Alumni

Alumna’s Forensic Science Passion Takes Her to NCIS

July 13, 2022

When Kay Een ’02 was a kid, she called many places home.

Her dad was in the military and stationed around the world, from Okinawa to Greece to Hawaii.

And with each assignment, the family would pack up, pick up and move someplace new. Een got accustomed to change, but she also found something that always stayed the same: her love of Patricia Cornwell novels. The crime author’s delicious tales of murder and mystery fascinated her.

And eventually, they would help drive her to a successful career in forensic sciences.

But first, Een said, she had some “growing up to do.”

Finding Her Passion

After graduating from high school, Een wasn’t quite ready to jump into college so she decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and join the military. She chose the Navy and was trained as an air traffic controller. It was fulfilling, fast-paced work, but Een was looking for new ways to grow.

So when she was stationed in Hawaii, she decided to enroll at Chaminade University.

She initially got her associate’s degree. And then after leaving active service, she returned to Chaminade to continue her education and complete her bachelor’s degree. She majored in Forensic Sciences, rekindling her desire to immerse herself in crime scene investigation and evidence analysis.

At Chaminade, she also found a place where she could thrive as a nontraditional student.

“I loved the connections I made with professors. There was a camaraderie I was able to develop with them,” she said. “I also really enjoyed the fact that a lot of the younger students really looked up to us older students from a life experience perspective. We could offer our shared experiences.”

But what really set Chaminade apart, Een said, was its focus on hands-on learning.

She loved every minute of mock crime scene investigations and staged witness interviews, and couldn’t get enough of the time she spent in forensic sciences labs, either. “You really got to see the work through the eyes of police officers,” she said. “It was really fascinating—and I was hooked.”

That experiential learning continued with an internship that had Een over the moon.

A Career at NCIS

She got the chance to work with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for two semesters, and suddenly found her dream job. “They had me doing real work. We were going to crime scenes, collecting evidence, I went to autopsies,” Een said. “I got to know that this was really for me.”

Een loved the work so much that she applied to NCIS after graduation in 2002. But about that same time, as the U.S. bolstered military actions in the Middle East, Een was activated from the Navy Reserves and deployed to Qatar. She was there for about six months as a Navy air crew member.

After she returned to Hawaii, she got the call she had been waiting for: NCIS wanted to interview her.

She was hired in short order for the agency, and before she had little more than a moment to take a breath, she was assigned to general crimes and conducting investigations. “It was a great first tour,” she said. “I really got to sink my teeth into understanding what the agency and my role was all about.”

Een’s next assignment with NCIS was in Okinawa, a place where she’d lived as a kid.

She is also half-Japanese, and has family on her mother’s side in mainland Japan.

Een was assigned to the family and sexual violence unit and spent three years in Okinawa.

While there, she met her future husband, a Marine. They now have two children together—10-year-old Kenji and 7-year-old Cora. And from Okinawa, the couple was able to co-locate their careers to new locales. They’ve moved five times so far, including to Washington, D.C. and back to Okinawa.

Along the way, Een also received several promotions.

Inclusion and Diversity in NCIS

“That was the most amazing thing about NCIS. I didn’t have to choose between being a mom and promoting or progressing in the agency. At the end of the day, I was presented with the right opportunities and was able to progress my military career. That’s so important,” she said.

Een now serves as the chief diversity and inclusion officer for NCIS, a role that’s kept her passionate about her career and agency. She said her focus is on making NCIS the strongest it can be and attracting and retaining the best talent. “If you don’t have equity and you don’t have inclusion, you don’t have diversity,” she said. “We need to use this canvas of people we have to the best of their abilities.”

As she marks 18 years with NCIS, Een says it hasn’t all been roses.

About 10 years into her career with the agency, with her husband deployed, Een said she almost left when she felt as if she was being asked to choose between being a mom and being an agent. But a candid conversation with her superiors allowed her to stick with it—and she’s grateful she did.

Een added she doesn’t want that experience to happen to others.

