Business & Communication

Chaminade Associate Professor Awarded Fullbright-Hays Grant

May 24, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

Eva Washburn-Repollo, School of Business and Communication

The Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program under the U.S. Department of Education recently awarded a $100,000 grant to Dr. Eva Washburn-Repollo of Chaminade University to fund a summer program meant to increase Hawaii’s capacity in Filipino culture-based education in K-12 classrooms.

The federal funding will support a short-term, curriculum development project spearheaded by Dr. Washburn-Repollo titled the “Cebuano Language and Culture Program,” in which program participants will travel this summer to the Philippines. Dr. Washburn-Repollo is an associate professor at the university’s School of Business and Communication.

During the Philippines trip, a travel group of undergraduate and graduate Education majors, administrators and higher education instructors and K-12 teachers will develop creative Cebuano-English educational resource materials as part of their lesson plans on the islands of Negros Oriental and Cebu in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, where the Cebuano language is spoken primarily.

Program selectees will receive language lectures/workshops from the Cebuano Studies Center in the University of San Carlos. On Cebu, they will also visit thematic sites such as indigenous herbal gardens, mangroves and coral reefs. On Negros Oriental, they will attend lectures/workshops at Silliman University’s Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences (SU-IEMS), and Silliman’s Marina Mission Clinic, sites chosen because of their strengths in the focal areas of marine biology and indigenous gardens. They will also be working in partnership with scientists from the Jose Rizal Memorial State University.

Program activities will begin on June 13, 2022, and end on July 23, 2022.

The GPA program leverages Chaminade’s strong teacher education program and links to Hawai‘i’s K-12 classrooms, its success rate working with diverse student populations, and its strong connections to Hawaii’s Filipino community. Dr. Washburn-Repollo is the program’s project Director and her strength as a native Cebuano speaker and translator, her connections to the Philippines and the partner institutions, and her background in curriculum development and creative pedagogies will be supported by Chaminade’s School of Business and Communication and the School of Behavioral Science and Education.

Dr. Washburn-Repollo hopes through the program to increase Hawai‘i’s capacity in offering Filipino culture-based education in the K-12 classrooms.

“It is an honor as a native Cebuano speaker and translator to be able to partner with local institutions,” Washburn-Repollo explained. “It is vital to encourage educational development by honoring children’s language and culture.”

As part of their Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) program, the U.S Department of Education provides grants to support overseas research. Approximately $100K or about 100 percent of the total cost of the project will be financed through the federal funding, with the remaining amount of the project paid for by Chaminade University through in-kind contributions and other grant sources.

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Chaminade University of Honolulu believes in the power of education to drive positive change, broaden perspectives, and deepen our understanding of one another. With an emphasis on transformative service-learning experiences, we prepare students to serve as tomorrow’s leaders, inspiring and challenging them to use their minds and their hearts to help build stronger and more just communities. We are proud to serve as Hawai‘i’s only Marianist university and rely on these values to guide us in delivering a high-quality education with an individualized approach and a focus on excellence, innovation, and change. Established in 1955, we offer more than 30 undergraduate and graduate programs, including doctoral degrees in education, psychology, and nursing practice.

Students Take Second in National Business Case Competition

May 19, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

A big pizza brand wants to expand their reach to target more Generation Z customers.

How do you help them do it?

That was exactly the real-world challenge that participants of this year’s IACBE Business Case Competition tackled, putting together an in-person presentation that included a robust marketing plan, business analytics, and an overall strategy for delivery—and all in less than a month.

A team of Chaminade students from the School of Business and Communication was up to the challenge. And after a lot of research and hours of planning, they traveled to the competition in Costa Mesa, California to make their pitch. The result? A second-place win and some excellent experience.

“Our team came up with a great business strategy,” said Chaminade senior Tyrone Rixie, after the awards were announced. “It included big improvements to their app, website, and an art contest. The enhancements were all about making the company more modern and digital-friendly.”

Chaminade junior Peyton Oshiro, who was also on the team, liked that the competition was reality-based. The business strategy was for Donatos Pizza, which serves customers across 400 locations in 30 states. Oshiro said developing a plan for an actual company made the competition all the more difficult.

“When we arrived, we were a little nervous,” Oshiro said.

