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Early Childhood Education

Flex program allowed Sienna Delano to work in a classroom and as a fairytale character

She has been Snow White. She has dressed up as Belle. And Sienna Delano ’23 has even donned on the wings of Tinkerbell. Her ultimate princess fairytale, though, came true in May when she slipped into her blue gown and sashayed across the stage to receive her Chaminade University bachelor’s degree at the Waikiki Shell. But, it has not always been an animated Disney fantasy world for the Kapolei resident.

“When I was in high school, I was dealing with health issues that impeded me from actually attending school,” says Delano, who received a B.S. in Early Childhood Education. “The underlying problem was gastritis, which caused me to pass out a lot, and I was throwing up everything I ate. I really hit rock bottom, but I used my mind to heal myself.”

And it worked with the help of her parents, Ken and Jacqueline, who are both psychologists. Delano ended up getting her high school degree online with Penn Foster. And when she finished her last class at 10 p.m., she recalled waking her parents up and screaming “I just finished.” She was only 16 years old, but this self-described “hustler” has always been somewhat of a wunderkind.

Chaminade University president, Dr. Lynn Babington, presented Sienna Delano with her bachelors degree.

“Even though I got better, I was already enrolled in Chaminade’s Flex program, and I decided to stay with it,” Delano says. “Plus, I didn’t have my driver’s license then, and even though I do have my license now, I still don’t really like to drive.”

Chaminade’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) bachelor’s degree is aligned with state requirements and National Association for the Education of Young Children standards. The ECE major is flexible, and is offered through online courses that allow students to fit instruction into a busy schedule.

“We did some surveys and early childhood educators indicated that their life situations don’t allow them to take in-person courses,” says Dr. Elizabeth Park, associate professor and director of the Early Childhood and Montessori programs. “So what we did was really spend the energy and time to design robust online courses, so that we could really meet the needs of our educators.”

Delano understands the importance of early childhood education, and how it lays the groundwork for a child’s lifelong learning journey, contributing to their intellectual, social and emotional development. The positive experiences and skills acquired during these formative years create a strong foundation for success in school and in life.

“I started the Flex program in 2020 and my goal was to become an early childhood educator in a couple of years,” Delano says. “I really liked Chaminade’s online modules, which allowed me to set my own pace.”

Delano decided she wanted to become a second or third grade teacher because she enjoys reading to kids, a skill that she cultivated and strengthened while working at Storybook Entertainment Hawaii, which primarily provides character entertainment for private parties.

“I’ve always loved reading,” Delano says. “When I was young, I would read with my dad in a green chair that was designated for reading. I’ve probably read six to seven books this year alone.”  

Delano’s parents have always stressed to her and her three sisters the importance of the mind and how to best use it to their advantage. She believes in the importance of using one’s mind lies in its transformative impact on personal development, cognitive abilities, emotional well-being and the overall quality of life.

“Even though I didn’t have the in-person campus experience, I was still able to create  a lot of memories online,” says Delano, who will finish her student-teaching requirement at Kapolei Elementary School in December. “We would have ‘Session Rooms’ and ‘Workspaces” where we could post our ideas and have peer interaction.

“Sr. Malia Wong even had us submit videos of ourselves so it felt like we knew each other,” Delano adds. “She made me cry … in a good way. She called me an inspiration and said to me ‘Maybe I’ll see you as a princess.’”

I Go 2 College

Fifth graders experience campus life for a day

Trying to explain Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ (“Praise be to you,” a quotation from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Creatures”) to 12-year-old kids in a university environment is no easy task. Yet, Bro. Ed Brink, S.M. comfortably stood in front of a group of Sacred Hearts Academy, and St. Theresa and St. Elizabeth students and started his discussion with a simple question: have you ever received a birthday card in the mail? 

Raising her hand, Charlie Yim screamed out “from my auntie.” Sitting next to Yim, fellow Lancer, Camryn Abe, echoed the same response. In fact, every student had received a card, either from an auntie or a grandparent. Some even said they had received letters, which was the perfect segue for Brink to ask his second question: Why do we send cards and letters?

