Chaminade University of Honolulu

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Celebrating Culture: Pacific Island Review

Students spent months rehearsing for the big night

Hantricia “Hanny” Lipai ’28 and Charisma Mitipok ’28 said they were excited—and a little nervous—when they made their debut performance with the Micronesian Club at the annual Pacific Island Review on Chaminade’s Sullivan Family Library Lawn. By the end of the night, they were both all smiles.

“I can’t wait to do it again next year!” Mitipok exclaimed.

Pacific Island Review, a signature fall event at Chaminade, celebrates Pacific Island culture, food and entertainment. The gathering Nov. 8 was no exception, with attendees cheering on performances from student cultural clubs, including Ka Ipu Kukui Me ka ‘ie ‘ie (the Hawaiian Club), Taotao Marianas Club, the Micronesian Club, The Filipino Club, and Lumana’i O Samoa (the Samoan Club).

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Students spent months preparing for the big day, practicing in the evenings and on weekends.

Director of Student Engagement Joanna Cecilio had been watching those rehearsals and said she was incredibly proud of all the student participants.

She noted the event highlights Chaminade’s rich diversity.

“Pacific Island Review allows our community to smile, laugh and be joyful together,” added Student Engagement Coordinator Andrew Ancheta ’21. “It is through this event that the life of our cultural diversity on campus is manifested into something tangible, something moving and powerful.”

  • Wearing traditional Marshallese earrings, necklaces and grass skirts, the Micronesian Club entered the Sullivan Family Library Lawn with a lyrical chant.
    Wearing traditional Marshallese earrings, necklaces and grass skirts, the Micronesian Club entered the Sullivan Family Library Lawn with a lyrical chant.
  • Nikki Katahara-Tom '25 won the crowd over with her graceful hula dance.
    Nikki Katahara-Tom ’25 won the crowd over with her graceful hula dance.
  • Wearing tradition Filipino clothing, members of The Filipino Club performed traditional dances mixed in with an unexpected rap song.
    Wearing tradition Filipino clothing, members of The Filipino Club performed traditional dances mixed in with an unexpected rap song.
  • Dancers from the TaoTao Marianas Club had the crowd cheering.
    Dancers from the TaoTao Marianas Club had the crowd cheering.
  • The men of the TaoTao Marianas Club opened with a song in praise of their ancestors and culture.
    The men of the TaoTao Marianas Club opened with a song in praise of their ancestors and culture.

Sano Tanna ’26 previously performed at the event and this year volunteered at a food station.

Tanna said the event brings the Silversword and surrounding community together.

“I see a lot of area residents attend,” said Tanna. “It’s a long tradition.”

Mitipok, who performed with the Micronesian Club, said she joined the cultural organization to meet fellow Micronesians at Chaminade and celebrate her culture.

“I wanted to learn more about my culture and connect with other Micronesians on campus,” she said.

The Hawaiian Club was first to step on the Sullivan Family Library Lawn at the event.

Nikki Katahara-Tom ’25 wowed the crowd with a solo hula that paid tribute to the ʻāina.

“I’ve been participating since I was a freshman,” said Tom, a Nursing student. “This event allows us to share our culture and, at the same time, learn about other Pacific Islanders’ cultures.”

The Hawaiian Club was followed by the TaoTao Marianas, with the men opening with a stirring song, and an homage to their ancestors and land. “We share our love of being back on the island,” said Isaiah Atalig ’25, president of the TaoTao Marianist Club. “This event offers a glimpse into our ’ohana at Chaminade.”

He added, “This night is what we all look forward to and talk about all year.”

Preview Day Draws Future Silverswords

Chaminade’s president says the event spotlights what makes the University unique

Scores of future Silverswords converged on campus November 2 for Preview Day.

The open house is designed to introduce prospective students and their families to the University’s programs, campus life, and vibrant community. Attendees experienced firsthand what it might be like to be a Silversword, with a full day of activities, information sessions, and interactive experiences.

“We were thrilled to open our campus to so many enthusiastic future Silverswords and their families,” said Chaminade President Lynn Babington, Ph.D. “Preview Day was a wonderful opportunity to share what makes Chaminade unique—from our supportive community to our innovative academic programs.”

Throughout the day, students and families explored Chaminade’s more than 60 undergraduate majors and minors and 13 graduate programs. Faculty members and support staff were on hand to answer questions while a cadre of student ambassadors conducted tours of campus.

