Chaminade University of Honolulu

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Celebrating Volleyball’s Undefeated Season

Cheers filled the Chaminade campus Monday as faculty, staff and students came out to celebrate the women’s volleyball team for making history in their first undefeated Pacific West Conference championship. The Silverswords are now preparing for the NCAA Tournament.

Coach Kahala Kabalis Hoke ’05, MS ’07 said at the gathering she’s “incredibly proud” of her team.

“They’ve worked so hard and just to be able to have a season with zero slip-ups, sustain that focus and energy, and just detail-oriented … a coach can’t ask for anything more,” Hoke said.

She added, “I am grateful and blessed for this group.”

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Scores came out to cheer on the team—and share some gelato and ice cream bars with them.

The Pacific West Conference champions are 27-4 overall and 20-0 in the conference.

Also on Monday, the Silverswords learned they’ll Stanislaus State University as their opening round opponent in the NCAA Division II West Regional, which will be held in California from Dec. 5 to 7.

The region winner will advance to the NCAA Division II Championships in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

This will be the seventh appearance for the Silverswords in the tournament—and they’re ready.

“We feel really excited to continue to do greater things,” said team member Mahala Ka’apuni ’25. “We’ve worked really hard, come a really long way. This undefeated season, we’re feeling really grateful.”

Added team member Heavenly Campbell ’25: “Thank you to everyone who helped us get there.”

She added the team is continuing to fine tune “so we can come out as strong as we can.”

Get the latest on the Silversword Athletics at goswords.com.

Tree Planting Honors School of Nursing

Kukui trees are traditionally a symbol of knowledge and enlightenment

There’s a new addition to the indigenous flora on Chaminade’s verdant campus.

In a special ceremony Nov. 22, University President Lynn Babington, Ph.D. joined School of Nursing and Health Professions students, faculty and staff along with others across the University to plant a kukui tree and dedicate a special plaque.

The inscription on the plaque begins with a Hawaiian proverb: “Ka malu hālau loa o ke kukui.”

The saying, which means “the long shelter of the kukui tree,” refers to the way in which a healthy grove of kukui trees can provide adequate shelter—much like a house. Kukui or candlenut trees are also a traditional symbol of knowledge because the nuts were once used to burn for light.

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The plaque’s inscription continues: “This kukui tree is planted in dedication to the faculty, staff and students within the School of Nursing and Health Professions.”

Chaminade Provost Lance Askildson said in planting the kukui tree, “we are honoring the strong foundations of Chaminade’s School of Nursing and Health Professions while recognizing our shared responsibility to ensure its continued success and growth in the years to come.”

“At Chaminade, we are incredibly proud to be preparing nursing and public health leaders who are inspired to serve their communities and help build a healthier Hawai’i.“

PHOTO GALLERY:

Photo Gallery: Thanksgiving Prayer Service

Chaminade students, faculty and staff gathered Wednesday for a special Thanksgiving prayer service.

The annual gathering allows attendees an opportunity to reflect on all they can be thankful for.

In addition to an opportunity for prayer, the service included student and other speakers.

Madison Makishima ’25, for example, addressed attendees to offer thanks for all the Chaminade community has given her—from new friends to one-of-a-kind opportunities.

“I’ve been able to develop personally and professionally at Chaminade,” said Makishima, who also read one of her favorite Bible verses during the service before wishing attendees a happy Thanksgiving.

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Chaminade Partners on Cutting-edge AI Research

Project seeks to leverage AI to advance health equity

Chaminade University is a proud collaborator with the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) at the University of Hawai’i on cutting-edge work designed to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to advance health equity and research diversity in Hawai’i and the Pacific.

Chaminade will contribute to a JABSOM-led project that recently received a $500,000 Phase II award from the National Institutes of Health’s AIM-AHEAD (Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity) program.

The work is aimed at using AI to enhance public health and reduce disparities, and the Hawai’i researchers plan to do that by deploying student researchers for new opportunities and “skilling up” AI experts so they can then serve as “navigators” for key stakeholders.

Dr. Alex Stokes is the principal investigator of the project at JABSOM and will collaborate closely with Dr. Helen Turner, research director at Chaminade’s CIFAL Honolulu Center, and her team.

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Turner said Chaminade is a key partner with the University of Hawai’i and the national AIM-AHEAD consortium on the ARCH project, which stands for AI Resource Concierge for Healthcare.

“The ‘resource concierge’ is a web gateway for researchers, community, healthcare providers and policymakers to access AI/ML tools, datasets and the training and technical assistance needed to use them in support of their missions in health equity,” Turner said.

Dr. Helen Turner
Dr. Helen Turner

Turner added the JABSOM and Chaminade teams implemented a Phase I ARCH pilot in 2023-24 that offered AI resources to healthcare stakeholders, conducted a landscape needs assessment survey, and trained a new class of “AI navigators” to assist healthcare users in understanding the potential of AI to reduce health equity.

The team also started proof-of-concept research projects applying AI to health equity challenges, such as diabetes and PTSD, with collaborators from Hawai’i, American Samoa and Aotearoa.