“I was fortunate that the agency picked me up and changed my trajectory,” she said. “But I really think that shouldn’t happen to anybody else. It shouldn’t be luck or chance to determine whether or not I stayed with this agency. What if I hadn’t had that conversation? Where would I be today?”

And it’s that experience that got her interested in equity in the first place.

Een started serving as a member of the NCIS director’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion in 2014. And when her current role opened up, she immediately put her name in the hat. “This is what I want to do because I genuinely believe that our organization is wonderful and we do really good things,” she said. “Our director believes in cultural diversity and he believes in people. I want to support that.”

And if you’re wondering if Een is a fan of the “NCIS” TV series, too, the answer is yes.

The last time she was in the islands, she got to visit the “NCIS: Hawaii” set and “totally fangirled.”

She’s also excited she might have more opportunities to swing by. Sixteen years after leaving, Een will be moving back to Hawaii with her family and continuing in her current role with NCIS remotely. “It’s something that we’ve always said, that Hawaii was where we’d like to go some day,” Een said. “It’s always been a touchtone and now it’s happening. We’re thrilled.”

Alumna Breaks Down Barriers in Construction Industry

July 11, 2022

The summer of Erin Kirihara’s junior year at Chaminade, she attended a job fair organized by the university mostly—she jokes—to appease her parents and stay busy. At the time, she wasn’t sure of a career path to pursue, so she decided to accept an internship offer at a construction firm.

It was an opportunity that would change her life.

“I always thought I’d be really good at management, but I knew nothing about this field,” she said.

That summer spent at global construction and management consultancy firm Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) turned into an impressive career. Eighteen years and many promotions later, Kirihara is now executive vice president of the company’s North American practice and a member of the Board of Directors.

Kirihara, who graduated from Chaminade in 2006 with a degree in Business Administration, said her career trajectory is proof of her motto: “One opportunity used wisely can change your life dramatically.” Sometimes, she added, that means making your own opportunities.

“And you’ve got to be ready to put in the hard work,” she said.

Kirihara graduated from Maryknoll School and chose Chaminade University because she wanted a student-centered and individualized college experience. “I think I would have gotten swallowed alive if I went to a larger school,” she said. “Chaminade was more like a family and felt right.”

The best part, Kirihara added, was building strong relationships with professors.

“They knew you and you got to know them,” she said.

Erin Kirihara '06 giving a tour to Girl Scouts Hawaii — Erin Kirihara ’06 gives a Park Lane Ala Moana tour to a Girl Scouts Hawaii troop

When she landed that summer internship, Rider Levett Bucknall had global backing but only eight people in its Honolulu office, Kirihara said. Today, the firm has about 55 employees across the Hawaiian Islands and is behind several iconic projects, including the luxury Park Lane Ala Moana on Oahu.

The residential development is attached to Ala Moana Center.

“Now that was an amazing project,” said Kirihara, who managed it on behalf of the developer.

The mother of two young children said she’s thankful to her family for their support and to her employer for providing her with the chance to advance her career in a traditionally male-dominated field. Her own success has also inspired her to encourage girls and young women to pursue opportunities in construction. She said the field offers a diversity of jobs for all talents.

“Women just rock. We’re meant for project management,” Kirihara said. “We’re great communicators.”

Kim Hehir, Erin Kirihara '06, Lori Lum and Kay Mukaigawa — Kim Hehir, Erin Kirihara ’06, Lori Lum and Kay Mukaigawa at the Girl Scouts Hawaii Women of Distinction dinner

That’s exactly what Kirihara told a group of Girl Scouts in 2017 when she was named a Woman of Distinction by the organization and got the chance to give young girls a glimpse at what she does. “I walked them through a day in my life and they were like, ‘Wow. This is what you do? This is so cool.’ It opened their eyes to the possibilities they might find in this industry,” she said.

Kirihara said that back at Chaminade, she opted for Business Administration because she thought business was the most universal language. She learned the basics—like accounting and marketing—while also discovering a passion for community involvement and corporate responsibility.

