I help my students understand that they all have their own brand and I ask them, ‘what are you going to be known for? Do you want to be known for kindness? Respect? Being dependable?’”

Williams started his teaching journey as a member of Teach for America right out of university. He didn’t know he wanted to be a teacher right away, but he fell in love with all that his students had to offer. He learns from them every day and loves helping his students see the world in a different light. “The moment we stop learning it’s a scary thing because we get complacent,” says Williams. “It’s not about teaching kids facts or subject matter, it’s about teaching kids how to learn and how to empathize and understand people and places.”

“Knowing that the future sits in front of you each and every day and that you have the ability to shape that future is a large responsibility,” says Williams. “I feel completely humbled by it.”

Mathieu graduated from the Chaminade Master of Education program with a specialization in educational leadership in 2014. “We are incredibly proud of Mathieu for achieving such a high honor,” says Dale Fryxell, dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Chaminade. “This is a fantastic accomplishment and a well-deserved award.”

Chaminade Named Outstanding Organization by Top Cop

Hawaii Top Cop AwardOn October 25, the Chaminade University Criminal Justice Program received the Outstanding Organization Award at the Top Cop Hawaii 34th Annual Law Enforcement and Security Awards Banquet. Each year, The Law Enforcement and Security Coalition of Hawaii presents the award to a security or safety organization or professional association that demonstrates initiative and innovation in promoting law enforcement, security and safety in the State of Hawaii.

Chaminade has the largest and most respected undergraduate criminal justice program in the state of Hawaii, and the only master’s degree in criminal justice. Chaminade graduates can be found in law enforcement agencies throughout the state as police chiefs, correctional agency directors, government attorneys and federal, state and county law enforcement personnel.

Ronald Becker, director of the criminology and criminal justice program at Chaminade, accepted the award on behalf of the university. “When I received the award, I asked all of our Chaminade graduates to stand up,” says professor Becker. “A large number of people stood up. It really helped visualize the extent of our program and our reach. This award helps validate what I already knew, but now I can share it with others.”

Top Cop Scholarship AwardeesThe ASIS International Hawaii Chapter and Cindi Flating also presented two Chaminade students with the Bob Flating Scholarship at the event. The award is given each year to individuals who are pursuing a degree in law enforcement or security. Both Sydney Thyen and Yaron Fernando received the $1,000 scholarship to use toward their course tuition.

“We were thrilled to see our students being recognized for their commitment and hard work,” says Allison Jerome, dean of students. “The generous gifts from ASIS will help our students pursue their academic goals and share their gifts and talents with the community.”

Chaminade Announces New Alumni Director

Gerry Mead Allen ‘08 joins Chaminade University’s Office of Advancement as Director of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving.

Most recently, Ms. Allen was the Director of Development with Ballet Hawaii.  In her new role at Chaminade University, she will be responsible for building alumni engagement and increasing annual giving.  Ms. Allen graduated from the University of Bridgeport and is an alumna of Chaminade University’s MBA program with a concentration in Nonprofit Management.

“I am thrilled to be returning to my alma mater and look forward to connecting with our alumni in Hawaii and globally to continue the growth of our Chaminade ‘ohana,” she said.

Nursing Students Win International Competition

As a freshman, Rosemarie knew she wanted to create a Chaminade HOSA club. “I wanted to start it right away in fall when I first came to Chaminade,” says the nursing major. “But since I was a freshman I didn’t really know what to do yet. In spring, I got some upperclassmen to help me and from there we started our various community service projects and going to competitive events. Now Chaminade has an official HOSA club that’s affiliated with the international organization.”

Rosemarie Maltezo has been a member of HOSA-Future Health Professionals ever since high school. The international student organization is designed to empower future healthcare leaders and member students participate in community service, leadership opportunities, networking events and competitions.

The Chaminade club started in the spring semester of 2018. Within a few months, they had won first place in the statewide HOSA competition for their project on preventing teen dating violence. By the summer of 2018, they had won second place in the international competition in Dallas, Texas.

“We had to give a 10-minute presentation on a public health topic,” says Rosemarie. “We wanted to show the signs and symptoms of dating violence so to think outside of the box we put together a video that told the story of three different teenage girls. The video seemed to really hit the judges, they seemed like they were about to cry.”

The team is already eagerly awaiting next year’s competition in Orlando, Florida. They hope to expand the club to include other students interested in healthcare from other majors and bring even more team members with them next year. “Students interested in business can do it too,” says Rosemarie. “Anyone who is interested in something health-related can join.”

Watch a video that Rosemarie and her team created about their experience at HOSA in Dallas. Then, watch the award-winning video that Rosemarie and her HOSA team created for the competition.