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Alumni Celebrate Silversword Reunion 2025

It was a weekend of celebrating old memories and making new ones.

More than 250 Chaminade alumni gathered on campus for Silversword Reunion 2025, three days of festivities that included serving as the guests of honor at this year’s Pacific Island Review cultural celebration featuring student performances and great food.

Reunion attendees also shared a campus tour, dinner and attended Mass.

Jodi-Ann Yoshida, MBA ’23, who is director of Alumni Relations, said the reunion from October 17 to 19 offered opportunities for alumni from across the state and across the nation to reconnect, reminisce and reignite their passion for Chaminade and its important public service-focused mission.

This year’s reunion also coincided with the University’s 70th anniversary celebration and included an alumnus—Bernard Lum Hoy ’59—from Chaminade’s first graduating class.

At the Silversword Reunion dinner, three attendees were recognized with Alumni Awards.

Rylan Chong, ’10, Ph.D., received the Marianist Alumni Award for exemplifying the Marianist spirit. Chong co-developed Hawaiʻi’s first Data Science undergraduate program at Chaminade in 2019, with a focus on community building and providing students access to in-demand skills and career opportunities.

Under his leadership, Silversword Data Science students have won national competitions, clinched prestigious local and national internships, and pursued exciting careers.

Angela Riccardi Maroun ’76, was named recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding contributions to her profession and the community.

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Over her career, Maroun helped thousands of patients regain their mobility and independence as a leader in the field of outpatient and home care physical therapy.

In accepting her award, Maroun called Chaminade a very special place that provided her with both a “wider world view and lasting friendships.” Maroun added, “How many people can say they still visit and text with their professors 50 years later?

“That is the Chaminade experience.”

Joshua Orimoto ’20, meanwhile, was recognized with the Young Alumni Award for excellence in his field and demonstrated service to the community, the university and the public.

Orimoto serves as an Air Force cyberspace operations officer and was recently selected to serve as a diplomatic security service special agent for the U.S. Department of State.

Yoshida congratulated all the honorees.

“These exemplary Silversword alumni have made meaningful contributions to their professions and communities, embodying the Chaminade mission by leading and serving with aloha,” she said.

Chaminade Dean Inducted Into Hawaiʻi Swimming Hall of Fame

Gail Grabowsky, Ph.D., dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Chaminade, executive director of the University’s UN CIFAL Center and a decorated ocean and roughwater swimmer, was inducted into the Hawaiʻi Swimming Hall of Fame in a ceremony on October 18.

Grabowsky was inducted into the Ocean and Channel Swimming category for the Class of 2025.

Gail Grabowsky

In an interview before the ceremony, Grabowsky said she was humbled by the honor.

“I’m a distance swimmer and I love swimming,” said Grabowsky, who makes time to swim three mornings a week off Ala Moana Regional Park. She has won the female division of the Double Roughwater swim six times and has also clinched wins and a long list of age-group firsts in the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, King’s Swim, the Wailea Roughwater and the Popoiʻa Swim.

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Grabowsky said she fell in love with ocean swimming as a young girl in California.

That quickly grew into a passion for environmental sciences and marine studies.

One of the biggest highlights of her job, she said, is being able to take students to field experiences in Hawaiʻi waters—from Ala Moana to Hanauma Bay. “That’s where I’m lucky,” she said. “f you create a memory for them that’s tied to Chaminade or them loving science, that’s important.”

Grabowksy, from Los Angeles, studied at Duke University and earned her doctoral degree in Zoology in 1993. She first came to the islands as a graduate student in 1992 and returned a year later for a postdoctoral position. She started teaching at Chaminade in 1997.

The Hawaiʻi Swimming Hall of Fame, founded in 2002, seeks to “promote, preserve, and perpetuate Hawaiian aquatic sports for the future” by celebrating the achievements of island swimmers, divers, and water polo athletes.

Leading with Service

Before Christine Baleto ’91 left her native Guam for college, her dad sat her down for a conversation she’ll never forget. He told her many people leave the island to pursue higher education, but too few return to use what they’ve learned to give back to the community.

Christine Baleto ’91 (right) poses with Annette Taijeron Santos, DBA, interim dean of Chaminade’s School of Business and Communication.

“If our own people don’t come back to help improve our island and create opportunities, who will?” Baleto recalls her father asking her all those years ago. “He urged me to get my education, but more importantly, to come home and use it to serve our people and our island.

“That conversation left a lasting imprint on me. I left Guam with a clear purpose: to return.”

And that’s exactly what she did.

Today, Baleto is president and CEO of telecommunications firm Docomo Pacific, the largest provider of mobile, internet, television and phone services in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Despite her high-stress day job, Baleto still makes time to serve on nonprofit boards, volunteer her time to civic organizations and serve as a mentor to young people.

That focus on giving to others is something Baleto says was ingrained in her throughout her childhood, and a value she was able to foster during her time at Chaminade.

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While a student, she served as president of the National Honor Society and volunteered for a long list of clubs. “That commitment to service shaped how I lead today,” she said.