“Everything can relate to business, including doing things that are right and ethical,” she said.

Kirihara added she’s proud to volunteer her time with several Hawaii organizations. She sits on the board of directors for HUGS (Help Understandings & Group Support), an organization that helps families with seriously ill children. She is also on the executive board for Child and Family Service, which programs for at-risk youth, domestic violence emergencies services, elder care and more.

“We have an obligation to make Hawaii a better place to live,” she said.

Her advice to young people just getting started out in the business world, including construction and project development, is to embrace flexibility and remain hungry for learning. “Turn that first opportunity into whatever you want to make of it, do what you have to do,” she said.

“Hard work, commitment, determination—they’ll help you excel in any career.”

Big Dreams to Achieve Big Things

March 22, 2022

Meshelle Hirashima receiving her Chaminade diploma from Bro. Bernie Pleoger, SM

Meshelle Hirashima’s advice to young people is simple: you need big dreams to achieve big things.

She would know.

Hirashima, who graduated from Chaminade in 2017 with a degree in Historical and Political Studies and a Biochemistry minor, receives her Doctor of Medicine degree in May from Boston University School of Medicine. She is seeking to specialize in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and credits strong female role models—including the grandmother who raised her—for helping her believe in herself so she could reach her goals.

“I’ve had remarkable people in my life to be an example and help guide me to where I am today,” Hirashima said. “No one would think I would come this far knowing my history. I just feel so blessed.”

Hirashima was adopted as a toddler by her grandmother because her mother was struggling with substance abuse issues. Her mother has since turned her life around, Hirashima said, and the two share a special relationship. It’s because of her grandmother and her mother that she wants to be an OBGYN.

Hirashima is also the first person on her mother’s side to graduate from college.

And she’s the first person in her family to go to medical school.

In addition to her role models, she credits Chaminade with helping her get there. Hirashima was able to secure an early admission spot at Boston University’s School of Medicine thanks to Chaminade’s articulation agreement program with the institution—and the preparation she got along the way.

She also said immersive experiences at Chaminade helped her build her confidence.

Among them, in 2014, advisors at Chaminade encouraged Hirashima to apply for a six-week summer program at UCLA aimed at helping students from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds get a taste for what it feels like to be a medical student and understand the steps to become a doctor. She said the program put a big emphasis on health disparities and helped her see how she could serve others.

“It gave me a taste for what I could expect, and I was hooked,” she said.

An early dream to help others

Hirashima was born and raised in Hawaii and attended Moanalua High School.

From a young age, she said, she dreamed of becoming a doctor. She wanted to help others like the people who had helped her grandmother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And as she got older, she realized that being a doctor didn’t just mean providing medical care but helping people through everyday struggles and “being with them through momentous points in their lives.”

At Moanalua, many of Hirashima’s friends were eyeing larger universities.

But she wanted something different—a place where she could try out different things and pursue disciplines that intrigued her. That’s why she found herself initially majoring in Environmental + Interior Design at Chaminade before switching to Historical Political Studies with a Biochemistry minor.

How did that fit into her path to medical school?

Hirashima said she wanted to broaden her horizons and take the opportunity to dive into a course of study that would help her better understand the world. To her, the study of history and political studies was the opportunity to figure out why people decide what they decide and why they act as they do.

That foundation of knowledge, she said, helped her become a more empathetic, well-rounded person.

‘I knew what I wanted’

Meshelle Hirashima wearing her white coat at Boston University

Along the way, by minoring in Biochemistry, Hirashima was able to secure the science and math prerequisites she would need to apply to medical school. And she got a unique taste for what her life as a medical student would entail with those immersive experiences, like the one at UCLA.

Chaminade’s articulation agreement with Boston University’s School of Medicine was key to her admission. The program, in which Chaminade partners with a host of highly-esteemed universities on the mainland, allows students to set an early course to advanced studies in healthcare careers—establishing a strong academic record and completing prerequisites while at Chaminade.

