Chaminade University of Honolulu

Campus and Community

History in the Making

Students from middle to high schools show off their historical projects

Participants work on an origami project with the guidance of members from the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii.

With easing COVID restrictions, this year’s Honolulu District History Day Fair was not held virtually for the first time since the pandemic. The hybrid format allowed students to attend in-person at Chaminade University’s Hale Hoaloha. In total, 114 students—from middle to high schools—registered from eight schools, including some ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi students; 65 projects were submitted; and 10 teachers acted as mentors.

“The Chaminade School of Humanities has a longstanding relationship with Hawaii History Day,” says Cheryl Edelson, Chaminade’s Dean of School of Humanities, Arts and Design. “In fact, Chaminade Professor of History, Dr. Mitch Yamasaki, is one of the founding members of Hawaii History Day—a program that since 1990 has brought together K-12 teachers, students and community members to research and create projects on the importance of history.”

Hawaii History Day coincides with the National History Day® (NHD), an educational nonprofit organization that engages teachers and students in historical research. The mission of NHD is to improve the teaching and learning of history in middle and high school through an innovative framework of historical inquiry and research. Students learn history by selecting topics of interest, launching into year-long research projects, and presenting their findings through creative approaches and media.

“The scope of projects and the innovative approaches presented by students is always exciting and impressive,” Edelson says. “In 2021, Hawaii History Day participant Keilani Kajiyama Tinkham of Laie Elementary School earned first place honors in the National Junior Division in Performance for her project The Rhythm of Resilience: Communication through the Bon Dance.” 

Social Studies teacher Jaimy Valerio helps students with their project.

Students can choose from one of five different project formats: Exhibit, Performance, Documentary, Essay and Website. On Hawaii Island, students can also enter their projects in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. This year’s narrative theme was “Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.”

“Hawaiʻi History Day is about community, connection, and the exchange of knowledge through storytelling, connecting our histories to our everyday lives and sparking inspiration for the future,”  says Shannon Cristobal, Director of Hawaiʻi History Day. “These community connections and storytelling exchanges have been particularly crucial for our students as they endured constant schedule changes and profound isolation during online learning through the COVID pandemic, which has really hit our educational community hard.”

Winners will go on to compete at the state competition at a later date. Their projects capture the human experience, showcasing the complex historical contexts that have led to the ideas, which have become so ingrained in our everyday lives.

“When students participate in History Day, they become expert detectives, writers, artists and storytellers,” says Devin Makizuru, Hawaii History Day Assistant Coordinator. “They find bits and pieces of a story, and bring them together to create a different one. This story they tell has a part of them in it, so it is special in that way. We may hear the same stories over the years, but the voices telling them are different. And sometimes, something very special happens…and someone tells a story that no one has ever heard before.”

I Go To College

Fifth-Graders Attend Classes and a Mock Graduation Ceremony

The excitement was palpable as 254 fifth-graders from Catholic schools across the islands descended on campus to participate in the inaugural “I Go To College” event. Gathering at the Sullivan Family Library Lawn, 20 students from St. Theresa Honolulu were playing cornhole, spike ball and Jenga, as they waited for fellow students to arrive from St. Catherine, St. Anthony’s on Maui, St. Theresa Kauai, Holy Family Catholic Academy, Mary Star of the Sea, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Saint Louis, St. John Vianney, St. Joseph Parish School, and St. Joseph in Hilo. Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington welcomed the students, their teachers and chaperones to campus.

“This is all they could talk about yesterday and today on the bus,” said St. Theresa Honolulu fifth-grade teacher Alyssa Yabes of the students. “Some of them were even saying that they were going to graduate from college even before their older siblings.”

Started approximately 15 years ago on the mainland, the “I Go To College” program aims to expose 9-12-year-old students to higher education, even before they step onto a middle school campus. According to Llewellyn Young, Ph.D., superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools, this type of early exposure encourages these fifth graders to start thinking about attending college.

“I’ve seen the anecdotal results of these visits,” said Young, a former dean at Arizona Western, where “I Go To College” visits have taken place since 2010. “We want these kids to see that going to college isn’t such a far-fetched idea. It is achievable.”

