Chaminade University of Honolulu

Alumni

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.

A Huntington Beach Reunion

The aloha warmth was strong in Huntington Beach on October 4! Close to 50 Chaminade alumni joined us at our second annual Southern California gathering to mingle, talk story and enjoy a delicious dinner buffet at the famous Wahoo’s Tacos.

Tom Orbe ‘73, Chaminade alumnus and owner of Wahoo’s Tacos, generously hosted the event with his wife Barb ‘76. Tom originally came to Chaminade for the surf, and immediately fell in love with it. He met his wife at Chaminade, and he now sits on our Board of Governors.

Alumni at Huntington Beach Gathering“We had such a great time at the event,” says Diane Peters-Nguyen, vice president of advancement for Chaminade University. “Seeing so many Chaminade graduates from throughout the decades brought a real warmth and sense of ‘ohana to the evening. We also had a few prospective students join us which was really terrific—our alumni had a lot of fun sharing all of their Chaminade memories with them.”

Are you a graduate of Chaminade on the mainland? Keep a look-out for more events coming your way soon as Chaminade continues to bring the aloha spirit to the mainland.

Chaminade Brings Aloha to Northern California

2018 NorCal Alumni Gather Lei MakingEarlier this month Chaminade brought the aloha spirit to San Jose, California. On July 1, alumni, family, friends, and even current and future Chaminade students came together for the Annual Sizzling Summer Northern California Gathering. President Dr. Lynn Babington, Vice President for Advancement, Diane Nguyen-Peters, Director of Alumni Relations, Be-Jay Kodama and a few Board of Governors were all in attendance. Hosted by Chaminade Board of Governor, Joe Melehan and his wife, Celeste, the afternoon provide past, present and future Chaminade students a chance to meet Dr. Babington and discuss all the great things happening at Chaminade today. Alumni reconnected with old classmates, met new alumni, and many of them had the opportunity to introduce their families to Chaminade for the first time. Current students had the opportunity to hear stories from alumni about their Chaminade experiences and the ways in which Chaminade helped them get to where they are today. Beyond the opportunity to share stories, the afternoon included mingle bingo, to help break the ice, and lei making.

Chaminade Brings Lesson Into the Classroom for Teachers to Shine

Melodie Tafao lives the saying “busy as a bee.”

She just earned her Master in Education (MEd) in Instructional Leadership from Chaminade University and also received the university’s prestigious “Outstanding Graduate” award. Her newly earned degree strengthens her role as a third grade teacher at St. Anthony School on Maui, where she’s been teaching for the past 11 years.

Educating her students while receiving her own education isn’t the only feat Tafao’s been tackling the past several years. She’s a wife to her husband, Mosi Tafao, and mother to Melia, 8, and Mosiah, 6. She also has a second career as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, currently serving as commander for the 305th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment in Honolulu.

“It was definitely a challenge juggling all of my obligations and commitments,” she says. “It took me five years to complete this degree, and I am very blessed to have a supportive husband, family and friends that were willing to help when I needed time to study or have sessions with my instructors on Maui.”

Chaminade made undertaking a graduate degree while continuing her careers and family commitments a reality for Tafao. Her education was made possible through the Gift of Marianist Education. She says that although she was initially reluctant to enroll in the program because her son was only one at the time, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“Chaminade University’s teaching program has helped me grow as a teacher,” she says. “The program and courses have taught me techniques, strategies and methods that help me to be an effective teacher. I’ve also learned some personal lessons throughout the program, like how to be more organized and prioritize and manage my time efficiently.”

Being based on Maui could have been a potential barrier to some seeking to further their education. But the program grouped other teachers from St. Anthony School into the same cohort. Together, the teachers learned big concepts in a small setting.

“One thing that stood out about the program was working with a small cohort of members from the same school community,” Tafao says. “Because of this closeness, I feel it made the program memorable and allowed me to gain a tremendous amount of insight while learning from instructors and fellow colleagues.”