After completing the requirements of her Chaminade degree, Hirashima also spent a year at Boston University preparing for medical school, taking graduate courses and studying for the entrance exam. “It was like drinking from a fire hose. And unconventionally, I put all my eggs in the Boston basket,” she recalled. “I’d never even been to the East Coast, have no family there, but I knew what I wanted.”

And she got it.

She said she was at the pool with a friend when she learned she’d been admitted.

“I just started screaming and jumping up and down,” she said.

From there, there would be more grueling work and long hours ahead. The COVID pandemic sharply curtailed the number of in-person learning hours she got. But in her third year, she moved on to rotations—a chance for medical students to work hands-on in different medical specialties.

Internal medicine. Psychiatry. Pediatrics. Hirashima loved them all.

But the OBGYN rotation was special. “It was about building connections with women. Just kind of through reflection, I thought, ‘Where am I going to make the biggest impact with my career?’ I had such strong female role models growing up and I knew I wanted to help women like them,” she said.

‘I used to be in those shoes’

Meshelle Hirashima '17 on Match Day—she is paired with University of Hawaii

While one chapter of Hirashima’s journey ends in May, when she earns her medical degree, another begins as she continues on her path to residency.

Her dream of returning to Hawaii to serve the people and communities that helped her remains alive. On Match Day, she was paired with the University of Hawaii’s Obstetrics and Gynecology program.

She is excited to come home, continue her training and cross off another goal from her list. Along the way, she hopes to inspire other young people to think big. “I had lots of humbling experiences growing up, but that didn’t stop me,” she said. “Overcoming obstacles will never be easy. But with help, it’s not impossible.”

Hirashima’s biggest piece of advice to others is simple: take advantage of opportunities presented to you. “It can sometimes be scary to get outside of your comfort zone,” she said. “I’m so lucky to have had people around me, including at Chaminade, who really believed in me and who helped guide me.”

She added that her “humbling experiences” growing up helped her build understanding for others. “When I talk to a patient who is struggling, I know a little bit about what that feels like. I used to be in those shoes,” she said. Her big dream now: serve as a role model just as many did for her.

“I want young people to know there’s so much out there, and they just have to go out and get it.”

Welcome to MBA Alumnus and Kaiser Permanente COO’s World

March 11, 2022

Andrew Giles, MBA '17, COO of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii

To say that Andrew Giles, MBA ’17, has been busy over the last few years is putting things mildly.

It’s more like he’s been running a marathon—at a sprinter’s pace.

Giles was recently selected to serve as the chief operating officer of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii’s Moanalua Medical Center. Previously, he was the assistant administrator of hospital operations and support services. And in early 2020, he was also tapped as Kaiser’s COVID incident commander.

It’s a role that required him to “live and breathe” epidemiology and virology while also working to understand ever-changing facility needs, secure needed supplies and expand to meet new demand.

Testing centers, hospitalization surges, mass vaccine clinics. Welcome to Giles’ world.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Giles said, huffing a laugh. “Educating, testing, and from a leadership perspective, keeping the staff motivated and ensuring they have the appropriate equipment.”

And that’s not all Giles has been up to.

In December, Giles wrapped up a one-year term as president of the Hawaii chapter for the American College of Healthcare Executives, an organization that provides scholarships, networking, and continuing education opportunities. He’s also active in American Hospital Association and other industry groups.

All that hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

In 2021, Giles was honored as one of Pacific Business News’ “40 under 40” Hawaii professionals.

“On a day-to-day basis, my priority typically lies at the hospital, ensuring we’re providing safe and quality care to patients,” said Giles. “I really like to engage with staff and serve as a conduit to make sure they have the tools they need to be successful, including looking at our operational metrics and targets.”

Giles moved to the islands about a decade ago, after wrapping up an undergraduate degree in Organizational Management at Wilmington University and working in operations and environmental services. He worked at other Hawaii hospitals before finding a spot at Kaiser Permanente as director of support services, overseeing everything from hospital communications to patient transport.

It was around that time that Giles started to look at MBA programs.