“Overall, we really came together. It was a great experience and I think we really killed it.”

Juniors Michael Rose and Ashley Yoshikawa were also on the team, which received support from lead faculty mentor Richard Kido, an associate professor of Accounting, and two team advisors: Wera Panow-Loui, who teaches Marketing, and Dr. Eddie Merc, an assistant professor in Business Analytics.

For their business presentation, the Chaminade team conducted a survey of more than 100 Gen Z students, polling them on what social media platforms they prefer and their habits online. At the core of their strategy was reimagining the brand to include a cutting-edge online experience that also highlighted the company’s family foundation given Gen Z values and social awareness.

They also pitched a strong Instagram presence designed to bolster engagement.

The judges praised the students for their professionalism, the strength of their presentation, and for weaving in innovative strategies to attract younger customers. One of the judges thought the Chaminade team put together the best package of strategies for a Gen Z profile.

Faculty mentors also said the judges appreciated the poise and confidence the Silversword team demonstrated during a question-and-answer session. The takeaway: it was clear they were prepared.

Yoshikawa, the junior, said that was particularly positive feedback.

“We did a lot of work. There was a definite lack of sleep and lots of late nights of preparation,” Yoshikawa said. “To be able to present our work to professionals, it was a really great experience.”

Spring Festival of Honors

April 27, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

Chaminade’s School of Business and Communication held a special awards ceremony and dinner recently to honor students and student groups who are embracing a “business for good” philosophy.

School of Business and Communication Festival of Honors 2022

The first annual Spring Festival of Honors on April 13 included a formal celebration dinner and recognition for students who are demonstrating exemplary scholarship and service to the community.

“I am incredibly proud of what all our undergraduate and graduate students have been able to accomplish over the past year,” said Dr. Bill Rhey, dean of the School of Business and Communication. “They are not only excelling in the classroom, but they are also going above and beyond in their efforts to showcase how business—and business leaders—can be a powerful force for good in Hawaii.”

The honors ceremony included video clips of students explaining the stellar work they were doing.

Among those honored was Cara Gutierrez, who is majoring in Communication with a minor in Environmental Studies and has become a passionate student leader for sustainability. In addition to creating a Campus Sustainability Council Club, Gutierrez is vice president of Chaminade’s Surfrider Club and serves as a resource recovery specialist at nonprofit Windward Zero Waste School Hui.

Oliver Carson, who is studying business and a senior in the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program, was also recognized. Carson owns Better Place Brands, which offers a line of private-label coffee brands that help fund animal rescue organizations in Hawaii and around the country. In 2021, his companies were able to donate $10,000 in cash and in-kind merchandise to the nonprofit organizations he’s teamed up with.

And several student groups were also honored for their work, including the winners of the school’s business plan competition in the Fall. Amber Kuitunen, Kelsie Inoue, Michael Cruz, Christopher Diego and Joshua Byrd launched Washed Ashore 808 with $250 in start-up money. And their product—jewelry made from microplastics reclaimed from Hawaii beaches—was an instant hit on campus.

The company was so popular that they decided to keep it going.

Inoue said the team’s business plan was born out of a drive to help tackle a real problem: Plastics washing up on the beach. “We thought about how these microplastics could be repurposed in a way that would bring awareness to keeping our beaches clean and the impact we make,” she said.

For their customers, she said, the necklaces are a “reminder of the difference we can make.”

Rhey added that all the student teams in the business plan competition deserve a hearty congratulations for their strong showing. Other groups launched impressive “micro-businesses” that sold sweet snacks, beach clean-up bags and t-shirts with a positive message.

“When students work together to maximize their positive impact, their peers, our university and the community benefits,” Rhey said. “I want to thank all our students for the work they put in this year, and I cannot wait to see what is ahead for them—and for our School—in the upcoming academic year.”

