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Workshop Focused on Teaching Financial Literacy

Nearly two dozen Hawaiʻi public school teachers gathered on Chaminade’s campus for the fourth annual Economics and Personal Finance Summer Workshop, which is focused on giving educators hands-on and relevant tools for incorporating financial literacy into their curricula.

The week-long training opportunity, held June 9-13, is offered by the University’s Economic Education Center for Excellence in collaboration with Hawaiʻi USA Federal Credit Union.

Participants get fresh, fun tools for teaching personal finance, budgeting and saving.

Twenty-one public school educators from across O‘ahu participated in this year’s workshop, representing elementary, middle, and high schools, with the majority serving Title I schools and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities. Additionally, a separate virtual workshop will be held for educators across Hawai‘i’s neighboring islands.

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The workshop featured hands-on activities, including market simulations, the Bean Salary Budgeting Game, and lessons based on the Ten Principles of Economics. Participants also got ready-to-use lesson plans designed to engage students in real-world applications of economic and personal finance literacy while blending culturally responsive teaching methods.

Since its launch in 2021, EECE’s summer workshop has trained 84 teachers.

With this year’s expanded offerings, the total number of teachers who have participated has increased to 116—and collectively they reach more than 10,000 Hawai‘i students annually.



“This program supports teachers on the frontlines of preparing students for their financial futures and we are very grateful to Hawai‘i USA Federal Credit Union for helping us to make this powerful learning opportunity possible,” said Chaminade President Lynn Babington, Ph.D.

“By investing in teachers, we’re empowering thousands of students across the state to make more informed financial decisions and build stronger futures.”

Nursing Doctoral Students Put Theory Into Practice

Stepping away from their online learning, Chaminade Doctor of Nursing Practice students gathered on campus last month for an immersive week of hands-on instruction and collaboration.

“The DNP immersion allows students to connect with their faculty in-person and network with peers and community members,” said Pamela Smith, Ed.D., APRN-Rx, FNP-BC, director of the DNP program and associate dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions.

“The immersion also allows students an opportunity to practice skills they would not be able to experience virtually.”

Parts of the immersion schedule included all DNP students, but there were also track-specific breakouts.

For example, Family Nurse and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track students attended sessions in suturing, case studies and advanced health assessments. Meanwhile, students in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track attended workshops on therapy technique.

DNP students gather annually for the immersion experience.

And Smith said that while skills building and application are front and center, there is also plenty of time set aside for connecting with fellow cohort members and for strengthening relationships with faculty mentors.

Those in-person connections were a highlight of the week for Amy Olsen, DNP ’26.

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“I know there is a lot of planning that goes into the immersion week,” said Olsen, who is in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track. “All the professors make sure we feel seen as individuals and plan meaningful group events for us. I love being on Chaminade’s beautiful, peaceful campus, surrounded by fragrant flowering trees and stunning architecture.”

Olsen is pursuing a DNP after two decades in the profession.

She is seeking the advanced degree to build on her leadership and clinical skills.

“Being a nurse is how I give back to the community, and it has enriched my life in many ways,” she said. “So I decided to challenge myself by going back to school, and now I’m excited to be a DNP because it’s still fundamentally nursing and I’ll be able to have a more powerful impact on people’s lives.”

Michelle Burns, DNP ’26 (left), who is pursuing the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track, said the immersion program helped her build stronger connections with her fellow students.

Michelle Burns, DNP ’26, who is pursuing the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track, said that completing proctored skills assessment during the immersion program was a rewarding challenge.

“I am truly grateful to have such a supportive Nursing program administration team and it reflects Chaminade University’s mission to provide education in a collaborative learning environment,” Burns said, adding she also appreciated catching up with friends and professors.

Burns, a school nurse at Our Lady of Good Counsel School as part of a new pilot program with Chaminade, said the immersion experience is a “great way to bring all the DNP students together and put our learning into practice.”

“We all come from different backgrounds and levels of expertise, and it’s nice to have the opportunity to come together and learn from and support each other.”

A Life of Public Service

As adjutant general of the Hawai‘i Department of Defense, Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan ’89 acknowledges a life of public service isn’t easy—or especially lucrative. But giving back to the community and looking for ways to make things better, he says, really is its own reward.

“My message to students is: Stick with it. You just don’t know where it’s going to take you,” he said.

Logan’s career certainly has been full of twists and turns.

He was a Honolulu Police Department (HPD) helicopter pilot and military aviator. He deployed as a deputy commander to Afghanistan. During the pandemic, he lived for months in the Hawai‘i National Guard’s headquarters in Diamond Head. And when flames tore through Lahaina, he led a joint task force to aid in the response efforts.