Surely enough, students answered with “to let us know they care for us and they love us.” It was a response that could not have been any better scripted than if Brink had pre-written the answer himself. After all, the Pope’s 184-page encyclical letter—Laudato Si’— focuses on care for the natural environment and all people, as well as broader questions of the relationship among God, humans and the Earth. The encyclical’s subtitle, “Care for Our Common Home,” reinforces these key themes.

Bro. Ed Brink teaches fifth graders about Laudato Si.

“Pope Francis’ encyclicals are letters to the people,” said Brink, Vice President of Mission and Rector. “They are letters to show his care and love for the people. Earth is God’s gift to us, and it belongs to everyone, but it needs our protection and immediate attention.”

After shuffling slides of a PowerPoint presentation, Brink handed out sheets of a word search puzzle that contained vocabulary that directly pertained to the environment and sustainability. Working together in groups of seven, students eagerly searched for words in the puzzle, circling “recycle” along a diagonal path and “earth” along a vertical column.

The exercise wasn’t lost on the students who were part of a cohort of 166 fifth graders who visited campus to experience college life. Now in its second year, “I Go 2 College” is a partnership between Chaminade University and Hawaii Catholic Schools.

“The I Go 2 College event exceeded my expectations,” said Llewellyn Young, Ph.D., superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools. “Our preliminary surveys showed that all stakeholders including teachers, parents and students were very satisfied with the experience.  

“Anecdotally, several parents called my office when we did our first event last spring to tell me that they thought the program was brilliant and inspiring,” Young continued. “Parents spoke with such enthusiasm. One parent told me that her son talked about it for a few weeks. He never mentioned college before the experience, but now he can’t wait to go.”

St. Theresa students, Heaven Lee and Katelin Nitta, and Sacred Hearts’s Lauren Schofield and Kiara Cruz all plan to attend university, and Chaminade may be their choice. The four fifth graders said this college experience was “fun—even with all the up-and-down hikes.” 

Attending for a second year, St. Theresa fifth-grade teacher Alyssa Yabes said last year’s students “really enjoyed it a lot.” “They kept talking that they loved going to college,” she said. “All the hiking, they told me, was worth it.”  

Started approximately 16 years ago, the “I Go To College” program aims to introduce 9-12-year-old students to higher education, even before they step onto a middle school campus. “The purpose of this program is to expose the students to college life at an early age and to provide them with a day that is fun and eye-opening,” said Kim Baxter, Director of Early College programs at Chaminade. “Additionally, one benefit to offering visit opportunities for younger students is that when they return as juniors or seniors, the students will be better prepared to participate in traditional campus visit programs.”

Amy Thompson of Mattel

’98 alumna shares her role with a leading global toy company

A word of advice from Amy Thompson: be open. Open to new ideas. Open to diversity. And open to equality and inclusion. As executive vice president and chief people officer for Mattel, the ’98 Chaminade alumna oversees all global human resources functions, including compensation and benefits, organizational design and leadership development for the company.

Speaking virtually to students during the Dean’s Speaker Series, Thompson shared her impressive employment history. Before joining Mattel, she served as chief people officer for TOMS Shoes, where she successfully developed and implemented organizational plans to scale the company globally by elevating talent and direct-to-consumer capability. She also founded TOMS Leading Ladies, an organization dedicated to empowering and inspiring women leaders.

Prior to TOMS, she held several global HR leadership roles at Starbucks Coffee Company, as well as led HR teams and departments at Ticketmaster Corporation and Citysearch.com.

Amy Thompson addressed students during the Dean’s Speaker Series.

“I believe my formative experiences, including at Chaminade, shaped my future,” Thompson told attendees. “I came to Chaminade on a full athletic scholarship and, as an athlete, you have to be disciplined.”

The Dean’s Speaker Series is designed to bring private, nonprofit and public sector leaders who have achieved recognition in their respective fields to share their expertise and insights on a broad range of timely issues, as well as share the highlights, challenges and turning points of their individual career paths.

“The Speaker Series is intended to extend classroom learning,” said School of Business and Communication Interim Dean Annette Santos. “It’s a co-curricular experience where the integration between theory and practice is reinforced and realized.”