He considered several different universities but ultimately decided on Chaminade’s MBA program after taking a tour of the campus. Giles said he wanted to take classes in person and liked the university’s strong Marianist mission, individualized approach to the degree and emphasis on hands-on learning.

“The mission and involvement in the community, it certainly resonated with my faith,” he said.

Giles added that the small class sizes also helped students create stronger relationships and bring the content to life. “I had a really diverse group of people in my classes,” said Giles. “There were folks earlier in their careers. There were later careerists in the military. I made some really good connections.”

Looking back, he said several projects he undertook as an MBA student still resonates with him.

In one, he explored the delivery of healthcare to medically-underserved communities, including the Waianae Coast, Wahiawa and the North Shore. He said he also appreciated the Hawaiian Studies course he took that helped him better understand culturally appropriate ways to serve patients.

And while at Chaminade, Giles also participated in the signature Hogan Entrepreneurial Program and described it as a highlight. “The Hogan program was an extremely valuable learning experience, hearing the inspirational stories from entrepreneurs and connecting with community leaders,” he said.

Shortly after graduating with his MBA degree, Giles was promoted to the assistant administrator role at Kaiser.

And he said he’s just as excited today about his work as he was when he started.

“I’m really thankful for what I do,” he said. “I just genuinely enjoy helping people.”

E+ID Alumna Makes Positive Impact in Community

February 1, 2022

Nicolle Soriano ’18 believes good design should be universal.

“Whether you’re rich or poor, it’s for everyone to enjoy,” said Soriano, who has a degree in Environmental + Interior Design from Chaminade and now serves as a junior interior designer at WCIT Architecture. “Everyone should be able to enjoy a space that is beautiful.”

It’s an approach that drives Soriano at work and in life—and that passion has gotten noticed.

Soriano was named the International Interior Design Association-Hawaii Chapter’s Emerging Professional as part of the 2021 Ho’ohuli Awards. The recognition honors a junior design leader who has helped advance interior design in Hawaii and made a positive impact in the community.

Interviewed recently, Soriano said she’s humbled by the award. She also gave credit to her colleagues at WCIT, her mentors in the field and her professors at Chaminade, saying they’ve helped her grow professionally and given her the confidence to explore meaningful and exciting projects.

“My office environment is so family-oriented,” she said. “It actually reminds me of Chaminade.”

Soriano didn’t always know what she wanted to do with her life—or where she wanted to study.

Born and raised in Washington State, Soriano was active in the Catholic Church throughout her high school years and was set on choosing a university that would help keep her “grounded and connected to my faith.” She was also interested in the arts and interior design, and so was searching for campuses with strong interior design programs. In doing her research, she learned about Chaminade.

“It just became a perfect fit,” said Soriano, whose mother’s side is from the islands.

Nicolle Soriano '18 posing in front of her display at Na Liko Naauao 2018

In the Environmental + Interior Design program at Chaminade, she found the only program in Hawaii with Council for Interior Design Accreditation. And at the university, she embraced the supportive, warm and fun campus community that allowed her to pursue her other passions and her faith.

While a student, Soriano was active in Campus Ministry and attended several retreats. She also volunteered her time regularly with community projects. And she helped revive the Filipino Club, including as its vice president, recruiting friends and classmates to share cultural performances.

“Looking back, I don’t know how I did it all,” she quipped. “It was just a joyous experience.”

Soriano also said she thrived in Chaminade’s small classes and a strong emphasis on hands-on learning. “You really get to know your professors and have a close relationship,” said Soriano, adding her mentors—including associate professors Junghwa Suh, DArch, and Joan Riggs—“really inspired me.”

“They pushed me to be the best I can be. They really prepared me,” she said.

Soriano added that several projects she worked on at Chaminade still resonate with her, including an innovative assignment to reimagine the modern shopping mall—which has faltered as more and more shop online—and a partnership with a nonprofit to design housing units for homeless people on Oahu.

Her group project on the “death of the mall” even earned an AIA Honolulu design award in 2018.

