Chaminade University of Honolulu

Featured Story

A Legacy Lives On

Remembering and Honoring “Mr. I”

The Chaminade University family is celebrating the life and legacy of a popular professor who left an indelible mark on his students and the campus community and who exemplified the high standards of academic excellence that is part of the University’s promise.

Ronald M. Iwamoto was a long-time biology professor at Chaminade. “Long-time” is putting it rather mildly: Mr. I, as his students called him, called the university home for 47 years, or nearly five decades. It’s not an exaggeration to say that he helped mold the university into the place it is today in very real, tangible ways.

Sadly, Iwamoto passed away in October of 2025, but his legacy endures both in the memory of Chaminade’s alumni, in the fund organized in his honor, supporting a teaching fellowship that bears his name.

Chaminade alum Angela Maroun ʻ76, who majored in biology during her time as a student on campus, remembers Iwamoto fondly. She says she first met “Mr. I” after enrolling in his Biology 203 course.

“It was his class that made me decide to be a Biology major and love science,” Maroun shared with us. “He made biology fun. He was a tough but fair and caring teacher.”

Iwamoto graduated from Punahou School in 1959, earned a BA in history from Northwestern University, and later an MS in Zoology and an MEd with a focus on Educational Foundations from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He joined Chaminade’s faculty in 1967, barely a dozen years after the University’s founding in 1955.

The long track of his academic career means Mr. I literally touched the lives of thousands of Chaminade University students, mentoring them through their studies and coursework and lining them up for successful careers post-graduation.

Though she originally hails from Syracuse, New York, Maroun said Iwamoto helped her experience the best of Hawaiʻi and its natural beauty as a local would. He went out of his way to help me feel at home, she said.

“He went the extra mile to both challenge and support each student so that they could succeed,” she recalled.

Maroun said she took other biology courses that he taught and also worked as a laboratory assistant for several of his classes. She babysat his children and introduced Mr. I to her family when they visited from Syracuse. In fact, he shared time with her and her family on a number of occasions. “He always made time for lunch, dinner, or just a visit,” she said.

Maroun said she especially remembers the island adventures Mr. I took her and her classmates on for his ecology course, the ultimate experiential learning opportunities.

“Ecology was a favorite since we went on many field trips, hikes, and ocean adventures,” she recalled. “Through him, I experienced nighttime on the reef collecting specimens for the lab, catching crabs in the mangroves, and walking during low tide for a picnic.”

Iwamoto was recognized for his excellence by both students and faculty alike.

He was honored with a prestigious Heritage Award during Founders’ Week 2000, bestowed with the Chaminade Award that year by his fellow faculty and staff members. 

Later, Dr. Iwamoto helped establish a legacy that would endure well past his own lifetime.

In 2018, he and other Chaminade community members formed a committee and established the Ronald M. Iwamoto Teaching Fellowship in Biology, the first teaching fellowship established at the university.

Donors came forward to seed the fellowship with a $50,000 endowment. The fellowship was first awarded to Chaminade Assistant Professor Frederique Kandel in 2019, recognized for her commitment to professional development in teaching and pedagogy.

Ron Iwamoto left our world on October 21, 2025, but he lives on through the mark he left on Chaminade University, his legacy establishing the university’s science curriculum, and in his students and colleagues’ cherished memories.

“He was just so much fun and a joy to be around,” Maroun said. “How lucky I was to cross paths with Mr. I.”

If you would like to make a gift in support of the Ronald M. Iwamoto Teaching Fellowship in Biology, please click here.

Silverswords Reunite for Fun Night

Graduating seniors in the Class of 2026 and recent alumni gathered on May 1 for ALUMNIGHT, an evening of connection, laughter, and friendly competition at Dave & Buster’s, transforming the popular entertainment venue into a hub of Silversword pride. The event drew recent graduates eager to reconnect with classmates, meet fellow alumni, and unwind over games, food, and shared memories.

As guests filtered in, the energy quickly picked up. Alumni greeted one another with excitement—some reconnecting after only a year apart, others reuniting for the first time since graduation. 

The program began with a warm welcome from Director of Student Engagement Andrew Peter Anchetta II ’21, who thanked attendees for staying connected to the university and to one another. He emphasized the importance of the young alumni community and encouraged guests to make the most of the evening—not just by enjoying the activities, but by strengthening the relationships that began on campus. Following the welcome, Fr. Martin Solma, SM offered a prayer, grounding the gathering in gratitude and shared purpose.