Another intention of the forum is to bring a diversity of social, cultural, economic and other business-related perspectives to the Chaminade community in order to engage in ways that inform and encourage sustainable business for good. 

“One of Mattel’s external recognitions that I’m really proud of is its standing with the Human Rights Campaign,” Thompson said. “In 2022, for the fourth year in a row, Mattel received a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey that measures corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.’”

As chief people officer, Thompson is guided by several key questions: “Do employees feel supported? Can they be authentic? Do they feel that they belong?”

“We have three values that are foundational to Mattel,” Thompson pointed out in her PowerPoint slide. “Collaboration, Innovation and Execution, which leads to our pillars of leadership: build and drive culture, manage performance, support career growth, promote wellbeing and growth mindset.”

School of Business and Communication Senator and Intern, and United Nations Association of Chaminade University (UNAC) President, Jasmine Mondelo could clearly sense that Thompson immensely cares for Mattel’s culture and talent. She also believes that Mattel offers a prime business model that fosters and values employee relations.

“As a college student who will set out on my own career path after graduation, Amy Thompson and Mattel’s message of inclusivity, fairness and commitment to personal and professional growth is inspiring to me,” said Mondelo after attending the lecture. “Wherever I work, I would want to feel valued and respected as an employee, motivated to achieve success for myself and the company, and capable of continuously improving myself.”

Santos hopes that students will have several takeaways after attending and listening to these guest speakers. “1) I hope that students would be inspired by the personal and professional journey of the featured speakers in ways that enhance their educational experience,” she said. “2) Understand that personal and professional growth is a process that involves challenges and turning points on the way to wins and transformation; and 3) this event also provides opportunities for students to build their network, possibly creating meaningful connections with speakers or those in attendance.” 

Educator Award

Chaminade Alumna named West Hawai‘i Teacher of the Year

One of 16 finalists for the 2024 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year recognition, Jennifer Ilaban ’05 said she actually had no desire to become an educator when she was younger. But a volunteer experience while she was a college student changed her career trajectory.

“In my early college years, I began pursuing a degree in business and travel industry management,” said the Kahakai Elementary English Language Arts teacher. “I had internships with Sheraton, and I also worked during the winter and summer break at Four Seasons. While those were fun experiences, I did not have much fulfillment in making a difference.”

As a stipulation of one of her scholarships, Ilaban was committed to do volunteer work for the Pauahi Scholarship and volunteered at Ala Wai Elementary school in its afterschool program, where she tutored students. She also volunteered at a preschool where she found a sense of purpose that she could help people rather than serve tourists. After earning a BS in Hawaiian Language, Ilaban applied to Chaminade to pursue her Masters of Education in early childhood education and her teacher licensure.

Chaminade Director of Early Childhood and Montessori Programs, Dr. Elizabeth Park remembers Ilaban well. She was one of her very first student teachers, and Park knew even then that Ilaban would make a great teacher.

West Hawai‘i Teacher of the Year Award recipient, Jennifer Ilaban, has her photo taken with, from left, Hawaii State Board of Education Chairman Warren Haruki, Superintendent Keith Hayashi, Gov. Josh Green, First Lady Jaime Kanani Green, Kahakai Elementary Principal Kori Takaki and ​Complex Area Superintendent Janette Snelling.

“I still have the books she created with the children that I use as examples of good literacy practice,” said Park, who was invited by Ilaban to attend the 2024 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year ceremony at Washington Place. “So, I am not surprised that she received the West Hawai‘i Teacher of the Year Award.”

The annual Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year honor is presented annually to a classroom teacher selected from more than 13,000 Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) educators. The winner goes on to represent Hawaiʻi in the National Teacher of the Year program, which provides a new cohort of State Teachers of the Year with a yearlong, one-of-a-kind professional learning and development experience.

“We’re excited to be here today to honor 16 finalists from our public and charter schools statewide,” said Superintendent Keith Hayashi during the live-streamed ceremony. “It’s important that we pause and take the time to recognize and appreciate the outstanding work that all of our 13,000 teachers do every day. You are prime examples of how a teacher’s influence on a student can transcend beyond the classroom and beyond the K-12 timeline.”