Sitting across from each other during “What’s for Dinner? Setting an Interfaith Table” with Sister Malia Wong, Ph.D., Keslen Carroll and Julia Carlos from Holy Family Catholic Academy were enthusiastic about being on campus, both expressing that they plan to attend college.

Keslen Carroll receives her diploma from Drs. Lynn Babington and Lance Askildson during a mock commencement at Mamiya Theatre.
Keslen Carroll receives her diploma from Drs. Lynn Babington and Lance Askildson during a mock commencement at Mamiya Theatre.

“This is going to be a good day,” said Carlos, with a wide smile. “I’m not sure where I want to go college, but maybe Idaho University because I like the snow.”

A seven-year longitudinal study* of a college prep program for middle school students showed that “college visits were an integral part of the program.” Students who went on a campus visit had more positive perceptions of college than those who did not. Research also shows the importance of starting college and career planning, and awareness in middle school. Early exposure to a college campus makes a difference, especially among first-generation college-bound, and other underrepresented groups, which are an integral element to increase college enrollment and diversity on campus.

“We’re trying to make the transition from grade school to university as seamless as possible,” said Dr. Janet Davidson, Chaminade Vice Provost and Academic Affairs Professor, who helped organize the day’s event. “We’re hoping that these kids will continue with their education and with their Catholic journey.”

Before setting off on their campus tour, students were divided into eight groups, offering a more intimate setting to simulate the typical Chaminade class size. Class topics varied from “Landing on the Moon on Mars—An Engineering Design Challenge” and EDventures in Science: Water is Life” to “Agriculture and Food Waste” and “Pocket Sharks & Water Bears: An Introduction to Biodiversity.”

“By the time they’re in grade eight or nine, it’s almost too late to spark their interest in college,” Young said. “We’re collaborating with Chaminade in a way that we’ve never collaborated in the past. When I approached Drs. Babington and Askildson about ‘I Go to College,’ they were thrilled, and immediately said yes. This is our pilot year and we’re already talking about how to refine it for next year.”  

Students ended the day with a “graduation” ceremony at Mamiya Theatre with Dr. Lynn Babington and Chaminade Provost Dr. Lance Askildson presenting them with certificates. 

“You are now part of our Silversword ‘ohana,” Babington told students. “I hope you learned a lot after completing your first full day of college.” 

*Research in Middle Level Education, Rich A. Radcliffe & Liz C. Stephens, 2008

Fifth-graders attended classes, toured the campus and participated in a mock Commencement during “I Go To College” event, which aims to expose 9-12-year-old students to higher education.

Scholarship Luncheon

Students thank donors for their continued support

More than 80 donors, students and staff attended this year’s Mahalo Scholarship Luncheon on February 9, 2023, in-person and online. Dr. Lynn M. Babington, President of Chaminade University of Honolulu addressed the audience and expressed her gratitude for the support of our students. Dr. Babington shared how Chaminade offers more than 100 scholarships that have been generously established by individual donors and foundations. Many of them are endowed, and several are renewable investments that are replenished each year. This year alone, students received nearly $2.3 million in donor-funded scholarships.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to thank and to let donors know how much their support has made a difference in their educational journey,” said Jimmy Tran, Stewardship and Scholarships Manager in the Office of Advancement. “Our donors see how their support helps fulfill our students’ dreams of obtaining a quality college education and to go on to successful careers.”

Chaminade juniors Caitlin Bocobo and Aleeyah Lemons shared their appreciation for their scholarship. “Words are not enough to express how grateful we are for your gifts that made our scholarships possible. I am here today to offer my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to you all,” said Bocobo ’24.

“Donors allow students, like me, to get the most out of their college experience—to grow, mature and make a difference in this world,” said Lemons ’24. “The Silversword ‘ohana is grateful to have you all. I am grateful to have your support and faith.”

Dani Masuda, Assistant Vice President for Student Success shared with the gathering how the scholarships can be the difference between attending college or not. “Scholarships contribute to a student’s wellness and the reach goes far beyond just the individual student. Mahalo nui loa to our donors for your continued generosity, commitment, and investment in our students,” said Masuda.

If you would like to support a student attending Chaminade University, contact Jimmy Tran at [email protected]

Dr. Lynn Babington Address Scholarship Luncheon Attendees

Donors, faculty, staff and students gathered for the annual Scholarship Luncheon.