Baleto came to Chaminade as a transfer student.

After graduating from high school, she headed to Eastern Oregon State College on a full scholarship. While she says she enjoyed the opportunity, Baleto struggled with the climate and the distance from her island home, so she made the decision to transfer to Hawaiʻi.

Christine Baleto ’91

“I wanted connection and community,” Baleto said.

She found it at Chaminade.

“The intimate campus environment was exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t want to be just another face in a large lecture hall; I wanted a place where professors knew my name and where mentorship and one-on-one engagement were part of the learning experience.”

Baleto says she thrived in Chaminade’s tight-knit community and enjoyed the University’s values-based education. Chaminade’s mission of service, in particular, resonated with her.

“From a young age, I felt a strong calling to serve,” she said. “My earliest passions were rooted in social service, and even as my career evolved, that sense of purpose never faded.”

It’s why today, Baleto sees her role as a leader as an opportunity to make a broader positive impact. “Returning to Guam and contributing to our community wasn’t just a personal goal. It was a responsibility I embraced, and one that continues to guide my path today,” she said.

Her message to tomorrow’s leaders at Chaminade is twofold.

First, she says, there is no substitute for hard work.

And secondly: “True leadership is rooted in humility, kindness, and a continuous willingness to learn from others,” Baleto said. “If you aspire to be a leader or a changemaker, remember you cannot do it alone. Real, lasting change happens when you empower those around you.”

Baleto said her Chaminade years were formative, including in helping her develop her community-focused leadership style. And this spring, Baleto had something of a full circle moment when she got the opportunity to visit campus for the first time since she’d graduated.

“Stepping onto campus 30 years later brought back so many wonderful memories— of the professors who knew me by name, the close-knit community, and all the ways I was active as a student,” she said. “I was especially proud to see how much the University has grown.”

Baleto added she’s grateful to be part of Chaminade’s past, present and future. “Chaminade is not merely a place to earn a degree,” she said. “It is a community that fosters one’s values, stimulates intellectual growth, and equips individuals with the skills necessary for purposeful leadership.”

This story appears in the Fall 2025 edition of Chaminade Magazine. To read the full issue, click here.

Archbishop Wester Speaks on Nuclear Disarmament

No one wants nuclear war, but many in the U.S. contend nuclear weapons are required for deterrence. In his thought-provoking and timely Marianist Lecture at Mystical Rose Oratory this month, Archbishop John Wester argued that thinking is not only naive but dangerous.

“I believe that deterrence is not the answer. In fact, I believe that deterrence is the enemy. Deterrence is what we should fear the most,” Wester told attendees. “Deterrence does not work and here’s why: Human beings aren’t always rational and we can’t read minds. For nuclear deterrence to work, all stakeholders must be determined to act … predictably.

“But we know that’s not true. That’s not how people work.”

Wester, the archbishop of Santa Fe, has become a staunch proponent and leading voice in the movement for nuclear disarmament. In 2022, he garnered headlines after issuing a pastoral letter entitled, “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament.”

In his Chaminade lecture—called “Nuclear Weapons: It’s 89 Seconds to Midnight—Does Anybody Care?”—Wester stressed the importance of talking and of education. He said the conversation on nuclear disarmament is critical but long overdue.

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Wester’s remarks come as the world marks eight decades since the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people and continue to have profound effects on communities. Wester says visiting Japan in 2017, including the sites of the bombings, underscored for him the importance of disarmament to achieve a lasting peace.

In addition to giving the Marianist Lecture on October 12, Wester delivered a similar talk to Chaminade students, faculty and staff earlier in the week. Andrew Peter Ancheta II, director of Student Engagement at Chaminade, said after Wester’s address at the Mystical Rose Oratory that he was buoyed by the message of hope. “Hope can be a very contagious thing should we allow it to be,” Ancheta said. “It’s important for us to not let this conversation die in this beautiful oratory.”

The Marianist Lecture series, which is 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, including Wester, are honored with the Mackey Award for Catholic Thought—named after the first president of Chaminade University.

In his talk, Wester outlined the chilling but real potential fallout if a nuclear war were to happen. In addition to the millions killed and injured in the blasts and billions more who would die because of the nuclear winter, Wester noted that nuclear war promises an end to modern life as we know it.

“It would mean an end to just about every book ever written, every medical advance made, every technological development, every philosophical or theological insight gained, every transportation mode we now take for granted. No communication, no hospitals, no first responders, no schools, no libraries, nothing,” he said. “I’m not doing this to create fear but to invite all of us to an enlightened self-interest and to be the change that we want to see in our world.”

Wester closed out his lecture with recommendations for further study and continuing the conversation. The title of his talk, “80 Second to Midnight,” refers to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ “Doomsday Clock,” aimed at spotlighting the existential threats facing humanity.

Wester also challenged attendees to bring more than logic to the conversation of nuclear disarmament. Heart, he said, is also required.. “We need a sense of morality, a sense of how we live with one another,” he said. “We need to do everything we can to end nuclear weapons.”