Today’s Teacher of the Year ceremony included monetary awards to each Complex Area and Public Charter School Teacher of the Year by The Polynesian Cultural Center—the Teacher of the Year program’s corporate sponsor for over 30 years—and an additional $1,000 award to the State Teacher of the Year.

“We’re grateful that you’re the role models for our children,” Gov. Josh Green told the finalists. “I appreciate your heart because we all know the sacrifices teachers make. It’s a great challenge and you’re making Hawaii a more extraordinary place.”

Ilaban teaches pre-school through grade three students, and now also coaches teachers and students as a curricular coordinator for Kahakai Elementary. She is the only National Board Certified teacher on campus and consistently applies the board-certified framework in her approach to mentoring fellow teachers.

“I have had the pleasure of witnessing Jennifer’s exceptional teaching abilities and unwavering commitment to students, colleagues and the success of our school,” wrote Kahakai Elementary School Principal Kori Takaki in her nomination letter to the Teacher of the Year Selection Committee. “I can attest to her exceptional skills, dedication and passion for education.

“Jennifer is an excellent teacher who consistently goes above and beyond to ensure the success of students,” Takaki added. “She is not only knowledgeable and skilled in her subject matter, but she also possesses a unique ability to connect with students on a personal level. And I am confident that she will continue to make a significant impact at our school and in the field of education.”

Asked what it means for her to be named the West Hawai‘i Teacher of the Year, Ilaban was quick to respond: “This award represents the power of public education,” adding that she was born and raised in Kona, attended public school as a student, and spent most of her career teaching in public education.

“I am proud to send my own children to public school,” Ilaban said. “It is full circle for me to represent the district that I came from.” 

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant  

New funding will help expand HEP Program

With support from a $750,000, three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Chaminade University of Honolulu will now be able to expand its Higher Education in Prison (HEP) program, which aims to be a pathway for participants to leave incarceration with new identities, perspectives and goals to help them thrive in society.  

“At Chaminade, one of our primary Marianist values is to advocate for social justice for transformative change,” said Chaminade President Lynn Babington, Ph.D. “We support a rehabilitation-through-education narrative, which we know is essential to incarcerated individuals finding a pathway to a second chance and a better future.”  

Chaminade’s current HEP program only serves males who are incarcerated at Halawa Correctional Facility. However, moving forward, the University plans to extend its cohort model HEP program to the Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC), as well as to those men serving time 3,000 miles from home at the Saguaro Prison in Arizona.  

The goal is to expand degree offerings, starting with the men in Halawa, to include an AA in Liberal Arts that can be extended to a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies. The coursework for the three degree programs will emphasize a humanities and liberal arts curriculum, and will be offered in a culturally responsive and trauma-informed way that will resonate with the overly-represented indigenous prison population.  

Dr. Janet Davidson addresses the new graduates during a Commencement Ceremony at Halawa Correctional Facility.

“If we want safer communities, if we want healthier families, if we want people who are incarcerated to have a chance when they come out, these are the types of rehabilitative programs we should be offering,” said Dr. Janet Davidson, Chaminade’s Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and a leader in criminology. “The idea is to shift the mindset. It will cost society less in the end.”  

Citing racial equity as a primary condition that makes HEP programs urgently necessary, the grant underscores the over-representation of Native Hawaiians in the criminal justice system. According to data collected by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaii’s incarceration rate increased by 403 percent from 1978 to 2016, with Native Hawaiians affected disproportionately. Though accounting for only 18 percent of the state’s adult population, Native Hawaiians represent 37 percent of those incarcerated. This statistic includes Native Hawaiian women who make up 44 percent of the incarcerated women in Hawaii.  

While imprisoned women already have access to some college courses, they don’t have degree options. This Mellon grant will change this. “Since women are more likely than men to be the primary caretakers of dependent children prior to incarceration,” Davidson said, “their success after leaving prison will have a positive impact on their children and families, multiplying the effects of a single college degree.”  

