Chaminade University of Honolulu

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Ceremony Recognizes Heritage Award Honorees

As part of the annual Founders’ Week festivities, three members of the Chaminade community were honored Wednesday with Heritage Awards for their strong commitment to Marianist values.

The recipients were recognized at a special Founders’ Day Mass at the Mystical Rose Oratory.

The Heritage Awards are conferred by the Chaminade Rector’s Office annually to celebrate Marianist values of service in education. Nominations are submitted from across the University.

Dr. Koreen Nakahodo, an assistant professor of English, received the Chaminade Award for embracing Marianist values in education and undertaking “the intellectual life as a form of service in the interest of justice and truth.”

Several colleagues nominated her for the honor, saying that her work with students, across campus and with the community is impressive and impactful.

“I have been privileged to work with Dr. Nakahodo for more than two decades,” one Chaminade professor wrote in his nomination letter.

“She is a true example of Fr. Chaminade’s dictum that our progress is like a brook, caressing obstacles, gaining depth and breadth in the fullness of time, the brook overflows the obstacles and moves forward. She is persistent, undaunted by obstacles.”

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Academic Affairs Program Manager Jackeline Sanqui received the Marianist Award for her unwavering support of Chaminade’s vision and mission. Marianist Award honorees are full-time support staff members who live Marianist values of family spirit, hospitality and openness.

In a nomination letter, one of Sanqui’s supervisors said she creates a welcoming, inclusive environment for everyone. “Jacky’s commitment to Chaminade’s mission extends beyond her immediate responsibilities. She is a vital support in programs that serve underserved populations,” the nominator wrote, adding she is a vital member of the Chaminade family.

Finally, Noelani Tugaoen ‘25 was honored with the Founders’ Award, which is given to a Chaminade student who has exhibited the Marianist values of generosity, respect and a spirit of faith. Recipients are also recognized for serving as positive role models for the Silversword family.


Tugaoen is a student ambassador, active in the Ka Ipu Kukui Me Ka ‘ie ‘ie (Hawaiian) Club, and Campus Ministry. A Chaminade staff member who nominated Tugaoen said the senior is a true servant leader who “wants people to feel loved and know they each have a place.”

The nominator continued, “In every sphere she has been in, Noe has always been a vibrant and joyous person, constantly looking for ways to meet students and their families, and bring a sense of belonging to everyone present. The atmosphere changes when Noe enters a space.”

Founders’ Week officially kicked off Jan. 17, with a special lei draping ceremony and prayer service at the Father Chaminade statue on the University’s Front Lawn.

The week celebrates the founders of the Marianist Family, Father Chaminade, Mother Adele, and Marie-Thérèse de Lamourous.

Photo Gallery: Father Chaminade Lei Draping Ceremony

A lei draping ceremony and prayer service Friday at the Father Chaminade statue on Chaminade’s Front Lawn officially kicked off Founders’ Week.

The week celebrates the founders of the Marianist Family, Father Chaminade, Mother Adele, and Marie-Thérèse de Lamourous.


Chaminade students, faculty and staff came together for the special ceremony, aimed at honoring not only the founders themselves but their important message of social justice and educational growth.

Founders’ Week events continue next week with a Founders’ Day Mass and ceremony to celebrate this year’s Heritage Award honorees, recognized for their contributions to fostering the Marianist spirit on campus. The event is set for Wednesday, starting at 11:30 a.m., and will be followed by a lunch. For more details, click here.

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Cultivating Sustainable Entrepreneurs

What’s the best way to teach students to lead in sustainable ways?

For Mariane Uehara, the answer is simple: By doing.

Uehara is the sustainability innovation coordinator at Chaminade and teaches ENV 490: Sustainability Innovation.

Over the Fall term, she challenged her students to partner with local organizations and help them find environmentally-friendly practices that also made business sense. They didn’t stop there. Working in teams, the students launched new initiatives, created materials, even drew up business plans, walking away with invaluable experience.

“The goal is for students to discover both the challenges and opportunities of applying entrepreneurship and sustainability in collaboration with established local businesses,” Uehara said.

“This experience is designed to boost their self-esteem and confidence, empowering them to step into the ‘real world’ as professionals who share their unique ideas and take on the responsibility of turning those ideas into impactful, sustainable actions.”

