Chaminade University of Honolulu

Diversity and Inclusion

2022 Co-Curricular Awards: Making a Positive Impact Across Campus

They go above and beyond—and their work doesn’t go unnoticed.

Students clapping during the 2022 Co-Curricular Awards

Last month, students, student organizations and clubs, and faculty members and staff whose commitment to putting Chaminade’s mission into action every day were recognized at the 17th annual Co-Curricular Awards. The event was a chance to thank awardees for their tireless efforts and showcase the positive difference they’re making across campus and the community.

In all, 19 awards were presented, including for service, scholarship and to outstanding student-athletes.

One member of each undergraduate class was selected to receive the Bro. Joseph Becker Award of Excellence, which recognizes those who display exceptional leadership skills through involvement in co-curricular activities. The awardees, with a diversity of scholarly ambitions, were: freshman Moanna Blaksteen, sophomore Andrew Nishitomi, junior Kobe Ngirailemesang, and senior Josephine Iose.

The Bro. Elmer Dunsky Outstanding Student Organization Award went to the Chaminade Student Programming Board, which works to organize events and promote a sense of community on campus. The award recognized the organization’s outstanding contributions to helping create a positive and welcoming campus environment that embraces service and fosters a true sense of ‘ohana. 

Students pose with the Co-curricular Awards

Meanwhile, two winners were selected for the Fr. Stephen Tutas Program Award of Excellence, bestowed on a student or student organization for exceptional creativity, planning and execution of a university program that contributed to the quality of life at Chaminade. Ashley Yoshikawa and Kayleen Lau were recognized for their Field Day Fundraiser for the Our Kupuna Foundation, a nonprofit that connects kupuna with sponsors who can help them with errands. And Melissa Dela Cruz was also honored for her My Culture is Not a Costume event to bolster cultural understanding.

The Rev. David Schuyler Advisor of the Year Award went to Malo Sipeli’i, for outstanding service mentoring a student organization. The award recognizes members of the faculty, staff or administration who seek to encourage and support students in leadership development and campus involvement.

Sipelii was also honored for a strong commitment to helping students greatly bolster their life skills, embrace innovative challenges, and balance and excel at their school, life and co-curricular obligations.

2022 Co-Curricular Awardees

  • Male Athlete of the Year: Isaac Amaral-Artharee
  • Female Athlete of the Year: Alexia Byrnes
  • Silversword Award: Kayleen Lau
  • Campus Ministry Award: Alia Mercado and Amber Sablan
  • Liturgy Award: Liam Sullivan and Kobe Ngirailemesang
  • Retreat Leader of the Year: Celine Mesiona-Perez and Kara Grace Joves
  • Service Award: Kaitlin Derouin and Tiffany Rivera
  • Outstanding Peer Mentor: Dimitrius Dominguez and Sharon Cain
  • Resident Assistant Award of Excellence: Kelsey Sablan
  • Residence Hall Association Award of Excellence: Cayenne Gabaylo and Jason Nowak
  • Bro. Joseph Becker Award of Excellence:
    • Freshman: Moanna Blaksteen
    • Sophomore: Andrew Nishitomi
    • Junior: Kobe Ngirailemesang
    • Senior: Josephine Iose
  • Bro. Elmer Dunsky Outstanding Student Organization Award: Chaminade Student Programming Board
  • Rev. David Schuyler Advisor of the Year Award: Malo Sipeli’i
  • Fr. Stephen Tutas Program Award for Excellence: “Field Day Fundraiser for Our Kupuna Foundation” (Ashley Yoshikawa & Kayleen Lau); “My Culture is Not a Costume” (Melissa Dela Cruz)
  • Frederick K.K. Kauhane, Sr. Aloha Spirit Award: Aloha Lei Garo and Sean-Zacharry Lorenzo, Jr.
  • Henry Halenani Gomes Alaka‘i Award: Alia Mercado and Alaina Mercado

School of Nursing and Health Professions Launches Parish Health Program

One of the biggest obstacles to health education and prevention screening is access.

And a new Parish Health program at Chaminade University is focused on addressing that.

The program, unique on Oahu, gives Chaminade Nursing students the opportunity to work one-on-one with parishioners after Mass or via telehealth appointments to offer blood pressure, nutritional or other types of screenings, make assessments on determinants of health and connect them with resources.

The students receive critical hands-on experiences with members of the community. And parishioner participants, who are 55 and older, are equipped with tools they can use to improve their wellness.

“We really wanted to develop a Parish Health program to serve the needs of the community with education, health promotion and even healthcare,” said Dr. Pamela Smith, School of Nursing and Health Professions associate dean. “Many of our students enjoy the fellowship and ministry part of school, and this was an opportunity to blend it into nursing-related education and public health-related education.”

