Chaminade University of Honolulu

Featured Story

Got GRIT? These Student-Athletes Do

Chaminade student-athletes gathered recently to learn about the importance of GRIT.

That is, Gratitude, Respect, Integrity and Trust.

The Chaminade Athletics Department joined forces with Campus Ministry for the special program, aimed at spotlighting core values that will serve student-athletes “well into their futures,” said University Chaplain Fr. Martin Solma, S.M.

Some 170 participating student-athletes engaged in activities and heard from speakers about what it means to take what they have learned in sports to the campus community.

Sebastian Castro ‘25, a Criminology and Criminal Justice major who plays baseball at Chaminade, said his favorite part of the event was hearing from Silversword women’s soccer Head Coach Michelle Richardson about her own experiences as a student-athlete.

“I think for all of us student athletes, no matter the major, it gets overwhelming dealing with our studies and also the stress and anxiety of playing in our sports,” Castro said. “Being able to manage both of those and find a balance is a tough thing to do and shows GRIT.”

Emily Cooper ‘27 competes in women’s cross-country and is studying Environmental Interior Design. She said she walked away from the GRIT event with “new friendships and self-reflections that grew out of group discussions and prayers.”

Cooper added she found lots in common with her fellow student-athletes.

Getting to know strangers can be a great part of self-confidence because it helped me learn more about myself as a group listener and speaker,” she said. “My favorite part was listening to everyone’s goals and life journeys.Hearing the diverse backgrounds of everyone was inspiring and really made me realize the biggest steps in life come from accepting new opportunities.”

Dustyn Ragasa, Ph.D., who is director of the Master of Pastoral Theology program and an assistant professor of Religious Studies and Philosophy, spoke to students at the gatherings January 28 and February 5. His message to attendees: You’ve got GRIT, why not share it?

“Student-athletes are in an excellent position to be ‘women and men for others,’ a key characteristic of Catholic education,” Ragasa said. “I hope the students walk away with a greater sense of confidence in the best of themselves, a call to leaven our campus community with the gifts that they possess, but above all, some memories they make.”

He added events like the GRIT gatherings are important to helping students come together, reflect and have a little fun. “For busy student-athletes, it can be a challenge to set aside some time just to talk story or to share a meal,” he said. “GRIT reminds students about the faith dimension of their lives” and the importance of “building loving relationships.”

Nursing Students Mark White Coat Ceremony

Chaminade University’s School of Nursing and Health Professions held its annual White Coat Ceremony on Saturday, February 22 to recognize 76 nursing students as they begin their clinical education.

As part of the tradition, Chaminade Nursing faculty assist students with donning their white medical coats.

The gathering is considered a rite of passage in a person’s journey toward a career in nursing.

After receiving their coats, students recited the International Council of Nurses pledge, committing to uphold nursing ethics and provide exemplary care to patients.



Dr. Lorin Ramocki, RN, interim dean of the Chaminade School of Nursing and Health Professions, said the white coat celebration bridges classroom learning with clinical practice.

“This is a really exciting point in their career and this is really their first opportunity to care for patients in the clinical setting,” she said.

Ramocki added that students are preparing to enter the profession as a critical shortage of nurses continues.

“We’re hoping with each graduating class that many of these nursing students will stay here in the islands and work in our healthcare facilities to help care for our patients,” she said.

Following the ceremonies, students received lei from family and friends outside of the Sullivan Family Library.

Marianist Lecture: On ‘Learning From Grief’

Fr. James Keenan, S.J., a nationally-recognized theological ethicist, spoke on the transformative power of learning from grief at the latest Marianist Lecture this month.

Keenan urged attendees to see grief not as something to “get over,” but as part of a complex and personal process of “moving forward.” “I think grief is a form of love,” he said, speaking February 9 in the Mystical Rose Oratory.

“Those who know grief … experience terrible pain and that experience is what liberates them to be responsive.”

He added, “Mourning is not something that can be finished.”

Keenan serves as the director of the Jesuit Institute and vice provost of Global Engagement at Boston College. He also founded Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church, an international network of ethicists, and has published several books on ethics.

The Marianist Lecture, sponsored by the Marianist Center of Hawai‘i, Chaminade University and Saint Louis School, is aimed at fostering inclusive dialogue on Catholic thought and responsibility. Marianist Lecture presenters are honored with the Mackey Award for Catholic Thought, named after the first president of Chaminade University.

Never miss a post! Follow Chaminade University on Facebook and Instagram.

Dustyn Ragasa, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Religious Studies and director of Chaminade’s Master of Pastoral Theology program, said Keenan served on his dissertation committee. In helping to introduce him at the lecture, Ragasa said he can attest to Keenan’s “generosity, wisdom, compassion and empowering insight.”

“Over the last 40 years, Dr. James Keenan, Jesuit and ethicist, has been a leading voice of hope, an advocate for the marginalized, and a prophetic voice for the call to mercy,” Ragasa said. “Father Keenan has influenced generations of ethicists around the world.”

Keenan’s talk was titled “Learning from Grief: Epiphany in the Upper Room,” and he encouraged attendees to eschew the standard “get over it” model of grief and consider Jesus’ teachings on personal growth and love.

Under that new model, he said, “grief is shared. In light of grief, one needs not to find the way back but the way forward.”

To watch Keenan’s full lecture on Facebook, click here.