Tafao says she really appreciated that the program allowed students to concurrently teach in their own classrooms, which made the assignments, discussions and research projects more practical.

“It wasn’t just another classroom environment where I read from education books and journals, had discussions and took exams,” she says. “It allowed me to apply what I learned, what was discussed and what I researched immediately with my students, my classroom and my school community.”

Tafao says she recommends this program to any teacher looking to strengthen their pedagogy.

“This type of cohort had a reasonable amount of online work and on-ground, face-to-face time with our instructors on Maui,” she says. “The courses were applicable in the classroom and taught me skills and techniques to be an effective teacher.”

Reflecting back on the entire experience, it was mostly positive. But as with life, there were obstacles and the hardest one was when her father passed away in May 2017 after battling cancer for three years. Tafao was taking her second to last course at the time and although it was difficult for her to stay focused while grieving his loss, she knew it’s what he would have wanted.

“I miss him dearly and wish he had been there to physically watch me receive this honor,” she says. “But I know he would have been proud.”

As Tafao continues teaching her students and serving in the military, she may not be done with her career goals yet.

“My most recent instructor, Dr. Hans Chun, mentioned a doctoral program,” Tafao said. “While I would like some time off, furthering my education and teaching skills through a state certification program and possibly a doctoral program may be in the future for me.”

The Master of Education program offers concentrations in Educational Leadership, which prepares candidates for administrative positions with an emphasis on K-12 schools; Instructional Leadership,which provides advanced knowledge of classroom practices for teachers and other educators not currently aspiring to become administrators; and Child Development, which offers advanced study of developmental theory, research and application.

Weekend Reunion Brings Chaminade Alumni Together

Whether you are Class of 2017 or Class of 1957, still reside in Oahu or moved all the way to the East Coast, the annual Chaminade University Alumni Reunion is an exciting opportunity to return to campus. It offers alumni the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane while they reconnect with past mentors and former classmates.

Reflecting on this year’s reunion, Alumni Relations Director Be-Jay Kodama said, “Alumni returned to campus from near and as far away as Maryland, California, Guam, and Japan. The weekend was filled with smiling faces, inquisitive minds, love and laughter, and endless excitement as alumni, professors, students, and Marianist celebrated Chaminade University.”

This year’s Alumni Reunion, Siverswords Under the Stars, took place over the weekend of April 5-8 and kicked off Thursday, April 5, with a 50 Minute University Session followed by Cocktails and Conversation. The 50 Minute University Sessions allowed alumni to choose between one of three discussion sessions. Edward Orona, BBA ’79 and Damien Lorentz, BBA ’98, MBA ’00 lead the financial discussion, “Smart Money” while Dara Perreira, BA ’99, MBA ’03 led the discussion “Collaboration vs Cooperation.” The third discussion session option was “College Admission 101” presented by Cathy O’Rouke.

Once the discussion sessions ended alumni were invited to Cocktails and Conversation where they had the opportunity to meet the new president, Dr. Lynn Babington, and socialize with fellow alumni. A game of “mingle bingo” gave former students from different decades an opportunity to learn more about each other. Singer and songwriter, Dustin Pacleb, MSCP ’16 treated attendees to an acoustic performance.

The reunion festivities continued on Saturday, April 7 with a concert under the stars and street festival featuring popular food trucks. Chaminade graduates enjoyed drinks from Bros Brew and Nalo Made Lemonade, provided by Shawn Niwa Kadooka BBA ’91. Food trucks including Kapakahi Grindz, owned by Chardonnay Pao BA ’13, MBA ’15, and Peace Café provided the ono eats for the evening. Ekolu and DJ Crechton, BS ’07, provided the entertainment. Alumni were even treated to a student talent show, Silversword Stars, where five talented undergraduates performed.

An evening highlight was the spirit contest. Attendees were encouraged to creatively show their Chaminade pride and crowd favorites where selected and awarded special prizes.