Guests made their way to the food line, as alumni shared updates about careers, graduate school, and life beyond campus. Alumni enjoyed classic arcade games, basketball shootouts, racing simulators, and interactive challenges. The step-and-repeat photo area was a popular feature throughout the night, as friends captured moments together. 

Door prize drawings were an exciting and fun part of the evening with prizes provided by the Office of Admissions, Office of Advancement, and Office of Student Engagement. Items included Chaminade-branded bags, a commemorative 70th anniversary Yeti water bottle, and exclusive collaboration pieces from Aloha Collection. Each prize reflected both school pride and appreciation for the alumni community.

The alumni event at Dave & Buster’s was more than a night of games and good food—it was a celebration of community, shared experiences, and the enduring ties that continue long after graduation.

Second Annual Exposure Fair and Hiring Blitz

The Second Annual Exposure Fair and Hiring Blitz welcomed around 1,000 middle school, high school and college students across nine Honolulu schools and universities on April 27, 2026. It was held at the St. Louis High School Gym as a “speed-dating” style networking event for students to meet professionals in many industries across our islands. Students were given one minute to decide which organization they’d like to hear more about for the next five minutes. Each student had the opportunity to meet with about 10 local business leaders to explore careers and internships, and were encouraged to apply for open positions.

Professor Wendy Lam’s BU 470 Senior Field Experience class from Chaminade University hosted the event. The BU 470 students were responsible for planning, organizing, leading, and executing the event. There were teams for Coordination, Business Development, Logistics, Communications, Social Media, and Human Resources. The teams had different responsibilities but would all collaborate to make major decisions. 

Professor Lam said, “My favorite part of the event is seeing our team’s ability to troubleshoot, adapt, solve problems, and work together to make a difference for the community.” The BU 470 students partnered with ClimbHI and St. Louis School. ClimbHI is a nonprofit organization that inspires students to finish high school and continue their education or begin their career. 


Learn more about ClimbHI: https://climbhi.org/

Hard Work Pays Off

At 19 years old in 2014, Jasmine-Kortney Young-Gusman ’26 began her journey in the health care field as a Medical Assistant and Technician at Straub Benioff Medical Center. After working there for nine years, she found out she was pregnant. The delivery was a harrowing experience for her. She needed an unmedicated, emergency cesarean section. During the surgery, a nurse stood by Young-Gusman, holding her hand, and ensuring she didn’t feel alone in the Operating Room.

“Having her [the nurse] there with me was a comfort in probably the scariest moment I’ve ever experienced,” Young-Gusman said. “After going through that I realized, I could be someone’s comfort and hold their hand and help them,” she explained.

That experience motivated her to apply to and start nursing school even with a ten-month-old son. 

“It took a lot for me to come back to school because I think if I didn’t go through that with my son, I would have just returned to my job,” Young-Gusman reflected. 

Her son is now four years old and will be cheering his mom on at Chaminade University’s Spring 2026 Commencement Ceremony at the Waikiki Shell on May 9. She is graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and receiving Latin honors. She was also selected for Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, which has criteria of a minimum 3.0 GPA and being within the top 35% of their graduating class.

Young-Gusman says her biggest struggle in the past four years was balancing being a present mom for her son while also ensuring that she was meeting her goals in school. 

“I had a lot of doubts even though I’m a very confident person and I know I’m smart and I’m capable. It took a lot of sleepless nights, crying and praying,” she said.

There were times she had to miss bed time with her son or was unable to go to his baseball games because she had clinical or needed to study. She said it was very draining but she kept in mind that the sacrifices were temporary. 

“It all paid off because not only am I graduating with my bachelors, I was the first person in my whole family to go to college so I’m a first generation,” Young-Gusman stated. 

Completing nursing school can be daunting. Young-Gusman couldn’t have done it without her support system.  

“I‘ve had professors that have been so loving and supportive,” she said. 

While working towards her degree, Young-Gusman did her nursing preceptorship in the ER. She says she thrives in the ER environment because it’s fast-paced, very demanding and she loves it. 

Young-Gusman has already started working on the next step in her career. She has accepted a job offer from The Queen’s Medical Center – West Oʻahu for the Emergency Technician position and will start soon. She hopes to transition to the Queen’s Hawai‘i Nurse Residency Program in September or January.