Spring Festival of Honors Awardees

Individual Awardees:

Ayu Suzuki: Outstanding International Student
Cara Gutierrez: Commitment to sustainability by composting, recycling, and starting a sustainability club on campus
Cara Gutierrez: Work in the Sugilanon video series
Jacqueline Martinez: Work in the Sugilanon video series
Albert Respicio: Work in the Sugilanon video series
Caitlyn-Marie Elisaga: Commitment to Hawaiian values and participation in Merrie Monarch
Oliver Carson: Entrepreneurial spirit and innovation in creating “Better Place Brands” private coffee label
Amber Kuitunen: Service-learning as a School of Business and Communication Ambassador
Kelsie Inoue: Work as a School of Business and Communication Ambassador
Mackenzie Meiners: Volunteer work on the upcoming Sugilanon video series

Group Awardees:

Angela Faye Navor, Jade Unabia, and Tommianne Brockert: Developing a business plan and executing it as part of the fall Business Competition
Ashley Yoshikawa, Peyton Oshiro, Michael Rose and Tyrone Rixey: IACBE Student Competition
Washed Ashore 808 (Amber Kuitunen, Kelsie Inoue, Michael Cruz, Christopher Diego and Joshua Byrd): Developing a business plan and executing it as part of the fall Business Competition
Alyana Nicole D. Alfaro and Kelsie Inoue: Working as a team to develop a 53-page strategic case analysis of Netflix in preparation for the Peregrine exam
Hubert Anton, Eri Leong and Emma Sherrell: Developing and pitching a Marketing Plan for the Hawaii Red Cross
Aubree Campbell, Dominique Marshall, and Mariana Wheeler: Developing and pitching a Marketing Plan for the Hawaii Red Cross
Brooklyn Pea, Kelsey Joy Sablan, and Kylie Pagud: Developing and pitching a Marketing Plan for the Hawaii Red Cross
Shandy Cullen and Laakea Gonzalves: Developing and pitching a Marketing Plan for the Hawaii Red Cross

Celebrating Student Research at Na Liko Na’auao 2022

April 19, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

Participants of the 2022 Na Liko Na'auao Symposium

Interpretation of Multidimensional Chromatographic Outputs by Non-Specialists.

Decolonizing Methodologies in Research.

Native Hawaiian Traditional Medicine and its Effects on Inflammation of WISH cells.

Those titles are a mouthful. They also represent just a handful of the hefty research topics undergraduate and graduate scholars at Chaminade discussed at this year’s Na Liko Na’auao Symposium, an annual event dedicated to showcasing student scholarship across disciplines.

Na Liko Na’auao is in its 20th year at Chaminade and gives its student participants an opportunity to showcase their academic and creative work. After going virtual for the last two years, the event on April 8 was held in person at the Clarence T.C. Ching Conference Center.

And in another twist, students got the chance to discuss their research posters and give oral presentations. Participants also came from across fields, including Psychology, Environmental + Interior Design, Data Science, Biology and Nursing—to name a few. Topics explored by students ranged from research into forensic science and body decomposition to the use of statistical models to detect malicious internet traffic.

Amber Noguchi, the director of Chaminade’s Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Programs, said expanding participation at the symposium to graduate students was a natural step given the numerous master’s degrees offered at the university on top of three doctoral programs.

Student presents her research poster at Na Liko Na'auao Symposium

In her opening remarks, Noguchi also gave special recognition to the founders of the event: the late Henry Gomes, who was director for Native Hawaiian Partnerships at Chaminade, and Patti Lee-Robinson, former director of Health Professions Advising and Undergraduate Research.

“They had a vision to create a venue to celebrate student scholarship,” Noguchi said.

Also at the event, President Lynn Babington announced the recipient of the 2022 President Sue Wesselkamper Award, which recognizes a student at Chaminade who has demonstrated both outstanding scholarship and extensive service to the community and to the university.

As Babington explained to attendees, Wesselkamper was named Chaminade University’s eighth president in 1995 and was the first woman to head a four-year university in the islands. The award in her name was endowed by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clark, and recipients are nominated by faculty members.

This year’s awardee: Nainoa Gaspar-Takahashi, a junior at Chaminade who is majoring in Nursing.

Nainoa Gaspar-Takahashi and Dr. Lynn Babington

Gaspar-Takahashi has a strong record of academic scholarship, including research into the integration of Native Hawaiian and Marianist values in student success. In 2020, he co-wrote an article that was published in the Asian Pacific Islander Nursing Journal. He is also a member of the Student Nurses Association and is a peer leader in the Kokua Kakou nursing enrichment program.

