Chaminade University of Honolulu

Education

Our Capacity For Hope

Dr. Carolyn Woo bowed her head in prayer before addressing the audience gathered in the Mystical Rose Oratory. Then she began simply: “I’m here to talk about hope.”

As the latest guest in the Marianist Lecture Series, Woo offered far more than reflection. Through personal experience and global perspective, she challenged listeners to recognize both their responsibility and their capacity for hope—even amid devastating news and uncertainty in the United States and around the world. Her speech aligns with the University’s commitment to community partnership and impact, one of the commitments of the Strategic Plan.

Drawing from her years of humanitarian leadership, Woo shared vivid stories and metaphors. She recounted how a Guatemalan corn farmer, facing the loss of his land, adapted by cultivating papaya and ultimately built a thriving livelihood. She described how Chinese Christians, confronted with the destruction of religious statues, responded creatively—crafting an image inspired by a folk legend of a peasant woman carrying a light on her head, symbolizing Mary and the Christ Child. In each example, adversity became an invitation to resilience and renewal.

“The biggest blessing of my work at Catholic Relief Services is realizing that problems can be solved in significant ways,” Woo said.

Woo served as president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS)—the official humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community—from 2012 to 2016. Founded in 1943 by the Catholic bishops of the United States to assist survivors of World War II, CRS has grown to serve more than 200 million people in over 100 countries across five continents.

Before leading CRS, Woo built a distinguished career in higher education. From 1997 to 2011, she served as dean of the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. Under her leadership, the college earned national recognition, including top rankings for undergraduate business education and consistent distinction for excellence in ethics education and research.

Acknowledging today’s social and political tensions, Woo reminded the audience that history, too, has known periods of darkness, including World War II. Yet resilience, she emphasized, is the signature of hope. Drawing from the theological virtues, she explained that hope emerges when faith is joined with charity—when belief is put into action.

Her international impact has been widely recognized. In 2013, Foreign Policy named Woo among its 500 Most Powerful People for her global leadership, identifying her as one of 33 individuals considered “a force for good.” In 2015, she was one of five speakers at the Vatican press conference introducing Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, and she later co-coordinated the Vatican’s Energy Transition Dialogues in 2018 and 2019.

Woo concluded with a call to personal responsibility: “Agency is the offspring of responsibility and capacity,” she said. When individuals recognize both, they can “build back better.”

At the close of the lecture, Woo was presented with the Mackey Award for Catholic Thought, named in honor of Fr. Robert Mackey, S.M., the first president of Chaminade University.

The Marianist Lecture Series—sponsored by The Marianist Center of Hawaiʻi, Chaminade University, and St. Louis School—fosters inclusive dialogue on Catholic thought and social responsibility. Gathered on the Kalaepōhaku campus in a spirit of community and shared purpose, attendees were reminded that hope is not passive optimism, but a call to resilient action.

Criminal Justice program awarded $1 million grant for new training institute

Legal and law enforcement professionals from throughout the Pacific region will soon enjoy additional training and support thanks to one of Hawai‘i’s senators in Washington.

Chaminade University’s Criminology and Criminal Justice program, part of the School of Education & Behavioral Sciences, is receiving a $1 million federal education grant. The money will be used to establish a new institute for training criminal justice professionals from the Pacific Islands, especially South Pacific island nations and territories.

The new institute will be housed at Chaminade.

Kelly Treece, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and director of the program, said the name of this new institute hasn’t been decided yet. Whatever it’s called, the new institute will serve as “a hub for training and development for every aspect of the justice system,” Treece said.

“There’s nothing like it in the whole state and of course nothing like it in all the South Pacific.” Treece said the funds will be used to offset costs for professionals to travel to Hawai‘i to receive specialized training “so it makes it much more affordable.”

Chaminade University is home to the state’s oldest and largest criminal justice education program. The program already hosts students from Guam, Saipan, and other Pacific islands.

Chaminade University’s Criminology and Criminal Justice program is renowned throughout the Pacific.

The grant was secured as an earmark to a spending bill thanks to the legislative work of U.S. Senator Brian Schatz. Schatz has been serving in the Senate as Hawai‘i’s senator since 2012.

The $1 million grant is part of a larger appropriations package that Senator Schatz negotiated for the state as whole.