“The successful ARCH-Hawaii pilot was selected for a competitive ‘Phase II’ to take it national, which is a wonderful development ” said Turner, adding the Chaminade team—which in addition to Turner, as principal investigator of an NSF Alliances grant, also includes Dr. Catherine Brockway and Connor Flynn—will contribute to the next phase of the AIM AHEAD project by implementing a national training curriculum (deploying the CIFAL Center’s UN short course model) to “skill up” AI navigators.

Those navigators will then help stakeholders to apply AI to their health equity projects.

Additionally, the grant will help support new opportunities for student researchers, including internships, a “health equity hackathon,” and other health equity projects during the school year.

Interested in learning more about the grants mentioned in this article?

Nursing Students Volunteer at Lanaʻi Health Fair

Students shared health messages on safety at home and nutrition

Chaminade Nursing students traveled to Lana’i recently to share important health prevention messaging with community members. Along the way, they also got some lessons of their own about the unique challenges that residents of rural communities face in accessing healthcare and other services.

A group of eight students, members of Chaminade’s Student Nurses’ Association, made the trek to Lana’i on Nov. 9 with Assistant Professor Jennifer Nafarrete, Ed.D. for the Lāna‘i Kinā‘ole Health Fair.

During the daylong event, Chaminade students broke up into two groups, with one focused on sharing information on fire and fall prevention safety at home and the other focused on nutrition messaging.

Association President Presh Coloma ’25 said students were excited to meet with members of rural communities on Lana’i. The island is home to about 3,000 people and has limited options for healthcare.

“They don’t have access to many resources,” Coloma said. “Our audience was from little kids to the elderly. It definitely tested our Nursing students really well because attendees had so many questions.”

For example, Coloma said, one attendee wanted to know how to determine if the foods in the local grocery store were diabetes-friendly. Another attendee asked for information about specific resources on Lanai’i, requiring students to do some homework of their own so that they could help.

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Coloma said she spoke to a resident who had to travel to O’ahu regularly for cancer treatment.

“Patients like her lack medication adherence because they don’t have those resources,” she said.

Nafarrete said in addition to speaking to event attendees, the Chaminade students got the chance to make the rounds to chat with other organizations represented at the health fair. “They learned a lot about rural access to health care,” she said, adding the group is hoping to return soon.

In the meantime, though, the Chaminade Student Nurses’ Association is staying busy.

On the same day that students in the group traveled to Lana’i, another cadre volunteered to help manage the first-aid tent at the 2024 Hawai’i Parkinson’s Walk. And students in the association will also be running the first-aid tent at the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving Day dinner at Blaisdell Center.

Students Stage Agatha Christie Thriller

‘Love From a Stranger’ will come alive at the Black Box Theatre

You won’t want to miss the Chaminade Drama Club‘s latest production, “Love From a Stranger.”

The play, based on Agatha Christie’s short story “Philomel Cottage,” makes its debut on Nov. 15.

Club treasurer and set designer Caleb Cloud ’25 said the play showcases gender-blind casting.

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“There’s a lot of diversity and inclusion within the Club,” he added.

“Love From a Stranger” is psychological thriller about an heiress (Cecily Harrington), who rejects her longtime fiancé (Nigel Lawrence) in favor of a charming man (Bruce Lovell) she barely knows.

Zana Kimura ’25 is the production’s stage manager and also takes on the role of Mavis Wilson.

Kimura, who transferred to Chaminade in her second semester, said she joined the University’s Drama Club because she wanted to meet new people.

That’s exactly what she’s done, Kimura said, building friendships while staging the production.

Rian Sydney Pagtakhan provides stage direction to Willow McKay and Emily Cooper.
Rian Sydney Pagtakhan provides stage direction to Jules Mattes, left, and Willow McKay.

The three-act play unfolds when Harrington is shown packing up her London flat. Enter Bruce Lovell, a charming stranger who sweeps her off her feet.

In a whirlwind romance, Harrington abandons her job, friends and fiancé to settle in a country cottage. However, her newfound “love from a stranger” is not what it seems and in an astonishingly tense final scene, Harrington discovers the ghastly truth of her new love.

Rian Pagtakhan ’25, the production’s director who also plays the role of Auntie Loo-Loo, said the play required creativity—and lots of hard work.

“I’m proud to say that every Club member has contributed to this production,” Pagtakhan said.

“We found an old sewing table and a rotary phone for the set in the props room,” Cloud added. “We looked for pieces that would represent London in the 1930.”

Reflecting the clothing of that era, the costumes were designed by Randrielle Yola ’26.

“We had to get creative,” Yola said. “But we did pretty well.”

SHOW DETAILS:

Where: Vi and Paul Loo Theatre, Clarence T.C. Ching Hall, Black Box Theatre
When: Nov. 15-17, from 7-9:30 p.m.
Tickets: Click here to reserve your seat

Cast Members:
Willow McKay—Cecily Harrington
Micah Sanders—Nigel Lawrence
Jules Mattes—Bruce Lovell
Rian Sydney Pagtakhan—Director/Auntie Loo-Loo
Alexia Mae Eleccion—Dr. Gribble
Evan Cromer—Stage Manager/Hodgson
Emily Cooper—Ethel
Zana Kimura—Stage Manager/Mavis Willson

Technical Design:
Brielle “Lilinoe” Lo—Sound Designer
Lavelle White—Lighting Designer

Set Design:
Caleb Cloud—Set Designer
Greta Bornmann—Set Designer

Costume Designer:
Randrielle Yola