Mental Health Assistance Fund

Client Assistance Fund named after Chaminade Adjunct Faculty

Although Mental Health America ranks Hawaii as #2 in having a lower prevalence of mental illness and higher rates of access to care for adults, there still exists a mounting need for mental health services across the health-care sector. It’s a demand that the Samaritan Counseling Center Hawaii has been trying to fulfill since 1989. 

The Rev. Dr. Gary Augustin joined the fight 25 years ago, and he has been an integral part of the nonprofit mental health counseling center ever since. It was only fitting then that the Center would recently rename the Client Assistance Fund, which provides mental health subsidies to individuals with limited financial means, to The Rev. Dr. Gary Augustin Client Assistance Fund.

Client Assistance Fund renamed after The Rev. Dr. Gary Augustin.
Client Assistance Fund renamed after The Rev. Dr. Gary Augustin.

Augustin joined the Center in 1997 as a Staff Counselor and Director of Education and Training, and over the years served as both Clinical Director and Executive Director. He is an adjunct faculty member at Chaminade University, a military family and life counselor, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and an ordained minister in Honolulu. He was also recognized with the Center’s prestigious Ho’omenemene Award in 2020. 

In a video tribute to acknowledge his award, Abby Halston, Chaminade Associate Professor of Psychology and Clinical Director, MSCP Marriage and Family, praised Augustin as being “a pioneer within our Hawaii marriage and family community with milestones including being the 30th in our state to first be licensed, and has been instructing, supervising and mentoring our Chaminade MSCP students for the past 20 years.”

“The Rev. Dr.  Augustin has tirelessly served his clients and the Center with humility, generosity and grace,” says The Rev. Dr. Bert Sumikawa, President of the Board of Directors of Samaritan Counseling Center Hawaii. “Renaming the Client Assistance Fund honors his contributions to the Center and his lasting legacy of hope, healing and compassion.”

The Client Assistance Fund has served Hawai’i since its 1989 inception, subsidizing mental health counseling for individuals, youth, couples and families who are uninsured, underinsured, elderly and low-income. It is a safety net for those with limited financial means, and helps to increase access to professional, affordable mental health care for the people of Hawaii.

In 2022, Samaritan Counseling Center Hawai’i served 609 clients and provided 5,179 counseling sessions. The Client Assistance Fund subsidized counseling for 260 clients and 36 percent of all counseling sessions.

“Dr. Augustin helped set me on a path of self-discovery and chart the road of inner growth,” says client Richard Morris. “He certainly helped me find a beneficial level of inner peace and outer understanding.”

Donations to The Rev. Dr. Gary Augustin Client Assistance Fund can be made online at www.samaritancounselingcenterhawaii.org/giving.

Class Act

Students, staff volunteer to help The Institute for Human Services

Not to be confused with Service Learning Day, Servant Leadership Day only happens once a year in January to coincide with Founders’ Week. In the half century since its introduction, Robert Greenleaf’s “Servant Leadership” theory has become increasingly popular among American corporations. Companies such as Nordstrom, Starbucks, The Container Store and FedEx have all adopted the theory that a leader must be a servant first and a leader second. This was indeed the case when Chaminade University’s Mitch Steffey joined students and fellow staff members in an effort to help The Institute for Human Services (IHS).

“We’re learning just as much from the community as we are giving to it,” says Steffey, Associate Director

Students volunteered to participate in Servant Leadership Day at IHS.

of Service Learning and Community Engagement. “The idea is you’re leading for the people to accomplish their goals and not ours. It’s also talking about the difference between sympathy and empathy.”

Silversword senior, Montserrat Lanfranco ’23, was among the volunteers who helped haul away old furniture, appliances and miscellaneous equipment in a Herculean effort to organize a large storage area at IHS. To Steffey’s point about empathy, Lanfranco muses that “everyone has a different situation as to why they’re homeless.”

During an on-camera interview with KGMB’s Hawaii News Now, Montserrat says by helping IHS—and thus, in essence, its clients—they’re digging into the roots of houselessness and helping a marginalized population of society plant new roots to promote a healthier type of system.