All that happened before Logan took on one of the toughest jobs in Hawai‘i state government—overseeing the training and readiness of the Hawai‘i Army and Air National Guards as state adjutant general, a role he assumed in October 2024. At a moment’s notice, the Guard must be ready to assist with everything from natural disasters at home to conflicts abroad.

Logan, 61, said his journey to being named state adjutant general was a circuitous one.

This story appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Chaminade Magazine. To read more, click here.

It began right after he graduated from high school on O‘ahu and joined the military. When he returned, he enrolled in the police cadet program and started what would become a long career with HPD. About the same time, he applied to Chaminade University and started taking night courses as he was working during the day. Logan says he was grateful for the flexibility.

He studied Criminal Justice and says one of the things he enjoyed most about Chaminade was learning from experienced leaders in their fields and being encouraged to apply his skills in real-world situations. “It gives you the theory and then the practice,” Logan said.

For example, Logan added, his professors included a retired Circuit Court judge, high-ranking police officers and a civil litigation attorney. Those experts gave him a fuller picture of the criminal justice system that would help him as a police officer and military leader.

Logan comes from a family of public servants. His grandfather served as a police officer in New York City. His father was in the Navy and the Army. And his two brothers are also veterans. In fact, brother Arthur Logan was previously the state adjutant general and is now Honolulu’s police chief.

Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan ’89 recites the Oath of Office to Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Mysti Bicoy)

“My parents were steeped in public service and giving back,” Stephen Logan said, adding he chose military service and law enforcement because he wanted the chance to help others. “There are certain things on a regular workday where you can really help someone out,” he said.

“I used to tell my subordinates: When you take off your uniform, you can think that ‘I served a greater good.’ There’s simply no monetary value you can put on that. You can be proud of yourself.”

In the National Guard, Logan trained as a helicopter pilot and later became a test pilot. Later, at the Honolulu Police Department, he would fly HPD’s helicopter to maintain his flight certifications.

Over his years at the agency, Logan also climbed the ranks—and thought he would retire there.

But then a “dream job” opened up at the Hawai‘i National Guard—as state Army aviation officer—and Logan jumped at the opportunity. He held the position for more than a decade, overseeing a massive aviation program amid a “revolving door” of Middle East deployments.

At the Hawai‘i Army National Guard, and later, at the State Department of Defense, Logan continued to embrace new challenges. In 2019, he was named deputy adjutant general, a role in which he helped the state respond to some of the biggest crises Hawai‘i has ever seen, from the COVID pandemic to the deadly wildfires that tore through historic Lahaina town.

After the fire, Logan traveled to Maui to help oversee the National Guard’s response. Guard members augmented FEMA recovery teams, assisted with relief efforts, and established a security zone. Logan said many of those who responded had just wrapped up an exhaustive training exercise. When he went to visit them, they’d say, “There’s no way I could stay home.”

“That’s what really swells my heart,” he said.

As state adjutant general, Logan also serves as director of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency. He said while the Lahaina disaster was a tragic wake-up call about the growing dangers of wildfires in a warming world, the state is more prepared now to respond to fast-moving blazes.

“The more we do now, the more responsive and effective we’re going to be later on,” Logan said, adding that one of the best resources in the preparedness fight is human capital—a conscientious and talented workforce of people committed to serve. His advice to young people considering their future careers: “A life of public service is rewarding. You can give back—and that’s something.”

Students Inducted Into Psychology Honor Society

Sixty-five Chaminade Psychology students were recognized for their academic excellence and commitment to the field with induction into Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, during a Spring term ceremony.

Membership in the prestigious society is for life.

Abby Halston, Ed.D, associate professor of psychology at Chaminade, said students inducted into the society “have worked tirelessly to earn this lifelong honor.” She added, “Watching them be recognized for their dedication, resilience, and academic excellence is incredibly rewarding.

She noted that Chaminade has had a Psi Chi chapter for 26 years. Participants benefit from the prestigious recognition along with access to scholarships, research grants and networking events.

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Annie Kramer ’25 served as the president of the Psi Chi chapter at Chaminade over the past academic year. The Psychology major, who also minored in Education, said the group offers an important gathering space for students with a passion for their education and psychology.

“Like minded students are able to connect and build community together,” she said, adding participating in Psi Chi afforded her the opportunity to “deeply connect with peers and faculty members in a new light” and build her leadership skills as she pursued her studies.