“At Chaminade, I learned about the importance of interior design to everyone,” Soriano said. “It’s definitely not like what you see on HGTV. It’s a lot more work than you imagine. You’re creating spaces that people work in, that people play in, where they live. Being a part of the design industry taught me how we all function in our daily lives and how big an impact design really has on our communities.”

During her senior year at Chaminade, Soriano landed an internship at WCIT Architecture.

She loved it—and was ecstatic when they asked her to come back for the spring semester.

She was even more thrilled when they offered her a full-time junior designer position right before graduation. “It just worked out so perfectly,” she said, adding she loves her WCIT Architecture team and has enjoyed adding elements of Hawaiian culture and storytelling into her designs.

At WCIT, Soriano has gotten the chance to work on everything from hospitality and timeshare renovations to restaurant makeovers and corporate and office designs. While she builds her portfolio, Soriano is also working to secure her National Council for Interior Design Qualification.

“Put simply,” Soriano said, “it’s a certification that you are an interior designer who knows what they’re doing.” To get the qualification, applicants take several exams that cover a wide variety of industry practices and standards, including building codes, design application and professional practice.

Additionally, Soriano serves as vice president of student affairs for the Hawaii chapter of the International Interior Design Association. It’s a role that’s allowed her to talk about her own experiences as a young designer and serve as a mentor to others pursuing a career in the field.

She hopes to recruit other alums to serve as inspiration to current and future students. “Once you graduate from Chaminade, you are always a part of this bigger ‘ohana,” she said. “It’s very special when you meet other people who went to Chaminade. There are definitely so many of us who have accomplished so much in our careers. Building that alumni network is so important.”

Looking ahead, her biggest focus is on continuing to grow as a designer and community leader—and taking on new opportunities and challenges that allow her to have a positive impact. “I love what I do,” she said, “and am so grateful for the people who helped me become the designer I am today.”

From Chaminade to the Hiphop Archive

November 22, 2021

Dominique Bocanegra '13 in the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute at Harvard University

Dominique Bocanegra ‘13 will never forget the advice that changed her life. It was from an inmate.

Bocanegra had just graduated from Chaminade University with a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice, returned to her hometown of San Francisco and landed a job at a jail helping inmates to transition back into the community. The work was challenging: recidivism rates were high and success stories rare.

One day, Bocanegra was working with an older man who was just about to be released and — she believes looking back on the moment now — he likely caught onto just how much she was struggling with her role and how little she could do for men trying to begin their lives again in their 40s, 50s and 60s.

“He told me, ‘Dominique, if I had had someone like you when I was young, I probably wouldn’t have lived the life I lived,’” Bocanegra recalled, in a recent conversation with Chaminade Magazine. “He was telling me to work with youth. To let them know this — in jail — is where you don’t want to end up.”

The inmate’s words inspired Bocanegra and started her on a journey that would take her to the Episcopal Service Corps, grassroots work with youth in communities and finally to Harvard University, where she now helps to oversee an innovative project to archive hip-hop’s rich and ever-evolving story.

Looking back on her path to one of the world’s most prestigious institutions, where she serves as administrator of the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute and works with a team of rising researchers and young scholars, she credits her time at Chaminade with helping her realize the importance of service and reflecting on the positive change just one person can make in the lives of others.

“The Marianist heritage and values. Campus Ministry. I remember that being a big pillar of my experience at Chaminade — finding ways to reflect,” she said. “The service, the search for justice and peace, I believe that was something really engraved in all of our teachings at Chaminade.”

Finding her way to Chaminade University

Dominique Bocanergra '13 with softball teammate on senior day

Bocanegra grew up in a little town in California called Brisbane (population: 4,000). It’s outside San Francisco and was the kind of place where a kid could be a kid. She grew up playing lots of sports, but it was soccer that she really loved. And it was soccer that would take her to Hawaii the first time.

Bocanegra was in fifth grade and traveled to the islands for a soccer tournament. She ended up not staying in Waikiki, but at a friend’s family home in Nanakuli. The surroundings and ambiance were everything that she’d imagined: sunny days, balmy nights and the food! She felt right at home.