“Despite some challenges in Washington, we secured nearly $34 million in new earmark funding for Hawai‘i and expect more to come,” Schatz said in a statement. “These earmarks will give local non-profits and infrastructure projects more resources to serve communities across Hawai‘i.”

His office said additional earmarked funds for the state could be announced within weeks.

Catholic School Fifth Graders Go to College

Fifth grader Ireland Baum waited on the lanai of the Sullivan Library, anticipating a day of college life with her classmates and peers from Catholic schools across the state. 

“I think coming here to Chaminade is a great experience so I can learn more about college life,” Baum said. “I think college is going to be fun because we get to learn new things and go to fun classes.” 

By the sights and sounds of active, engaged, and happy youths on Chaminade’s grassy, beautiful and safe campus, FUN is absolutely correct. 

Baum is one of approximately 350 fifth-graders who spent or will spend a day at Chaminade University this month, attending classes taught by university professors and then receiving a “diploma” presented by Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington in a special graduation ceremony in Mamiya Theatre. The first day was held yesterday, February 12, and will happen again on February 23. The “I Go To College” program is a partnership between Hawaiʻi Catholic Schools and Chaminade, immersing students from Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawai‘i island to college life at an early age and providing them with a fun, enriching day. 

In the “Amazing Brain Class,” students discussed the brain’s amazing abilities, its limitations, and its dysfunctions. Then talked about the field of psychology with a final message of patience and acceptance.  Students attended the “Catching Morphology Concepts through Pokemon” class to learn word parts (morphology) through Pokemon names and how those names align to abilities. Dr. Denise Dugan taught a class called “Mini Science Lab: The Invisible Ink Mystery” in which students engaged in a fast-paced, hands-on science experience. In the 30-minute lab, students acted as scientists by writing secret messages with an “invisible ink” and then revealing them using a color-changing indicator. 

Students also enjoyed a pizza lunch and took home their brand new diplomas and mortar boards which they received upon “graduating” from Chaminade. 

Thursday, Feb. 12,  the schools participating included: 

St. Joseph’s School, Hilo

Sacred Hearts School, Lahaina

St. Anthony School, Maui 

St. Theresa School, Kauai 

Our Lady of Good Counsel

St. Theresa School

St. John Vianney School 

St. Michael School

St. Louis School

On Monday, Feb. 23, these schools will vist: 

Sacred Hearts Academy 

St. Anthony School, Kailua

St. Elizabeth School 

St. Joseph Parish School

Maryknoll School

Holy Family Catholic School

St. Patrick School 

Mary, Star of the Sea School  

A seven-year longitudinal study* 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. 

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

$1.25 million grant for early intervention education

Chaminade University has been awarded a five-year, $1.25 million federal grant aimed at bolstering Hawai‘i’s early intervention workforce so that infants and toddlers with developmental concerns have greater access to high-quality and timely services. 

Elizabeth Park, Ph.D., who is a professor and director of Chaminade’s Early Childhood and Montessori Programs, said the islands face a critical shortage of early intervention professionals. The lack of early intervention services is especially acute in rural or Neighbor Island communities.

And the greatest cause of the shortage? A gap in higher education programming. Park said no university-level academic program in Hawai‘i previously focused on preparing early intervention (birth to age 3) professionals—and those who sought training on the mainland didn’t always return. 

With the grant funding, Chaminade plans to launch an Early Intervention Certificate and offer generous scholarships to cohorts. Project MĀLAMA (Mentoring and Advancing Local Access for Meaningful Achievement), as Park’s initiative is dubbed, will also work to build partnerships with local organizations so that students can get hands-on opportunities and job placement.

Park said the hope is to help build a stronger ecosystem for early intervention in the islands.

The inaugural cohort is slated to include 10 to 12 students with Jonathan Alexander (also pictured) serving as project co-director.

Early intervention services are delivered by a range of  professionals focused on cognitive development, including social workers, speech pathologists, physical therapists and occupational therapists. Park said early interventionists train on neurodiversity, inclusion and much more.

And, she added, early intervention can sometimes make all the difference. “Especially for those children who are really at the borderline, with a little bit of early intervention like speech therapy or physical therapy, they can really transition to the mainstream for education,” Park said. 

The early intervention grant comes as Chaminade continues to collaborate with the state Department of Health, Early Childhood Action Strategy, Kamehameha Schools and other entities to increase the number of highly-trained early childhood educators in the islands.