Lyle Takenaka ‘24 and his group partnered with Talk Kaimuki, a popular coffee shop, to weave sustainable practices into day-to-day operations. They brainstormed “lots of great ideas,” he said, but ultimately decided to create QR codes that customers can scan to get facts about waste, sustainability tips, and information on locally-sourced items, plus some trivia and deals.

Takenaka said Talk Kaimuki’s main concern was cutting down on takeout cups for dine-in patrons.

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“This project showed me businesses want to and are willing to find ways to become more sustainable,” Takenaka said, noting that working with Talk Kaimuki’s owner was eye-opening.

“Plus, we got hands-on experience into how a successful business is run.”

Takenaka added that he was particularly grateful for the feedback his team received. “By being able to work with a successful business, we had a unique opportunity to put a plan into action. We got real-world experience that will be of benefit in our future careers.”

The best part? “We were able to make the world a better place,” Takenaka said.

Uehara said students also worked with Bess Press and Keep It Simple, a zero-waste business.

For Bess Press, students helped design an innovative “Bess Bucks” system aimed at giving gently-used books a second, third or even fourth life.

Uehara’s course is supported with a federal grant, which also goes to other sustainable entrepreneurship work at Chaminade. She said she’s grateful to give students the opportunity to “expand on their ‘why’” and search for ways to make a positive difference.

The course ended with a series of presentations from students on their projects, giving them the chance to showcase their work.

ENV 490 was developed as part of the ‘Inana Innovators Program at Chaminade, which Uehara said was designed to “develop a robust pathway to entrepreneurship and bridge the gap between academic and professional life.” Uehara added, “This gives students the opportunity to become creators or interns, receiving a stipend to further develop their ideas and gain skills.”

The ‘Inana Innovators program is funded by MBDA grant #MB22OBD8020275-T1. You can reach Principal Investigator Dr. Helen Turner at [email protected].

Silverswords Shine in Data Science Challenge

“Absolutely amazing.”

That’s how Rylan Chong, Ph.D., director of Chaminade’s Data Science Program, described the University’s showing in the most recent Advanced Computing for Social Change Challenge. Five Silverswords participated in the event, held in Atlanta from Nov. 16 to Nov. 21, joining students from across the country for a bootcamp-type experience full of learning and camaraderie.

It’s the sixth year Chaminade students have participated, using their skills in data analysis, computational thinking and the latest techniques in data visualization to explore a social challenge and consider data-informed solutions. A key component of the challenge is a presentation so participants can learn how to effectively communicate their findings to the general public.

Tallen Vidal ‘28, who is majoring in Data Science, became the first freshman to complete the challenge. In his project, he focused on the impact of COVID-19 on the homeless population of Oahu and put together recommendations aimed at better protecting the vulnerable group.

While Vidal is just beginning his university journey, he is already inspired about how he might deploy data science for the public good. “I believe data science can prove to be a powerful driver for social change because of how informative the data can be,” Vidal said.

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He noted that quality, trustworthy data is important for creating strategies to “attack the problems of today, which gives us a clearer plan for the mission of tomorrow. It can also be used to spread awareness so that more people can understand the presence of various social problems.”

Chong said the advanced computing challenge begins with participants selecting a research question and collecting key figures from large publicly-available data sets. From there, they use the Texas Advanced Computer Center supercomputer to analyze it and produce results.

He noted the challenge also stresses community connections, which is why several students previously presented their projects in Hawaiian to a large audience of scientists, engineers and statisticians. At the most recent event, Olynann Taase ‘25 presented her research in Samoan.

Students in the challenge tackle a social problem—and then seek to use data to help craft solutions.

Chong was also particularly proud of participants Anson Ekau ‘25 and Berylin Lau ‘26, who completed their own work while also looking for ways to help their peers. Lau focused her project on cultural identity while Ekau worked on a project about Hawai’i’s economic challenges.

And in another bright spot for Chaminade, Dae’Onna Butler ‘27 was offered the honor of presenting her project first “because of her advanced analytics, research project and spectacular practice presentation,” Chong said.

“She went into the presentation helping other students understand the expectations, demonstrating confidence, and setting the tone.

Two Chaminade students—Upumoni Logologo ‘25 and Kole Nagai ‘25—also attended the challenge as mentors after having previously participated. Over the week, they guided students with their research, helped them with computer coding and gave pointers on presentations.