The day also featured interactive activities, such as a mock crime scene investigation and a nursing simulation and skills lab tour. Science enthusiasts enjoyed an open house of Chaminade’s fully-equipped labs, engaging with fields like biology, chemistry, and environmental science.

Among those who came out for Preview Day was Hawai’i high school senior Paolo Vietor, who hopes to attend Chaminade to study nursing. He said the open house helped solidify his choice of universities and also allowed him to learn about Chaminade’s other offerings, including extracurriculars.

“I think this could be the school for me,” he said.

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Kaisah Kaaihili is interested in furthering her career working with young children and was drawn to Chaminade’s education and school counseling programs. “Lots of information, lots of resources, I didn’t know how much scholarships they had,” she said, of the Preview Day event.

“Sword Sessions” offered at Preview Day provided themed presentations, including a financial aid overview that explained the FAFSA process and offered practical advice on financing higher education.

Attendees also learned about Chaminade’s Hawaii Guarantee tuition match, which ensures graduates from Hawai’i high schools entering as freshmen pay the same annual tuition rate as resident undergraduates at UH-Manoa, along with a path to graduate in four years.

Beach Transformed for CSI Simulation

Chaminade University Forensic Sciences students drew curious glances at a mock crime scene investigation held at Kaimana Beach this week. A field was transformed into a simulated investigation zone as students in full CSI gear took notes and captured crime scene photos.

Also in Campus News: Forensic Sciences Research in Spotlight

Organizers said the mock crime scene investigation allows students to put theory into practice. Participants practiced evidence collection and analysis along with meticulous scene documentation.

Chaminade Forensic Sciences students document a mock crime scene at Kaimana Beach.

Chaminade’s Forensic Sciences program is known for its hands-on approach to learning, blending rigorous academics with real-world applications. The realistic set-up in Waikiki demonstrated Chaminade’s commitment to giving students opportunities to learn by doing.

To read more about Forensic Sciences at Chaminade, click here.

Collaboration, Mentorship at Doctoral ‘Bootcamp’

The gathering offered students a chance to meet for collaborative sessions

For doctoral students, dissertations can be the stuff of nightmares.

The culmination of years of research, the dissertation represents a doctoral student’s unique contribution to the academic community and the dissertation defense is oftentimes the final requirement of a doctoral degree program.

Put simply, it’s high stakes—and high stress.

But Chaminade Psychology Associate Professor Abby Halston says it doesn’t necessarily have to be, with the right mixture of planning, preparation and collaboration.

That’s why Halston and her colleagues organized a “dissertation bootcamp” over the summer for Chaminade’s Doctor of Education in Educational Psychology students.

The gathering offered cohort members—busy professionals who attend their doctoral courses online—a chance to meet in person for collaborative sessions and mentorship.

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During the bootcamp, Halston said, attendees covered everything from online resources available for robust literature reviews to what’s required to meet the regulatory oversights for including human subjects in a research study.

They even took a campus tour, learning about Chaminade’s history along the way.

Halston said the central message of the gathering was simple: You’ve got this.

“Dissertations represent a huge piece of anxiety in doctoral programs,” she said, noting that her goal is to prevent students from failing to progress beyond the ABD—or “all but dissertation”—stage, when they’ve completed coursework but not the final requirement.

“This can be where doctoral students traditionally fall behind or fall through the cracks, especially without the right support,” Halston said, noting that the program works hard to weave dissertation conversations, research and milestones into every course.

She added that the dissertation bootcamp also served another purpose: To ensure that doctoral students, many of whom live on the neighbor islands, feel connected to Chaminade and its mission, their professors and their fellow cohort members.

Some 19 students are in the Ed.D. in Educational Psychology cohort, and all but five were able to attend the bootcamp. Among them was Susan Shinkawa, who serves as a behavioral health specialist for the state Department of Education’s Leeward District.

She said a “commitment to lifelong learning” inspired her to pursue a doctoral degree.

“Earning an Ed.D. represents personal fulfillment and satisfaction for both myself and my parents,” Shinkawa said, adding that she chose Chaminade because of its strong reputation, mission and values— plus the flexible program schedule.

In her dissertation, Shinkawa hopes to explore whether testing students’ perception of safety in their school environment impacts their performance on state tests.