She says she’s made life-long friends through Chaminade University. Her advice to incoming students is to believe in yourself, find people that believe in you and hold onto them.

“I didn’t think I could do this, and I did and it’s only because I found the right people. I found the right friends and the right professors who rally behind me,” she said.

A Student’s Second Chance

A Second Chance: From Prison to Master’s Degree

“Everybody deserves a second chance,” Kimmy Takata stated. Although she didn’t have an easy start, Kimmy beat the odds that were stacked against her. She went into prison at a third-grade reading level and it’s where she says her education journey began. 

She received her GED in 2007 when she was in prison in Kentucky. “What inspired me was the people that were locked up with me and locked down with me, they were getting valedictorian and I didn’t even know what that was,” Kimmy said. She said those same people supported her and taught her how to read, write an essay, math, English, and helped prepare her for her GED. 

Getting her GED helped change her mindset, self-image and how she spoke to herself. “When I got my GED, I thought to myself, wow, I am smart, because I always thought I was dumb, because my mother told me I was stupid,” she recalled. Her friends encouraged her to apply for community college. “I was like, ‘Oh no, I’m just going to stop at GED, because you have to be really smart to go to college,’ ” Kimmy said. She then went on to complete her Associate of Arts degree in Hawaiian Studies from Kapiʻolani Community College.

At that time, Kimmy was working for a nonprofit called the Pūʻā Foundation. There she met Brother Dennis Schmidt who wrote Kimmy’s character letter for Chaminade University. “I always thought that I wasn’t smart enough or good enough but my professors always made me feel at home and made me feel good about being here,” Kimmy reflected. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from Chaminade University. She was a recipient of the Hoʻoulu Scholarship program for Native Hawaiian students which paid for her entire degree.

While deciding her next move, she accepted an invitation to a luncheon at Chaminade University. That choice impacted her life more than she could have anticipated. She shared her story with one of the donors and told him about her desire to go back to school for her master’s degree. He heard her and encouraged her to apply for a scholarship at Chaminade. A week later she started classes. Kimmy received her Master of Science in Criminal Justice Studies from Chaminade University in fall 2025 and will be walking at the spring 2026 commencement ceremony.

Her passion is helping people navigate parole and find housing, food and other resources. She’s been providing peer support since she came out of prison in 2013. Kimmy is a certified peer support specialist and does peer support training. She also helps advocate for more peer support. “I’ve done research in my criminal justice program on prisons that have good programs and they do a lot with the individuals in custody,” she said. She chose to study criminal justice because she wants to help implement changes in the criminal justice system. She knows that improvements aren’t always easy to pass but she’s been writing to the state legislators at the Hawaii State Capitol, senators and representatives to add lived experience to the table when they’re making policy decisions. Her goal is to open a program for men and women coming out of prison to provide the support they need. 

Kimmy works with a lot of people that have transitioned out of prison and she helps them find resources. She used to work for the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission as the Reentry Oversight Specialist for the Attorney General’s Office. “That’s pretty unheard of because people that have a past, you don’t see them getting hired for state jobs but my boss Christin Johnson really fought for me. I’m still on parole so she fought even harder,” Kimmy explained. 

In her free time, Kimmy helps feed the homeless. A woman that was in prison with Kimmy has since opened a restaurant in downtown Honolulu and together they pass out meals every month. “I was there before, how can I forget? I’ll never forget where I came from,” Kimmy said. She uses the opportunity to have regular conversations with them, checking if they’re alright and have the resources they need.

She has overcome self-doubt and continuously raised the bar in every step of her education. Kimmy has struggled with imposter syndrome but hasn’t let it stop her from achieving her goals. She is also looking to further her education with the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology degree program from Chaminade University. “I got to watch some of the graduations and I’m really proud to be a part of this school, Chaminade rocks!” Kimmy exclaimed.

Marketing Students Drive Nonprofit to Thrive

Re-Use Hawai‘i has been serving the community on Oahu for 20-plus years.

The innovative nonprofit is a living, breathing example of the circular economy put to good use. Describing itself as an “employment social enterprise dedicated to reducing waste and expanding green job opportunities,” Re-Use Hawai‘i creates meaningful jobs and community good will by rescuing abandoned construction materials from work sites or demolition projects to resell them at bargain prices for do-it-yourself handytypes across the island.