Smith said a Marianist Sponsorship Ministries Foundation grant helped cover costs for the program’s launch, including health promotion items for participants like pedometers, blood pressure monitors and gift cards farmers markets. The program was also made possible in part, by Kaiser Permanente through the Catholic Care Coalition.

After conversations with community stakeholders, the program officially kicked off in the Fall Term in partnership with the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus in Kalihi. Nursing students offered screenings and health education to parishioners at the co-cathedral after each Mass. They also connected with parishioners via telehealth appointments—over the phone and through virtual meetings.

The program was expanded in the Spring to include a focus on exercise—a virtual Walk to Jerusalem that focused on the importance of movement to overall health. Participants signed up for the walk online and then tracked their progress with others along the way.

The next step for the program, Smith said, is growth.

Chaminade nursing student taking a parishioner's blood pressure for the Parish Health Program

There’s hope it can be expanded to more parishes on Oahu and even to the Neighbor Islands. The School of Nursing and Health Professions is also focused on increasing the number of students offering Parish Health services, including through one-on-one telehealth screening appointments.

Nursing student Zane Biscocho was among those who participated in the program. As part of the telehealth rotation, he held 30- to 60-minute screening interviews with parishioners to discuss everything from healthy eating to the importance of taking prescribed medication on time.

“One thing that I enjoyed most about being a part of the Parish Health program was learning how to be adaptable, utilize telehealth and education fairs, and also getting the chance to educate my patients about their appointments and concerns they may have had,” Biscocho said, after completing the experience. “My biggest takeaway is that healthcare expands far beyond the hospital.”

He added that Parish Health is not only making a difference, but adapting to meet participant needs.

That’s what Nursing student Tyler Insillo appreciated the most.

“It is always so important to meet people where they are,” she said. “We have to listen to what the community feels their needs are and address those needs accordingly, with consideration to not only their resources and time but their readiness to learn and accept the education we are sharing.”

As part of the program, Insillo delivered telehealth surveys along with in-person lessons on cardiovascular health. She said working one-on-one with participants was a rewarding experience. “I enjoyed working the community and helping them see the importance of a healthy lifestyle,” she said.

For details on the Parish Health program, click here.

Nonprofit Business Plan Competition 2022

Chaminade University’s Hogan Entrepreneurial Program and American Savings Bank are currently seeking entries in its Nonprofit Business Plan Competition. The competition, held every other year, is open to Hawaii nonprofit organizations looking to start new ventures that will benefit society. Finalists and winning nonprofits will receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $12,000 to support their proposals.

“We’re pleased to continue this important program that aims to stimulate public interest and support in nonprofit organizations and encourages excellence and innovation in socially-motivated entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Roy Panzarella, director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program. “We are also grateful for American Savings Bank’s continued partnership.”

Applicants must submit a statement of intent by February 1, 2022, to participate in the competition. Among the competition’s requirements:

  • Applicants must be a new nonprofit organization (in operation less than 12 months prior to entry deadline), a new program of an existing nonprofit organization, or a new for-profit subsidiary of a nonprofit organization.
  • Applicants must be located in the state of Hawaii.
  • The proposed venture must be designed to benefit society, i.e., it must generate positive social outcomes.
  • Only one business plan may be submitted for review.

The deadline for business plans is March 8, 2022. Eight finalists will then be selected to give an in-person presentation on April 12, 2022.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony held at Chaminade University on April 27, 2022. Grants will be awarded to first place ($12,000), second place ($10,000) third place ($5,000) and fourth place ($3,000) winners. The remaining finalists will also receive $1,000 each.

For detailed information about the 2022 Nonprofit Business Plan Competition, click here to download the entry packet. The entry packet includes eligibility requirements, entry and review process, recognition and awards, evaluation criteria and FAQs, as well as a sample business plan outline.

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Chaminade University’s Hogan Entrepreneurial Program is a one- or two-year certificate program. Students learn first-hand from experienced Hawaii business leaders and entrepreneurs about the business of getting a new idea up and running. This involves academic coursework, mentorships and internships with business leaders, weekly lectures, study trips, and programs like the nonprofit business plan competition. For more information, visit Chaminade.edu/hogan.

Partnerships and $15M Grant to Improve Health and Wellbeing in Hawaii

Research has shown Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Filipinos and other medically underserved populations in Hawaii have disproportionately higher rates of physical ailments and mental health conditions. And the pandemic has only exacerbated those issues — and spotlighted a lack of community resources.

Addressing these health disparities will require everyone’s help.