“At least that’s how I see it,” Montserrat concludes. “I feel like if we can get down to it (the root of the cause) then we can really solve the problem.”

Across the nation, homelessness has become a major flash point, attracting the attention and the ire of local, state and national lawmakers. On Dec. 19, 2022, the Biden-Harris administration released a federal plan for ending homelessness in America that starts with the ambitious goal of reducing homelessness by 25 percent by 2025. All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness builds on the success of previous plans and will do more than any previous federal effort to systemically prevent homelessness, and combat the systemic racism that has created racial and ethnic disparities in homelessness.

Mitch Steffey organized Servant Leadership Day with IHS.

Modeled after the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, The Hawai‘i Interagency Council on Homelessness (HICH) is an advisory body that serves as a statewide homelessness planning and policy development entity with broad representation from State and County government and the community. The council has adopted its own 10-year plan that utilizes an active implementation framework with the work divided into four general stages for implementation: exploration, installation, initial implementation and full implementation.

According to the released Ten-Year Strategic Plan and Framework, the proposal advances the vision of ending homelessness in Hawai‘i by implementing and sustaining a housing-focused system that draws upon the efforts of multiple partners and creates a clear pathway to stable housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The plan and vision acknowledge that the work to combat homelessness cannot be addressed by any single government entity or provider alone, and requires a shared community effort and “all-hands-on-deck” approach. 

Steffey shares the same approach when he organizes these types of service events, which he hopes will become more frequent. “What we did at the IHS shelter is the community engagement part of my job,” says the Pennsylvania native, emphasizing the second half of his official staff title. “I’m trying to get students out of their residence halls, out of their homes and into the community.”

Steffey distinguishes the difference between community service and learning service. Citing an example of the latter, he uses a biology student who could go out in the lo’i kalo (taro patch) to test the waters to see why one part of the patch produces more kalo than another.

“He/she can test if there’s too much acid in the water,” Steffey explains. “So we’re going to the community to fulfill a need with the expertise that we already have through our professors, courses and classrooms.

“You don’t have that at beach cleanup,” Steffey continues. “The cleanup is good for the community, but there isn’t much learning being done.”

Marianist Lecture Series

Villanova scholar to discuss ‘A Life Worth Loving’

Engaging and insightful, guest speaker Anna Moreland, Ph.D., of Villanova University, will discuss “A Life Worth Loving” during a free Feb. 19 symposium at 4 p.m. at the Mystical Rose Oratory on the Chaminade campus at 3140 Waialae Ave. 

Co-authored by Dr. Thomas Smith from Catholic University of America, Daring to Live: A Guide to a Meaningful Life represents Dr. Moreland’s upcoming third book, which discusses the challenges that confront young adults in today’s world.

“I will provide an overview of my book,” wrote Moreland in an email message. “I’ll talk about three challenges that I find emerging adults face and three strategies to meet those challenges.” 

In a previous campus lecture at Villanova, Moreland said the primary reason for writing the new book was to help “emerging” adults cross the threshold from late adolescence to young adulthood. She cited loneliness and choice paralysis as two “ingredients” that greatly impact students’ decision making, whether it be committing to a major or minor, or deciding which internships will benefit them most. 

During her Marianist lecture, Moreland will offer strategies that will help young adults expand their imagination, build a better vocabulary, and recover habits and practices to live more fully and faithfully.

“I’ve given versions of [this lecture] to different audiences with much success,” Moreland said. “The truth is that this lecture is directed toward emerging adults and those who love them so, actually, it’s directed to everyone.”

Moreland is the Anne Quinn Welsh Endowed Chair of the University Honors Program and Professor in the Department of Humanities at Villanova University. She received her B.A. in Philosophy at the University of Maryland, College Park, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Boston College.

She will be presented with the Mackey Award for Catholic Thought, which is in honor of Marianist Father Robert Mackey, S.M., the first president of Chaminade University, and a once-important voice in the civic and religious community of Honolulu. The award recognizes scholarly, community and faith leaders whose work advances the spirit, charism and educational mission of the Society of Mary and the Marianist Family.

The Marianist Lecture is sponsored by the Marianist Center of Hawaii, Chaminade University and St. Louis School.