They’re “turning Hawai‘i’s waste into reusable materials and green jobs” as they say on their website, but Re-Use Hawai‘i recently ran into a problem: their newest store front wasn’t generating the kind of foot traffic they were hoping for. That’s where Chaminate University marketing students came in.

Chaminade marketing professor Wera Panow-Loui recently issued a challenge to her students: create a marketing strategy and presentation that can help Re-Use Hawai‘i re-introduce itself and its newest location to the community – revive a business model that’s been proven successful for two decades.

Her students more than met the challenge.

“I believe it was a standout student project for Re-Use Hawai‘i highlighting experiential learning, community impact, and our students’ excellence in their work,”Panow-Loui said.

Chaminade students Christopher Cody, Cory Alfred, Kyla Castro, Madelynne Knowd, and Tessa Stanley joined forces to see if they could aid Re-Use Hawai‘i using the skills they learned in Professor Panow-Loui’s class.

After talking with the nonprofit’s staff, conducting some research, quizzing store patrons, and assessing the situation, the five marketing students devised a strategy that they felt could help Re-Use Hawai‘i solve their conundrum. Re-Use is now using their presentation and training for future business planning.

First, they had to identify the problem. This was fairly straightforward: as their final presentation notes, the nonprofit was contending with “low foot traffic at the new Re-Use Hawai‘i Salt Lake location.”

The goal? Bring the customers back, and improve the experience of the customers who were visiting the new site. So, the students put their market research skills to work. 

They surveyed 97 customers to the new site, quizzing the visitors about what was working and what wasn’t. They broke the survey respondents down along demographic lines, noting gender identities, ages, and where they came from. They then asked them a set of questions designed to measure how familiar they were with Re-Use Hawai‘i, how often they relied on the nonprofit for their do-it-yourself projects, and what they thought of the newest storefront.

The research proved invaluable to Re-Use.

Overall, respondents said they were satisfied with their shopping experience. But there were issues that could use some attention, the students soon discovered.

“Many customers said the new store location took some getting used to,” they reported. That’s not all. Survey participants told them, frankly, that the parking and new store layout was somewhat difficult for them to navigate. They complained about a lack of tools on hand to use at the new store location. “Even long-time customers mentioned it took several visits to feel comfortable,” they reported.

The students’ presentation lays out in detail what the customers themselves were saying, thus informing Re-Use Hawai‘i of the likely reasons for the fall in foot traffic. In short, the 20-year old standard bearer of Hawai‘i’s circular economy had become something of a stranger to the island’s residents again.

The solution? Reintroduce themselves to the DIY crowd, a community in need of a centralized home or hub, one that Re-Use is well positioned to become.

Having identified the problem, Christopher, Cory, Kyla, Madelynne, and Tessa were in a good position to identify good solutions, as Professor Panow-Loui explained.

Her students were assigned “to help the client identify effective promotional strategies to increase foot traffic at a newly opened retail location, using data-driven insights to inform strategic marketing decisions,” she explained.

Their presentation lays out in careful detail proposed strategies that Re-Use should adopt.

They proposed Google Ads, a relatively inexpensive way to improve local customer engagement and re-establish their brand. They also recommended targeted marketing focused on those parts of the island where most of their customer base seems to be located, in particular Kaneohe, Kailua, and Honolulu.

Their boldest recommendation was that Re-Use Hawai‘i create a specialized Facebook page designed to organize the island’s community of DIY enthusiasts. Currently, there isn’t one. Thus, Re-Use Hawai‘i is in a unique position to organize that community and support it through the nonprofit business model that it’s already pioneering, the students discovered.

“It became evident that there were not very many DIY Hawaii Facebook groups despite demand,” the student marketing team noted. “Creating a Facebook group would allow Re-Use Hawai‘i to connect with the DIY community.”

Panow-Loui says that the five students’ market research and consulting initiative has become far more than just a class project. Re-Use is putting their recommendations into practice.

“The client indicated that their leadership team is using the report to actively guide their current marketing decisions,” she said.

The students’ marketing research results are professional, insightful, impressive, and useful.

Re-Use Hawai‘i has been creating jobs and saving Hawai‘i residents money for over 20 years, and thanks to Chaminade University students, they’ll continue their important work for many years to come.

As Panow-Loui put it, her students “completed a professional-grade marketing research project for a real community client, applying strategic marketing and consumer research methods,” and the client and Hawai‘i are grateful for their hard work.