The alumni reunion weekend concluded with Sunday Mass in the Mystical Rose Oratory with co-celebrants, chaplain, Fr. George Cerniglia, SM, and Msgr. Terrence Watanabe, BA ’73 celebrating his 45 Reunion year. After mass members of the Chaminade Student Government Association escorted alumni to the Ching Conference Center for a light brunch with President Babington. President Babington shared plans for Chaminade’s future while alumni, former classmates and newly made friends enjoyed one last chance to talk story and reminisce.

During the brunch program, members of Chaminade’s Silver Circle Alumni, those who graduated between 1959– 1967, were acknowledged. William Ferguson and Donna Estomago, members of the Class of 1968, celebrated their Golden 50 Reunion Year and were also honored.

A “Homecoming” Away From Home

On a chilly February evening in Washington, D.C., a group of about 50 people — donning lei and armed with pupu — gathered for a pau hana party with a purpose.

At first appearances, the turnout might have been described as eclectic: Some young up-and-comers, some mid-career professionals and some retirees.

But it wouldn’t take an observer very long to figure out their common source of pride: Drinks in hand, attendees sported Silversword athletics gear or waved pennants.

The Alumni Meet-up in DC is among a number of gatherings Chaminade organizes each year in Hawaii and on the mainland as a way of keeping grads connected — to one another and to the university.

The DC event on Feb. 2 attracted alumni from the immediate area and from as far away as New Mexico, Delaware and upstate New York. And it gave attendees a chance not only to catch up with each other — but with the latest plans for their Honolulu alma mater.

Dr. Lynn Babington attended the alumni meet-up to outline her vision as Chaminade’s president and to hear from alumni about their hopes for the university. And at the end of the night, several attendees made gifts or donations to Chaminade to support programming.

Those donors included Dr. Christine Carter, who received her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Chaminade in 1973 before getting a doctoral degree in genetics from the University of Hawaii.

At the meet-up, Carter pledged to help support a teaching fellowship named after retired Chaminade Professor Ron Iwamoto, who she credits with sparking her passion in biology, genetics and physiology.

“When I was in BIO 101 and listening to Mr. Iwamoto tell us what we were going to cover and the field trips we were all expected to go on, I changed my major that day from pre-nursing to biology,” Carter said, in an email.

Carter added that her experience at Chaminade was defined by excellence in teaching — by professors who serve as mentors, educational guides and, sometimes, even cheerleaders, encouraging students forward.

“The quality of the education has more to do with the teachers that you find yourself listening to than with the size, status or ranking of the school itself,” she said.

Chaminade professors, she said, gave her and her classmates “the confidence to explore beyond what we learned, to visualize ourselves getting the highest degree possible in a field or topic that we alone knew best.”

The DC meet-up was organized by Be-Jay Kodama, director of alumni relations at Chaminade and a graduate of the university, too. She received her bachelor’s from the university in 1986, and completed her master’s in business administration from Chaminade in 2016.

Kodama said despite the frigid temps outside, the atmosphere at the event was warm — full of aloha and, of course, lots of Chaminade pride.

And there were plenty of Hawaii touches: The tables were adorned in tropical flowers, some of which were plucked by attendees to put behind their ears, and mac nuts were wrapped up in blue for guests to take home.

Kodama said that alumni gatherings — like the DC meet-up and this April’s reunion on campus — are about making sure alumni remain connected to a campus and a community that considers them part of the family.

The meet-ups are also a chance for graduates — regardless of when they attended — to meet current students and serve as examples of how far a Chaminade education can take you, Kodama said.

“Alumni want to be kept informed,” she said, in an email, “and these events are a wonderful platform for the university to share updates in a more personal way. Chaminade is a common experience they share.”

All alumni are invited back to campus for the 2018 Alumni Reunion, April 5-8. The unique selection of events will make the return to Chaminade unforgettable. It’s a time to reconnect with old friends and make new ones.