“That was the start of the story,” Bocanegra said.

Years later, in high school, she was pondering where she wanted to attend university. She knew she wanted a campus with small class sizes and a strong criminal justice program. It was about that time that Chaminade made a visit to her campus. After sitting down with an admissions counselor, one on one, she knew she’d found the right place. “I felt like everything was individualized,” she recalled.

Dominique Bocanergra '13 receiving the Founders' Award, standing with Bro. Bernie Ploeger and Fr. George Cerniglia

More than that, Bocanegra said that from her first day at Chaminade she felt like she was part of a family. And there was rarely a moment where she wasn’t growing as a student and a person. She walked onto the soccer team in her first year and later played on the softball team and became president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She also participated in the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program and Campus Ministry.

Bocanegra acknowledged that she did feel homesick during that first semester at Chaminade. But support was never too far away. She fondly remembers one afternoon when a fellow student-athlete grabbed her and some other friends and headed up to the North Shore. It was during that excursion Bocanegra realized that she needed to enjoy the gift she’d been given and come out of her shell.

“I told myself, ‘I need to see what Hawaii has to offer,’” Bocanegra said. “It really helped me out.”

It also drove her to better understand Chaminade’s mission. As she sought to build on her own knowledge and consider her future career options, she started to ask herself, “How can I be of service doing the most justice I can? It was such a big part of Chaminade, including Campus Ministry.”

From Chaminade University to the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute

Dominique Bocanergra '13 with her peers in the Episcopal Service Corps

After graduation and that life-changing advice from an inmate, Bocanegra turned her attention to youth-focused initiatives. She enrolled in the Episcopal Service Corps, living on a stipend and seeking to help build better communities. After serving in Los Angeles, she moved to Boston with the Corps.

She later transitioned into part-time youth ministry and sought additional work at universities.

It was actually through a temp service that she landed a job at Harvard. Not long afterward, she was offered a full-time position at the Hiphop Archive, a center for exploring the scholarship and teachings of the hugely-popular musical genre. “It’s a complete lifestyle,” Bocanegra added. “A celebration of poetry and art. It has solely come out of the United States and spread around the world.”

In her current role, she works with a host of research assistants on new initiatives and develops community service projects aimed at engaging, inspiring and empowering youth. “As a hip-hop listener, I can tell you … it’s always had an undeserved negative connotation. Some call it ghetto music,” she said. “That’s inappropriate. Hip-hop music is a way to understand and celebrate modern America.”

Bocanegra added that it is so important that an institution like Harvard show its support for this artistic movement, not least of which because of the message it sends to young people. “We’re taking this research and using it for community-building activities. That’s so powerful,” she said.

And wherever Bocanegra goes, she brings Hawaii (and what she learned at Chaminade) with her.

“A big part of my job is to bring the aloha everywhere,” Bocanegra said, adding that she’s become known as the woman who wears aloha shirts and throws shakas. “It’s just letting folks know there are different ways to the world and that a smile is often the start of important conversations.”

Paying it forward

The 2013 graduate also stays connected to Chaminade through friendships with other alumni.

She’s remained very close to two fellow Silverswords — also former student-athletes — and they’re hoping to spearhead the start of a scholarship for student-athletes at the University. “We’re trying to find ways to be good stewards for the future. How can we give our time, talent and treasure?” she said.

That’s also got them looking ahead to their 10-year reunion, which they hope to hold on campus.

As she reflects on her time at Chaminade, she said her biggest takeaway was the power of the aloha spirit. “There’s nothing that can top my experience at Chaminade more than walking away with my love for others — the people, the place and staying true to that aloha and that mission every day,” she said.

Bocanegra added her message to current students at Chaminade is one of strength in fellowship: “You’re part of a bigger community, whether it’s those who came before you or those who will come after you. You are there to receive and then leave something even better for the next students.”

And that, she said, “is what countless Chaminade alumni have tried to do for you.”