His central goal is to make a positive difference in the community, especially in the Native Hawaiian population, and so he is pursuing a career in nursing and hopes to serve in an intensive care unit or emergency room. He also wants to eventually seek a master’s degree in Nursing and continue research projects aimed at improving the healthcare system in Hawaii and the quality of care provided to all patients.

Dr. Edna Magpantay-Monroe, a professor of Nursing who nominated Gaspar-Takahashi for the prestigious honor, applauded his “impeccable work ethic” and said he is a joy to collaborate with.

Walking the Walk: Creating a Sustainable Hawaii

April 8, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

Cara Gutierrez pouring old food onto composting pile

Cara Gutierrez doesn’t just want to learn about leaders in the green movement. She wants to be one.

The senior at Chaminade, who is majoring in Communication with a minor in Environmental Studies, is passionate about helping build a more sustainable Hawaii and has gotten involved in a number of projects on and off campus designed to do just that—from food waste audits to composting.

“I’m just trying to make an impact,” Gutierrez said.

And along the way, she’s hoping to inspire others to do the same.

Gutierrez, who transferred to Chaminade from St. Mary’s College in California as a sophomore, has created a Campus Sustainability Council Club at the university in addition to serving as vice president of the Surfrider Club and a resource recovery specialist at Windward Zero Waste School Hui.

She said her community service efforts grew out of an Environmental Ethics course at Chaminade, where she learned just how important a single person can be in making a positive difference. “I really felt called to help and did different types of volunteering. I wanted to do my part,” she said.

Sustainability Council Club a the beach picking up trash

So she started in her own backyard—by looking at sustainability at Chaminade.

In addition to launching her new club, she also conducted a food waste audit at the university to determine how much is thrown away that could instead be redirected to productive composting. That work led her to connect with the agricultural director at Saint Louis School for an innovative zero-waste project now underway and he in turn connected her with the Windward Zero Waste School Hui.

Gutierrez said she when she first reached out to the hui, which works with five public schools to turn their food waste into composted nutrient-rich soil, the director warned her the work wasn’t glamorous. She would be gathering food waste into huge compost piles, the hui told her, turning and watering them as worms break up the organic materials, and then selling that rich compost to the community.

“She told me, ‘This is really hard work. You’ll have dirt everywhere,’” Gutierrez said.

After working for a day, Gutierrez was hooked. “I said, ‘OK, sign me up!’”

If her volunteering and work with the hui wasn’t enough, Gutierrez is also an intern focused on sustainability projects at Chaminade’s new CIFAL Honolulu Centre, part of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. She said through CIFAL and her sustainability club, she’s planning an educational Earth Day event and a gathering on Oahu’s North Shore to promote agriculture.

With all the hats she wears, Guteirrez doesn’t have much downtime.

Cara Guiterrez winding a lever on the Golden Rule Peace Boat

But that’s OK. What she has instead, she said, is a community that believes in her—and her mission.

“Climate change is so important and our generation has a responsibility to act. I’m only here for a limited number of years and I want to leave the lightest footprint possible but also have an impact on younger generations,” she said. “Everything I do is for the people who came before and after me.”

She added that her CIFAL Honolulu internship has also helped her zoom out and think about the value of sustainability policy and climate change work at the international level. “In the future, I would be really interested in working toward those bigger goals to make a greater positive difference,” she said.

For now, though, she’s focused on her grassroots work—and on graduation just around the corner. She said she plans to pursue a graduate degree, but will first take a year off to travel. “I’ve learned so much in Hawaii,” she said. “Now I want to go to different communities to learn even more.”

Silverswords Business Competition

March 23, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

Students and faculty who participated in the Silversword Business Competition

It started with a suggestion.

Private wealth advisor Eric Fujimoto, MBA ‘94, who is chair of the School of Business and Communication’s Advisory Board, encouraged the university to craft a real-life business experience for undergraduates. The idea: help them understand all the skills required to run their own venture.

At first, the plan was to have students open and manage a pop-up concession on campus.

But then another approach was decided: in Fall 2021, the School invited students to participate in a business competition that would allow them to show off their creativity, their ability to work with others and their aptitude in everything from marketing to accounting and customer service.

Student teams came from accounting, economics, marketing and social media courses.