Park said a strong focus on serving Hawai‘i’s youngest keiki will pay big dividends.

And through Project MĀLAMA at Chaminade, “graduates will be well-equipped to deliver inclusive, equitable early intervention services across Hawai‘i,” Park said, in the grant application.

“The project strengthens long-term workforce sustainability,” she continued,” by fostering a pipeline of professionals who reflect the communities they serve and are committed to improving developmental outcomes for young children and their families.”

Park said she decided to apply for the grant after conferring with other professionals and academics focused on improving the pipeline of services to young children. She added the grant was a collaborative effort and was made possible with technical assistance from Chaminade’s Sponsored Programs and Research Integrity team and grant specialist Andrew Perez.

Additionally, Park said she received support from the state Department of Health, Executive Office on Early Learning, Hawaii Pacific University, University of Connecticut Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, and Early Childhood Action Strategy.

Grant number H325M250147 .

Student Surfboard as Art

Who says surfboards are meant only for surfing? They also double as works of art. That’s what Shania Lindsey Gervacio proved by winning the Maui Invitational Surfboard Design Contest this past November.

 A third year student majoring in Environmental + Interior Design, Gervacio initially based her design off of island tribal patterns and flora specific to Hawai’i. This concept later transitioned into the foundation icon of Chaminade Athletics that represents the Marianist approaches to education. 

“I also included hibiscuses as well as plumerias to refer to the pua commonly seen around the university campus,” she said. For the ‘silverswords’ in the center of the board, this was inspired by the fact that the previous surfboard designs mentioned ‘Chaminade’ or ‘Chaminade Silverswords,’ rather than only ‘Silverswords.’”

Gervacio’s professor, Dr. Junghwa Suh DArch, encouraged her to participate in the surfboard design competition during the 2025 spring semester. While designing, she also balanced working on a huge design project yet was able to brainstorm three different surfboard designs and fully execute one. 

The experience of designing a surfboard adds to the experience of her reaching the goal of becoming an interior designer after she graduates from Chaminade for hospitality spaces, such as restaurants, hotels, resorts and spas. 

She’s off to a great start. The Maui Invitational surfboards will eventually be displayed in the Silversword Cafe for all to enjoy and see. 

“I feel extremely excited that the surfboard will be displayed in the Silversword Cafe!” she said. “I feel that utilizing my design skills to create something tangible was an incredible accomplishment, and I hope for many Silverswords and Chaminade faculty to enjoy the design when they view it.”

Supporting Tomorrow’s School Leaders

Kathy Jaycox dedicated her career to advancing education as a high school teacher, university professor and community college administrator. Now in retirement, she’s proud to continue that support, including with a new scholarship that honors her uncle—a longtime educator himself.

The Andrew J. Penn Endowed Scholarship at Chaminade’s School of Education and Behavioral Sciences targets aid to students pursuing a master’s degree in education. While many scholarships are for undergraduates, Jaycox said it was important for her to help graduate students who are returning to school and looking to build on their skills and advance as leaders in education.

Jaycox says her “Uncle Andy,” who passed away in 2010, inspired her to pursue a career in education and often spoke about how he taught school during the day and earned his master’s degree at night. Penn served as a principal in Chicago for more than two decades.

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Penn, who started teaching in the 1950s, was also a Korean War veteran and something of a big brother to Jaycox. “He was a really big part of my life for as long as I can remember,” she explained.

“He put other people ahead of himself so much.”

Jaycox and Penn not only shared a passion for education. They also both fell in love with Hawaii, visiting for vacation and vowing to move there someday.

That’s exactly what they did in the early 1990s during a particularly chilly Chicago winter. Penn was retired by that time and Jaycox was able to secure a position at Honolulu Community College focused on continuing education.

Jaycox served at the University of Hawaiʻi for nearly 20 years and also led the Hawaiʻi P-20 Initiative to strengthen the education pipeline from early childhood to postsecondary education.

She said during her years in education leadership, she learned about Chaminade and its service-focused mission. Penn also supported the University as a donor. Jaycox said the endowed scholarship not only celebrates her uncle’s legacy, but her own pursuit of lifelong learning.

“I know this scholarship is what Uncle Andy would have wanted,” said Jaycox, who returned to Chicago after her retirement.

“He would often talk about how important it was to help people who wanted to do something more. As a lifelong learner myself, it’s nice to help somebody do that.”