That’s exactly the idea behind the newly-formed Center for Pacific Innovations, Knowledge and Opportunities (PIKO) — an innovative collaboration of Hawaii universities, including Chaminade, and organizations that will support critical areas of study and seek to turn research into positive change.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded the University of Hawaii PIKO a five-year, $15 million grant in which Chaminade University is a partner of the initiative. The funds will be distributed to researchers, especially those at the beginning of their careers, but will also go to professional development opportunities, outreach programming, and other opportunities.

The PIKO partnership includes the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Chaminade University and Hawaii Pacific University — along with the statewide network of organizations. PIKO is led by two UH professors: Dr. Joseph Keaweaimoku Kaholokula, who is chair of Native Hawaiian Health, and Dr. Neal Palafox, whose focus at the John A. Burns School of Medicine includes community health.

Kaholokula said PIKO is focused on improving the health and wellbeing of Hawaii’s people and supporting new research. “This is an unprecedented partnership and initiative in Hawaii to support talented junior researchers in doing culturally responsive and community-engaged research,” he said.

Faculty from Chaminade University who are part of this PIKO project include:

  • Dr. Jonathan Baker, assistant professor of Biology, who is one of the leads for tracking and evaluating the grant,
  • Dr. Rylan Chong, assistant professor of Data Science, who is the data science lead for the biostatistics, epidemiology and research design core, and
  • Dr. Claire Wright, an associate professor of Biology at Chaminade, is the lead who oversees the grant distribution and broadening the center’s reach.

Dr. Claire Wright said the pandemic has magnified the impacts of health disparities on underserved communities and underscored the need for action-oriented research.

“With this grant, we really wanted to focus on where the rubber meets the road,” she said.

In particular, the center and its partnering institutions will be working to recruit and fund more emerging researchers who come from the communities they hope to serve — and give them support along the way. There is also a strong emphasis on engaging community members, Wright said, by partnering with them for research projects and then communicating the results.

She added the center’s goals and the overall grant align with Chaminade’s mission to help build stronger, more resilient communities and to support projects that pursue social justice, peace and equity. “There is a lot of positive impacts you can make in this type of research,” Wright said.  

Funding for the first year of the grant is already rolling out, and projects for year two are being sought.

Wright said a call for abstracts is set for December.

She added that she’s optimistic about the positive impact the collaboration is poised to bring about and excited about the prospect of helping to develop more researchers—across a variety of disciplines—who are focused on addressing health disparities. Those researchers will in turn serve as mentors.

“At Chaminade, we have a close relationship with our students,” Wright said. “To be able to show more faculty entrenched in this kind of research, showing their students how they can help with their community, that’s a massive win for Chaminade and for changing their perspectives.”

The Spirituality of Justice: Racism & Climate Change

Fr. Dan Horan speaking at the Mystical Rose Oratory during Chaminade's Marianist Lecture Series

The “Catholic response” to racism, climate change and other societal injustices — including those plaguing Hawaii communities — must be one centered in faith-based action that “ought to discomfit the comfortable, humble the powerful, and lift up the oppressed,” said noted author and speaker Fr. Dan Horan during a recent talk at Chaminade’s Mystical Rose Oratory for the Marianist Lecture series.

Horan, acknowledging his own status as a “temporary guest” in Hawaii, added that people in the islands must seek to learn from indigenous communities and understand their unique ways of knowing the world so they can help craft holistic, place-based responses to the greatest crises of our time.

The engaging talk on September 26 comes as the Marianist Lecture series celebrates 25 years of promoting Catholic responsibility and service, and launches a new honor — the Mackey Award for Catholic Thought — to recognize leaders advancing the Marianist spirit and educational mission.

Horan, a columnist for the National Catholic Reporter whose most recent book is titled A White Catholic’s Guide to Racism and Privilege, was the inaugural recipient of the Mackey Award. In his lecture, Horan unpacked the writings of scholar, social activist, and monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968).

Merton may not be a household name. But in 2015, Pope Francis highlighted him as one of four “representatives of the American people” who fought for equal rights—alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and Dorothy Day. Horan said Merton’s writings from the 1950s and 1960s offer important lessons for modern America, including about the importance of respecting others.

“Merton was attuned in an unusual way for a white man of his time to the failure to honor the wisdom, heritage, beauty, value and dignity of culture, traditions and religions that are not part of a Euro-American hegemony that came with the colonization to these lands,” Horan said.

He added that Merton offers “timely insights” and opportunities for further reflection on Hawaiian history, colonialism, and the “local response to both systemic racism and climate change.” Perhaps a key point of inquiry, he said, is Merton’s belief that the “spirit of God draws near not just to human beings but to the whole family of creation. Everything that exists reflects or points back to the Creator.”