Chaminade to Offer Free FAFSA Workshops

Chaminade University will offer a series of free financial aid workshops next month at various high schools on Oahu to assist Hawai‘i students and their families in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Completing the FAFSA is a critical step in securing financial aid for college or graduate school and in determining eligibility for federal, state, and institutional funding.

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Workshop participants will receive guided support to complete their applications from Chaminade’s financial aid counselors.

The FAFSA for the 2025–2026 school year was released earlier this month, returning to its usual schedule after a delayed launch in 2024 due to a major form overhaul.

With the application process now back on track, Chaminade is making it easier for families by providing in-person assistance. The workshops are open to all Hawai‘i students and their families.

Workshops will be held at the following locations:

• November 3 from 6:30 p.m. at Calvery Chapel Christian School
• November 4 from 5:30 p.m. at Assets High School
• November 5 from 5:30 pm. at Radford High School


“These off-campus workshops reflect our commitment to serving Hawai‘i’s communities and ensuring that all students have access to the support they need,” said Chaminade University President Lynn Babington, Ph.D. “By bringing these resources directly to families, we’re removing barriers and helping them navigate what can be a confusing and overwhelming process.”

In addition to offering FAFSA support, Chaminade continues to expand financial opportunities for local students. Through the Hawai‘i Guarantee, the University matches Hawaii’s flagship tuition for all qualified residents. Chaminade also increased merit-based scholarships this year to help offset tuition expenses for all undergraduate students, reaffirming its commitment to affordability and access.

To learn more about Chaminade University’s financial program, click here.

Chaminade Partners with Hawaiʻi Catholic Schools

As part of an innovative new program aimed at bolstering community health, the School of Nursing and Health Professions has partnered with Hawaiʻi Catholic Schools to place doctoral nursing students on campuses for everything from everyday ailments to health education.

There are currently students at two campuses—and plans for expansion.

Linda Malone, DNP, an associate professor of nursing, said school-based health services are oftentimes an overlooked area of community-based care. But ensuring children are healthier—and making healthier choices—can have broad positive impacts on their schooling and lives.

“School-based health and school healthcare has long been proven to keep kids healthier,” Malone said. “And if you’re keeping them healthy, you’re keeping them in school.”

She added the pilot program, made possible thanks to Marianist Sponsorship Ministries Foundation grants, is especially focused on prevention messaging.

At St Joseph’s Parish School in Waipahu, Haylee Carlson, DNP ’27, put together a special health education newsletter for parents and health promotion presentations for students in third through eighth grades focusing on topics like healthy eating and exercise. At Our Lady Of Good Counsel School in Pearl City, Michelle Burns, DNP ’26, set up a tent to see students and also offered health education classes.

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Dr. Llewellyn Young, superintendent of Hawaiʻi Catholic Schools, said the initiative is filling a “critical gap” by providing regular on-site care on campuses that don’t have the resources to fund a school nurse.

“This pilot partnership is incredibly important to me because it directly supports the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of our students,” Young said. “More importantly, it reflects the Catholic Church’s mission to serve the whole person—body, mind, and spirit.”

Young added that Chaminade doctoral students serving on the campuses not only give administrators and teachers peace of mind, but offer proactive education on wellness and even early identification of mental health needs. “Looking ahead, I hope to expand this partnership to more of our Catholic schools—especially those in underserved areas,” Young said.

“This is more than a healthcare initiative—it is a ministry of healing and accompaniment, and we are deeply grateful for Chaminade University’s shared commitment to this vision.”

Burns, who is at the Pearl City campus, said the program has given her a new appreciation of school-based care.

As a registered nurse, Burns evaluates students who are feeling ill or have been injured on campus. But the real highlight for Burns, who is in the pediatric nurse practitioner track in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, has been developing age-appropriate educational curricula covering everything from good sleep habits to calming techniques to hygiene.

“This partnership has shown me a different part of nursing that I haven’t been exposed to yet,” Burns said. “Starting up a health room takes a lot of planning. In addition to my nursing skills, I’ve learned how to create forms specifically for school health clinics, collaborate with school administration, and communicate with parents or guardians when needed.”

Carlson, also in the pediatric nurse practitioner track, said she jumped at the opportunity to contribute at the Waipahu school after hearing about the pilot from Malone.

“School health has always been an interest of mine, and I decided to go for it because it’s an excellent opportunity to give back to the community,” Carlson said. “Establishing health services will provide increased access to healthcare for children and help decrease sickness and absenteeism as a result.”

She added a highlight of the work, in addition to serving young students and providing health education programming, is working with undergraduate nursing students at Chaminade who are completing clinical hours at the Catholic schools. “This pilot has provided me the chance to solidify my assessment skills and get creative with healthcare in a school environment,” she said.

“We’re making a positive impact on these children and their families.”

This story appears in the Fall 2025 edition of Chaminade Magazine. To read the full issue, click here.