Dr. Bill Rhey, School of Business and Communication dean, said each team got $250 in start-up money—which was paid back at the end of the competition—and were told they’d be judged on their net profit, their “business for good” approach and their social media impact. Each of the four teams also had a faculty coordinator and mentor during the competition, which ran from October to December.

And the winners were promised a big reward: $2,500.

Washed Ashore with their $2500 check for winning the Silverswords Business Competition

That winning team was called Washed Ashore, and they created jewelry out of microplastics reclaimed from Hawaii beaches. The idea was an instant hit, and they plan to keep the business alive.

“Living in Hawaii, you go to the beach often,” said student Kelsie Inoue, who was on the five-student Washed Ashore team. “While you’re there, you usually see trash and plastic washed up on the beach. We thought about how these microplastics could be repurposed in a way that would bring awareness to keeping our beaches clean and the impact we make. By making necklaces sourced from the microplastic and sea glass found on the beach, our customers wear a reminder of the difference we can make.”

From the outset, Inoue said, the team wanted to create a business with a strong mission.

And they knew their environmentally conscious message would appeal to lots of younger people, including their peers. That’s why they started by creating an Instagram account with college students as their target audience. Their @washedashore808 handle kept hundreds of customers updated on their product lines, upcoming sales, environmental impact and when they were sold out of certain items.

“The biggest takeaway from this competition was that you always need to adapt,” Inoue said. “Sometimes, you need to think on the spot or adjust to situations that aren’t the most comfortable for you, but by doing so it provides newfound skills and confidence in yourself.”

Rhey said while there was only one winner, all the student participants got something out of the competition. They applied concepts of pricing, operations, marketing, management and leadership.

And along the way, they got to imagine themselves as small business owners and entrepreneurs.

“The idea behind this competition was to give our students a greater appreciation for what they are learning in business, how it is applied in the marketplace and the importance of relationship-building,” Rhey said. “The students showed resilience and resourcefulness that was surprising and gratifying.”

He said all four participating teams took very limited resources and created “impressive micro-businesses.” One of the other teams, Silversword Sweets, was popular on campus right as the holidays rolled around. Another team, We Over Me, sold beach clean-up bags. And 3rd Avenue Attire created custom art design shirts and got more than 3,000 hits on their social media page from potential buyers.

Dr. Guanlin Gao, an associate professor of economics at Chaminade and mentor for the Silversword Sweets team, said it was wonderful to see students working together to create a product line and seek to entice customers. “Students learn so much from this high-touch, high-impact activity,” she said. “Their biggest challenge was juggling between school, work and this business competition.”

Gao added that she was especially impressed with how well students worked together.

“I hope they gained experience of developing soft skills in team-working,” she said.

Wera Panow-Loui, a marketing lecturer at Chaminade and mentor for Washed Ashore, was also excited to see just how much students got out of the experience. “I am all about teaching theories and models in a way that makes them interesting, relevant and practical for students,” she said. “This was a great opportunity to engage the students and connect classroom learning with practical application.”

She said her favorite part of the competition was getting to see her students’ creativity.

And she is very excited about the future of Washed Ashore. She’s wearing the upcycled necklaces and said the students received interest for their products from people around the state and as far away as Germany. “I strongly encourage my students to keep going and even try to find some investors,” she said.

Jackie Martinez, a junior in Communication, was captain for the 3rd Avenue Attire team and really enjoyed getting the chance to bring her artistic skills to the business competition. “I’ve always wanted to see my hand-drawn designs on tangible, wearable articles of clothing,” she said, adding that the “birth of the brand” came after a conversation among team members about the need for positive change.

The name, she added, was a nod to Chaminade and Kaimuki.

“My biggest takeaway from all of this is that anything is possible,” Martinez said. “This business competition gave me the confidence I needed to take on more challenging roles in both academic and employment settings. After seeing what I was capable of in such a short amount of time, I realized that I could realistically accomplish anything I set my mind to if I just approach it the same way.”

She added the clothing line is still taking orders under a new name, “World on Fire.”

And that is music to Rhey’s ears.

He said the competition had students doing everything from handling production to tackling group dynamics to showing off their leadership skills. Rhey added he’s grateful to Fujimoto for his vision and is looking forward to the next steps for the competition. The hope is that it will become a regular fixture at the school. “We’re discussing how we can weave this competition into our future curriculum,” he said.