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She said the bootcamp covered just about every question she had about the dissertation process.

Her favorite part of the day, though?

“I most enjoyed the fellowship with my classmates and collaborative sessions with faculty,” she said.

Jasmin Chang, also a behavioral health specialist with the DOE, said her dissertation will focus on interventions for traumatic grief and whether a manual for providers would enhance their perceived competencies and skills.

“I have always been passionate about learning and self-growth so I wanted to take on this exciting challenge,” Chang said, when asked what spurred her to pursue a doctoral degree at Chaminade.

“I wanted to use my education to expand my impact on the DOE in terms of systemic change, and I wanted to use my newly learned knowledge to improve my practice and better help the students and families I work with.”

She said she walked away from the dissertation bootcamp feeling more at ease and confident with the process and her next steps in her academic career.

“My favorite part of the day was simply seeing my classmates and professors in person,” she added

MBA Alumni Gather for Pau Hana

The gathering was a celebration of growth and connection

The MBA Alumni Pau Hana last week was more than a gathering, says Vice President of Advancement Jill Higashi. It was a celebration of growth, connection and the lasting impact of a Chaminade education.

“Events like this allow us to acknowledge the significant contributions that our alumni have made in their communities,” Higashi added.

The 39 MBA alumni who attended the gathering on October 24 graduated between 1980 and 2023.

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In addition to hearing from Chaminade President Lynn Babington, attendees also got the latest developments on the MBA and MBA Professional programs from MBA Director Eddie Merc, Ph.D.

Alumni mingled and networked at the Oahu Country Club event, enjoying wines donated by Chaminade Regent Rodney Harano MBA ’84 and gourmet pupu. One of the evening’s highlights was hearing about the journeys alumni had undertaken since graduation.

At the event, Chaminade Director of Alumni Relations Jodi-Anne Yoshida MBA ’23 encouraged alumni to continue to engage with their alma mater—and keep connected with fellow Silverswords.

She also invited alumni to join her as a member of the Chaminade Fund Society, which aims to help shape the future of Chaminade and the lives of its students.

Forensic Sciences Research in Spotlight

Throughout the school year, one of the ways Chaminade Forensic Sciences students learn about decomposition is by studying pig carcasses. The program has been bringing carcasses to a field on campus since 2013, allowing students to meticulously gather data on how the pigs decompose.

The resulting database, says Forensic Sciences Director David Carter, created such a wealth of information that it allowed for almost flawless predictions of how pigs would decompose in the tropics based on the time of the year, taking temperature, humidity and other factors into account.

Carter developed a formula based on that very data, a significant development for the field that he presented at the International Caparica Conference in Translational Forensics in Lisbon this month.

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Carter says it’s important to note that pig carcasses aren’t human bodies—so the formula isn’t transferrable. But his “little pig equation” does offer hope that a similar human-focused calculation could someday be within reach of forensic scientists, explaining decomposition in different climates.

“Humans have so many variables,” Carter said. “But if we do the same thing for humans, we can probably figure out how long people have been dead a lot better than we do now.”

Carter’s database findings are already providing a new avenue of research for universities or other institutions with so-called “body farms,” where human decomposition in the elements is studied.

Carter cautioned that developing such a formula would require partnerships with law enforcement, medical examiners and years worth of data. He added several universities have already sought him out to talk about the pig decomposition study, including one in Australia that’s establishing a body farm.

Carter’s pig carcass research, with co-authors, was published in the journal Forensic Science International last year and was based on 10 decomposition studies conducted on Chaminade’s campus.

Joined by some colleagues, Carter is also hoping to present on separate research findings next year at the 77th annual Conference of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Baltimore. That presentation is set to focus on investigations with the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office.

Carter is an expert consultant for the office and is often brought onto cases to help determine whether findings during forensic investigations or autopsies are consistent with natural processes of death.

The presentation developed for the Baltimore conference, he said, incorporates data from 250 cases that offer insight into how authorities could use previous death investigations to inform future ones.

For example, he said, the database he is developing could allow a forensic investigator to more readily determine if a particular mark on a body is consistent—or not—with a natural death.

“You have essentially a reference database. In forensic science, you would refer to it as your knowns—like a database of fingerprints,” he said. “People underestimate the power of ruling stuff out.”

To read more about Carter’s research, click here.