“We want new Psi Chi members to feel proud of their hard work and dedication to the field,” Kramer said. “In our ceremony, we aimed to express that being inducted into Psi Chi is a great honor and that each member and their guests can celebrate their devotion for psychology.”

In addition to regular networking events over the last academic year, the Psi Chi chapter partnered with the Chaminade Counseling Center to organize and promote wellness events. Those ranged from a psychology-themed scavenger hunt to a Valentine’s Day gathering.

Students Learn with Cutting-Edge Forensics Tech

Forensic Sciences students at Chaminade have a new state-of-the-art tool for learning.

The SuperSpectral device, used to analyze physical evidence, is being made available to students thanks to an agreement between Chaminade University’s School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the product’s maker—Forenscope Scientific Technology, Ltd.

Carlos Gutierrez, D.F.S., assistant professor of Forensic Science, said the device allows forensic experts to visualize physical evidence—from blood to fingerprints to gunshot residue—at different wavelengths so that it can be more quickly and fully analyzed.

Gutierrez said the equipment will be used by Forensic Sciences students in different classrooms, laboratories and for research.

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“Having this technology in the Forensic Science Program is a huge improvement in how forensic sciences are taught because the students can have access and learn how to use this equipment and also search and identify real physical evidence,” he said. “Also, the students can be part of research and present their results.”

Forenscope notes the device has broad implications for forensic investigations, giving scientists a new way to analyze evidence and catch details that might be missed with traditional techniques. “This can help to solve crimes,” the company said.

Carlos Gutierrez, D.F.S., assistant professor of Forensic Sciences (center), poses with representatives from Forenscope Scientific Technology, Ltd.

Forenscope Scientific CEO Mr. Osman Eşki added the agreement will allow Chaminade to conduct research “using the best multispectral technology available in the forensic market.”

Gail Grabowsky, Ph.D., dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, said offering students access to the advanced technology will ensure Chaminade Forensic Sciences graduates “will be ready to serve the community” and excel in their careers.

Additionally, Gutierrez will be offering free online workshops on the device.

Outstanding Catholic Schools Educators Honored

Esther Amano is more than a teacher.

During her more than 35 years at Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Pearl City, she has also served as a mentor, a guide and a “quiet force of grace and strength,” said Chaminade Dean of Education and Behavioral Sciences Dale Fryxell, Ph.D.

At a recent celebration, Amano was named Hawai’i Catholic Schools Educator of the Year and presented with the Golden Pineapple Award for her outstanding contributions to teaching, her years of service and an unwavering commitment to seeing her students excel.

“Her classroom has launched leaders, nurtured faith, and shaped lives far beyond the eighth grade,” Fryxell said, at the awards ceremony. “Former students return—years later—to thank her, hug her, and tell her what we already know: That her impact lasts a lifetime.”

Esther Amano was named the Hawai’i Catholic Schools Educator of the Year for 2025.

Nominations for Amano poured in, with colleagues, parents, administrators and former students all attesting to her gift for inspiring the next generation of leaders. “Miss Amano shines as a beacon of inspiration within our school community,” one former student wrote.

Fryxell noted Amano is the first to arrive at school each morning and the last to leave each day.

“Whether she’s leading class Masses, mentoring new teachers, or writing cards for every staff birthday, Esther Amano lives the mission of Catholic education in every quiet, faithful action,” he said. “She has empowered her students to raise their voices through poetry, supported school service projects with heart, and modeled a leadership that lifts her school community.”

Also at the ceremony, Sister Katherine-Francis Miller ’63 was recognized as the Hawaii Catholic Schools Administrator of the Year. As Fryxell noted, she has “shaped the hearts, minds and spirits of generations of young women” at Sacred Hearts Academy for nearly six decades.

Miller, campus minister and director of the Office of Mission at Sacred Hearts Academy, was applauded for her transformative leadership and her caring approach to growth.

“Whether she’s leading a mission trip to the Philippines, organizing students to serve food at a transitional shelter, or helping a young person navigate their spiritual journey, Sister Katherine-Francis leads with compassion, humility, and the deep joy of someone truly rooted in her vocation,” Fryxell said.

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And her work extends into the community in many forms, including by leading prison ministry efforts with fellow Sisters, organizing mission trips to the Philippines, and working with students in Sacred Hearts’ Outreach, Unity and Renewal Club as they serve food at a housing shelter.

The Golden Pineapple Awards are sponsored by Chaminade University, Hawaii Catholic Schools with the support of John C. and Mary Lou Brogan.

Nominations open annually and recipients receive a trophy and cash award.