Fifth Graders ‘Go to College’

Nearly 400 fifth graders from 17 Hawai‘i Catholic schools converged on Chaminade University’s campus over two days this month for fun, hands-on classes.

The “I Go to College” program is aimed at inspiring young people to “dream big” and envision themselves attending college.

The students end the daylong program by accepting a “diploma” presented in a special graduation ceremony.

Chaminade partners with Hawai‘i Catholic Schools to present the opportunity for students, who travel from across the state to attend.

This year’s “I Go To College” events were held on Feb. 3 and 11.

Never miss a post! Follow Chaminade University on Facebook and Instagram.

As part of the day of interactive activities, students attended specially-designed courses taught by University professors.

In a course taught by the Forensic Sciences program, students learned how to take fingerprints. In another class, students took a “poetry walk” around campus.

Attendees also gathered for lunch on campus and got to meet Chaminade students, staff and administrators.

Organizers point to research that shows the incredible value of early exposure to college.

“The younger you can get children to come on campus, the more they can see it’s an open, welcoming environment,” said Chaminade President Lynn Babington, Ph.D.

Added Kim Baxter, director of Chaminade’s Early College program: “The fact that they can be on campus and visualize what a class might look like is just a really nice thing for them to see early on what college is about.”

Chaminade’s Early College program allows Hawai‘i students to pursue dual high school and college credit and is designed to give students an early taste of college and smooth the transition between high school and university, especially for students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education.

Celebrating a Century-Old Bridge to Education

Chaminade University joined the Marianist Center of Hawaiʻi, Saint Louis School and Sacred Hearts Academy on Friday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Palolo Stream Bridge, which has served as a “strong, humble” entry point to campus and a symbol of the ongoing Marianist mission in the islands.

The gathering included a parade, performances and a lunch. Speakers also took to a stage on the Front Lawn to underscore the significance of the anniversary.

Bro. Dennis Schmitz, S.M., of the Marianist Center of Hawaiʻi, called the bridge a powerful connection between the world and Kalaepōhaku, the hill where Chaminade and Saint Louis School are located and “our sacred space.” Speaking to attendees, Schmitz said, “The bridge has a mission—to enable us to come to this campus to learn Catholic Marianist values.”

Never miss a post! Follow Chaminade University on Facebook and Instagram.

President Lynn Babington, Ph.D. added it was an honor to celebrate the bridge and its special significance to the Hawaiʻi’s Marianist community, connecting Kalaepōhaku with Waialae Avenue.

As part of the event, attendees also walked to the bridge to learn more about Marianist history.

The bridge over Palolo Stream was built in 1925 by Hawaiian Contracting Company for $14,500.

“Thanks to this ‘little’ bridge, we were able to construct this campus—where so many people were able to come to be educated in the Marianist and Catholic tradition,” Schmitz said.

“For 100 years, it has been the link from the world to Saint Louis School and Chaminade University and it has been the link from Kalaepōhaku back to the world. Students and their families cross this bridge in the morning to grow in their spiritual and intellectual lives. At the end of the day, they cross the bridge back to the world where they try to live out the values that they’ve learned.”

Schmitz noted the gathering is also a kick-off of a series of other century celebrations at Kalaepōhaku. Ching, Bertram and Henry halls will turn 100 in 2027.

Schmitz said that as he has worked on the bridge celebration event, he’s come to deeply appreciate the structure’s greater significance.

“In this time of so much division in the world, the bridge symbolizes the importance of reaching across the divide so that good things can happen,” he said. “We’re called to be like the bridge and to learn from our enriching experiences on the campus so that we too might lay down our lives in humble service.”

Thought Leaders Talk AI, Tech Tools in Education

It was a day of learning, mentorship and inspiration.

Several Chaminade professors, staff members and administrators served as speakers at this year’s Conference for Catholic School Educators, held Jan. 31 at Sacred Hearts Academy.

Their presentations touched on everything from leveraging AI in the K-12 classroom to the unique identity and role of Catholic schools in the islands and nationally.

Tiffany Akiyama, an educational technologist at Chaminade’s Center for Teaching and Learning, focused her presentation on the power of combining curriculum development and technological tools to transform spaces for active student learning.

“I’ve had the incredible opportunity to help design and implement active learning spaces that are reshaping active learning at Chaminade,” said Akiyama, who delivered her talk with Dr. Scott Wylie, director of the Center for Education in Oceania at Chaminade.

They said redesigns focused on the importance of flexibility, collaboration and creativity.

“We took a fresh look at how students learn best and designed classrooms that adapt to them—not the other way around,” Akiyama said. Added Wylie: “Flexibility means students and faculty can move things around. Collaboration means fostering spaces where ideas can be built together. Creativity means giving students tools to express their thinking.”

Other Chaminade speakers at the conference included:

  • Dr. Katrina Roseler, associate professor of Education;
  • Dr. Denise Dugan, Education instructor
  • Dr. Allison Jerome, vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students;
  • Andrew Ancheta, student engagement coordinator;
  • and Fr. Martin Solma, S.M., university chaplain and special assistant to the president.

Solma and Ancheta delivered a talk on Catholic education entitled “Those who Sow Generously, Reap Generously.”

They explored the ethos and identity of Catholic schooling, and spoke to educators on the importance of character development in young people.

In the AI talk, the Chaminade team underscored how AI-driven technologies are revolutionizing traditional teaching models and offered educators and stakeholders with practical and innovative strategies for integrating AI into today’s K-12 classrooms.