In other words, Horan said, Merton would have “nodded along approvingly” to indigenous understandings of nature as not something that is separated or distinct from human existence but as central to life, familial relationships to and to society. “The global response to climate change … can only take place with the privileged species, humanity, embracing a sense of creational humility,” he said.

Horan also elucidated three points for white Christians seeking to respond to racial injustice.

He said those in positions of privilege and power because of their race must focus on diagnosis and criticism, “embracing a spirit of praxis and engagement.” They must also step back, listening to those in diverse communities rather than seeking to prescribe solutions. And they must “get out of the way,” Horan added. “They need to follow rather than lead. They need to listen rather than instruct.”

Horan sought to do just that in his own talk, opening his speech by noting that aloha is “not to be granted but always earned” and allowing time after his lecture for a question-and-answer dialogue with the audience. “As a guest, I seek to support the various strategies that the indigenous peoples of Hawaii are using to protect their land and their communities,” Horan said, near the start of his speech.

“I come to this land with a deep respect in a spirit of openness — and with a desire to learn.”

Watch the full video here

Hokulea Navigator and Environmental Lawyer in Training

Lucy Lee '23, environmental studies major on Hokulea smiling at camera

Over the summer, Lucy Lee ’23 was one of five student navigators invited on a training expedition of Hokulea and sister voyaging canoe Hikianalia to the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

One of their big challenges: use traditional Polynesian navigation techniques to find Nihoa island.

How tough is that? Lee said Polynesian Voyaging Society President and Master Navigator Nainoa Thompson has compared the task of navigating to Nihoa—with an area of just over a third of a mile—to departing from Hawaii Island’s south shore and finding something about half the size of Diamond Head.

So … pretty tough.

On the day they were set to arrive at Nihoa, Lee had the midnight to 6 a.m. navigation run.

“I was really nervous because we wanted to be at a certain place at sunrise,” the Chaminade Environmental Studies major said. Once Lee conducted some calculations as day broke, she and the other student navigators concluded they were close to where they wanted to be.

They woke Thompson up to share the news and he didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to.

Lucy Lee '23, environmental studies major navigating on Hokulea

“He smiled. We were about a degree and a half off (course)—about as close as you can get without using modern tools,” said Lee, adding that her first deep sea navigation on Hokulea was an awe-inspiring experience. “Papahanaumokuakea is not a place people typically get access to. It’s super special. I think going anywhere by canoe is awesome, and pulling Nihoa out of the water was definitely the highlight.”

While the Papahanaumokuakea voyage was a major milestone for Lee, it’s also only a start. She is training to navigate during Hokulea’s next major voyage: a 41,000-mile trek to circumnavigate the Pacific Ocean, stopping at 46 countries, 345 ports and 100 indigenous territories.

The launch date is tentatively set for summer 2022.

The Pacific Voyaging Society has called the massive expedition, coming on the heels of Hokulea’s worldwide Malama Honua voyage, an opportunity to focus on the vital importance of oceans while developing young crew members, navigators and leaders. Lee said she’s honored to be training as a student navigator, “learning and watching and being taught what it takes to be on the crew.”

“It’s learning how to change lines, how to change knots. But it’s also learning what it means to be a helpful and active crew member,” added Lee, who had only navigated on inter-island and coastal sails before the 10-day voyage to the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. “I feel very fortunate to be … learning the skill and the art of traditional Polynesian navigation.”

And she’s balancing all that learning on the water with her studies at Chaminade.

Lucy Lee '23, environmental studies paddling on Hikianalia

“School is really important for me,” said Lee, who graduated from Kamehameha Schools and is interested in going into environmental law. She said she chose Chaminade because she wanted to stay in Hawaii and was interested in a university with an individualized approach to instruction.

Lee said she applied and got into several colleges on the mainland but knew they weren’t a right fit. “You know in all those cliché college movies where they walk into the lecture room and there’s like 200 people?” Lee asked, laughing. “I was like, that’s not for me. I like how Chaminade is small.”

Lee was also interested in an option that wouldn’t break the bank.

At Chaminade, she is receiving the Regents Scholarship (a merit scholarship), which covers about half of her tuition.

And, Lee said, she was looking for an environment-focused program that incorporated policy and advocacy. The Environmental Studies program at Chaminade was perfect. Lee said her ultimate goal is to offer legal expertise and representation to sustenance fishing and farming communities in Hawaii.

“They are ingenious, but they struggle in literacy when it comes to law and defending themselves in justice systems,” she said, pointing to decades-long legal challenges over water rights for small farmers on Maui. Lee added, “I started hearing about that case when I was in elementary school.”

But before heading to law school (and after graduating from Chaminade), she’ll be taking a break.

Because around that time, she plans to be sailing on Hokulea—on its pan-Pacific voyage.