Providing education in prison has indeed proven to reduce recidivism rates, and is associated with higher employment rates, which will improve public safety and allow individuals to return home to their communities and contribute to society. Moreover, a 2018 study from the RAND Corporation, funded by the Department of Justice, found that incarcerated individuals who participated in correctional education were 48 percent less likely to return to prison within three years than incarcerated individuals who did not participate in any correctional education programs. RAND also estimated that for every dollar invested in correctional education programs, four to five dollars are saved on three-year, re-incarceration costs.  

“The success of this pilot program—between Chaminade University of Honolulu and the Hawaii Department of Public Safety—demonstrates that partnerships can lead to transformative change,” Davidson said. “With the support and guidance of Chaminade’s distinguished faculty and support staff, and the cooperation and backing of Halawa Correctional Facility, these individuals have embraced the opportunity to redefine their futures. This program is part of Chaminade’s mission to educate for service, justice and peace. We hope that with their newly gained education, these students will have the skills needed to rebuild their lives upon reintegration into society.”        

Kenneth and Diane Matsuura Foundation

Scholarship fund helps future nurses

After consistently hearing about the need for nurses during the pandemic, Kenneth and Diane Matsuura decided to do something about it. Rather than park their money in investments, the couple was driven to establish a foundation that would support future healthcare workers, knowing the essential role nurses play in and outside of hospital settings.  

“During the pandemic, we saw the perseverance of nurses,” says Diane Matsuura, a retired music teacher. “I could never do what they do; they work tirelessly to help their patients heal. And we’re fortunate enough to be able to start this foundation to help future nurses attain their degrees.”  

The COVID-19 pandemic was not in sight when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, with a goal to raise awareness of the need for “nine million more nurses and midwives to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.”

In Hawaii, there are currently 1,000 vacant nursing positions across the state, according to the State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. State data further shows the demand for more nurses will grow by more than 100 positions each year.  

Tiannah Ohta and Genie Reutirez heard that calling and decided to answer it by applying to Chaminade’s nursing program. As part of the cohort of students in the accelerated track to earn a bachelor of science in nursing, Ohta, Reutirez and their fellow nursing students will complete their degrees in five back-to-back terms (20 months, as opposed to the traditional four years) through a rigorous academic schedule.

“When I read the email that I received a scholarship from the Kenneth And Diane Matsuura Foundation, I started to bawl,” Reutirez told Diane Matsuura and son Keven Matsuura over lunch. “It was such a huge surprise and a major financial help.”  

Ohta was in disbelief when she learned about her scholarship, thinking at first, that the email was a prank. “I wasn’t expecting it all; I had to read the email a few times because I thought I was reading it incorrectly.” said the 24-year-old Waipahu native and two-time nominee for a U.S. Presidential Scholars Medallion. “This helps me a great deal financially because we can’t work and go to school at the same time. It’s just not possible.”  

With an increasing emphasis on preparing nurses at the baccalaureate and higher degree level, one innovative approach to nursing education is to offer an accelerated degree program for non-nursing graduates. These programs build on previous learning experiences and provide a way for individuals with undergraduate degrees in other disciplines to transition into nursing.  

Having already completed her undergraduate degree in public health, Reutirez decided to pursue her nursing degree, a goal of hers even when she was completing her first bachelor’s. “It’s just a little later than I expected,” said the Ewa Beach resident. “I guess though it’s better late than never.”      

Geared to individuals who have already proven their ability to succeed at college or university, accelerated baccalaureate programs accomplish programmatic objectives in a short time by building on previous learning experiences. Instruction is intense with courses offered full-time with no breaks between sessions. Students receive the same number of clinical hours as their counterparts in traditional entry-level nursing programs.  

“Even when I was completing my bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Las Vegas, I knew I wanted to be in the medical field,” Ohta says. “This program will help me get there.”  

And so will her Kenneth and Diane Matsuura scholarship.  

“It’s rewarding to meet these young women who have so much passion to become nurses,” Diane Matsuura says. “My husband is currently hospitalized so I see what these nurses have to go through day in and day out. They work long shifts and the job is physically demanding. So, I commend anyone who goes into nursing.”