“Data science has the potential to significantly impact social change by providing insights and evidence-based solutions to complex societal problems. By analyzing data, we can identify patterns, predict trends, and propose data-driven interventions that have the capacity to address issues such as inequality, public health challenges, and environmental sustainability,” said Logologo, adding the challenge is not only a learning opportunity but a chance to network with organizations.

Vidal said while the challenge was tough, he walked away with new confidence, ideas and inspiration.

“My favorite part of the event was getting to meet and talk to other students who were from all over the country,” he said, adding that he hopes to stay in touch with them. “I was able to learn so much about each and every one of their cultures and places they are from.”

Faculty Embrace Learning Opportunities

Learning isn’t just for students.

In fact, James Heller Sutton’s primary mission as Chaminade’s assistant provost for Faculty Development is helping faculty members learn how to take their teaching skills to the next level.

And Faculty Learning Communities at the University are designed to make that happen, offering collaborative environments for faculty members to engage with one another around teaching and learning.

The faculty learning communities program was launched at Chaminade in Fall 2022 and has matured and grown since then, offering faculty members outlets to learn about everything from advances in educational technology to yoga to Hawai’i history (complete with walking tours). One of the newest FLCs will tackle generative AI.

Groups are typically kept small—with 12 faculty members or less—and together they tackle semester- or year-long projects together.

“These communities are structured to promote active participation and the exchange of ideas among faculty,” Sutton explained.

FLCs focus on four primary categories: Teaching, scholarship, service and social activities or wellness. Each group of faculty members gather for a variety of activities aimed at fostering collaboration, professional development and community-building, Sutton said.

“It gives those faculty who really want to explore a topic deeply the opportunity to do that,” Sutton said.

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Koreen Nakahodo, Ph.D., who teaches English at Chaminade, led a faculty learning community whose members read and analyzed Laudato Si, an encyclical from Pope Francis focused on caring for the environment.

She has also participated in several more FLCs, from a Catholic intellectual tradition reading group to a hands-on learning effort to create an aquaponic pond on campus.

Hiking has been one of the wellness activities undertaken by FLCs. Here, Chaminade faculty members pose during a break on a hike.

“The FLCs allow me to connect with other colleagues through common interests or academic pursuits,” Nakahodo said. “We are all so busy that it is an opportunity for us to take some time to learn from each other or serve the community. The FLCs allow us to break those silos.”

That’s music to Sutton’s ears.

He said the end goal of the effort is to create a “stronger, more connected faculty community, drive innovation in teaching and learning practices, and support the personal and professional development of faculty members”—and to have some fun along the way.

Sutton added that each FLC has a liaison from Chaminade’s Center for Teaching and Learning, ensuring not only that the group has the resources they need but also that they’re able to make key professional development connections aimed at elevating their practice.

“The activities within the FLCs support faculty in becoming better teachers and mentors by providing a structured, supportive space for reflection, collaboration, and feedback,” Sutton said, noting FLCs are also interdisciplinary so faculty members from across campus build relationships.

“By engaging in discussions with colleagues from diverse disciplines and perspectives, faculty expand their professional networks, learn from each other’s experiences, and gain fresh insights into teaching and mentoring. This cross-disciplinary collaboration ultimately enriches their own practices, making them more adaptable and innovative educators.”

Chaminade to Host Free FAFSA Workshop

Need help completing your FAFSA?

With the deadline approaching for college financial aid, Chaminade University will host a free workshop Jan. 8 for Hawaii students and families who need assistance completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid—or FAFSA.

The workshop, free and open to the public, will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the University’s Vi & Paul Loo Student Center.

Attendees will get one-on-one assistance from counselors, and laptops will be provided so the FAFSA can be completed on-site.

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“We hope that college students and their families take advantage of this stress-free FAFSA completion event, where we’ll help you fill out your application from start to finish,” said Chaminade University President Lynn Babington, Ph.D.

“Whether you’re applying to Chaminade or any other college, our expert Financial Aid and Admissions staff will be on hand to guide you through every step of the process.”

Completing the FAFSA is a key step in the college admissions process, giving students a clear picture of the financial resources available to support their education. It’s not just about loans—students also need the FAFSA to qualify for free funding like grants and even scholarships.

Chaminade hopes to hold additional FAFSA workshops in the near future, but dates are still being worked out.

Those interested in attending on Jan. 8 are asked to RSVP, and students and family members are encouraged to have their Federal Student Aid IDs before the event.

To set up a free Federal Student ID, click here. And to contact Chaminade’s Financial Aid Office for more immediate questions, click here.