Chaminade University of Honolulu

Institutional

Virtual Hogan Entrepreneurial Graduation 2020

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Over 50 students, parents, mentors and friends attended the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program graduation ceremony on April 29. Typically held on campus in the Mystical Rose Oratory, this year’s ceremony took place online via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of Chaminade students who have spent the past one to two years participating in the community service projects, academic coursework, mentorship activities, networking events and weekly lectures that are hosted by the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program. Funded by the Hogan Family Foundation, the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to become successful entrepreneurs, with an emphasis on community service. The program’s motto is “doing business things that make social sense and doing social things that make business sense.”

“As we do every April, we look to this celebration as a time to recognize the most important players in this program, and that’s you, our students,” said Dr. Webster. “You’ve heard me say before, our aim is simple: it’s to give you, some of Chaminade’s best students, the knowledge skills and motivation to start new things.”

The celebration began with a prayer from Brother Edward Brink, Chaminade’s rector and vice president for mission. Next, Dr. Lynn Babington, president of Chaminade University, welcomed all in attendance and offered well wishes for the graduates who were moving on to the next leg of their journey.

The ceremony continued by awarding students from each class year with the Outstanding Student Awards, including juniors Elijah Abramo and Yoshlinda Note, and seniors Isabella Tessitore and Natalie Burton. Charlie Clausner took home the Outstanding Graduate Student award, and Esther Patterson took home the overall Outstanding Hogan Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Charlie Clausner was also one of two student speakers who shared spoken word poems they had written to inspire and uplift, joining fellow graduate Fabian Patterson.

Dr. Babington also had the pleasure of introducing the next director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program, as Dr. John Webster will be retiring in June following 18 years of service to Chaminade University.

Dr. Roy Panzarella will begin his role as director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program on July 1, 2020. Dr. Panzarella most recently served as the vice president of operations at Alaka‘ina Foundation Family of Companies. He is the former general manager of Lockheed Martin in the United Arab Emirates and retired from the Army as a Colonel after 33 years of service. He will be stepping down from his role as vice chair of the Board of Regents at Chaminade University to join the Hogan program.

“I’ve known Roy Panzarella for a number of years, and have long been convinced that he would provide the leadership that you would expect from the Hogan program,” said Dr. Webster. “He has the values and the heart to make you, and Chaminade, proud of your program.”

Congratulations to the 2020 Hogan Entrepreneurial Program graduates. As Dr. Babington said, “You are our future, and we have great hope and high expectations for all of you.”

The Outstanding Hogan Entrepreneur of the Year Award:
Esther Patterson, Owner of Captured Imagery, Kapolei

The Outstanding Graduate Student Award:
Charlie Clausner, MBA, Springfield, Illinois

The Outstanding Senior Awards:

  • Natalie Burton, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Granada Hills, California
  • Isabella Tessitore, Business Administration, San Diego

The Outstanding Junior Awards:

  • Elijah Abramo, Accounting, Mililani
  • Yoshlinda Note, Accounting, Marshall Islands

The Aloha Spirit Awards:

  • Kylee Kaczmarek, Business Administration, Kapolei
  • Lekeleka Kiner-Falefa, Business Administration, Honolulu
  • Kayla Maher, Criminal Justice, Laguna Miguel, California
  • Musuai Pauulu, Environmental + Interior Design, Waianae

The Community Service Awards:

  • Tomoko Hotema, Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, Tokyo    
  • Lailane Tangonan, MBA graduate, Philippines

The In the Arena Award:
Ashley Maha’a, Criminal Justice, Kailua

Media Coverage

Hawaii News Now

KITV News

“We Care” Packages

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Though unable to gather in person, Chaminade students still felt the love. Faculty and staff volunteers gathered to distribute celebratory care packages to all students (day undergraduates, online undergraduates, graduate students and PsyD students) at a drive-through event today.

Students who pulled up to the Chaminade campus were greeted by a group of Chaminade staff and faculty members cheering them on and giving words of encouragement. They were directed to pull up to the distribution table, where they were handed a care package full of hot meals, breakfast foods, fresh fruits, baked goods, snacks and more through their passenger side window.

“With COVID-19, we have to be creative and find new ways to show our students that we care about them, and we miss them, says Allison Jerome, Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students at Chaminade University.”

For some students, this was the last time they got to see Chaminade faculty and staff before graduating next week. “I’m so grateful that they took the time to put on this event for us,” says Theresa Dao, a soon-to-be-Chaminade-graduate and biology major. “It’s been really hard having to finish out my senior year without seeing my Chaminade ‘ohana, so it was nice having a chance to say goodbye, even though I could only wave from my car. I’m really going to miss them.”

Chaminade plans to reopen campus in the fall, and their official graduation ceremony has been postponed to December 14, 2020.

Mahalo Scholarship Luncheon 2020

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Mahalo Scholarship Luncheon 2020 event

One of the most rewarding parts about donating is seeing your donation in action. As more than 70 donors witnessed on February 20, a donation to Chaminade has tangible benefits and changes the lives of our students.

Each year, the Mahalo Scholarship Luncheon brings together donors who have supported our scholarship fund with students who have received a scholarship. It’s an opportunity for the students to thank their scholarship donors personally, and let them know just how much their support has made a difference in their educational journey.

“Our students really understand and appreciate the choice every one of our donors made to invest in them,” says Dawn Johnson, scholarship manager at Chaminade and organizer of the luncheon. “Most of them have shared that they intend to one day ‘pay forward’ the gift of scholarship they received while at Chaminade.”

The event started with an oli from the students to the donors. Following, the students draped lei on the donors in gratitude, and then sought out the individuals who created the scholarship they received to join them for lunch.

Leslie Blount attends the event each year representing the Richard T. and Leslie N. Blount Scholarship for military students and dependents. The scholarship was established by her late husband, Richard, right before he fell ill. “This event is one of my major highlights,” says Leslie. “I just love interacting with the students. They never seize to impress me with all of their accomplishments and I’m just so grateful that they are living my husband’s dream. It gives me such joy to know that his wish to help students connected to the military is being fulfilled.”

Chaminade University has more than 100 scholarships that have been generously established by individual donors and foundations. Many of them are endowed, and several are renewable investments that are replenished each year. This year alone, our students received nearly $2.3 million in donor-funded scholarships.

Ke‘alohi Canady '20 speaks at the Mahalo Scholarship Luncheon 2020

Ke‘alohi Canady, a fourth-year business administration major and first-generation college student from Honolulu, spoke first-hand about how much her scholarship has impacted her time as a student.

“I am beyond grateful and so fortunate to have been awarded a scholarship,” said Ke‘alohi. “I’m really lucky that I don’t have to struggle or work crazy hours just to finance my education. It allows me to have a sustainable work-study life balance, meaning that I can devote my time to soaking up all the information in my studies. I was able to have this opportunity because of you all.”

Edward Adachi, a third-year environmental science major, spoke to the individual transformation he has undertaken while at Chaminade. He was raised on the island of Oahu by his maternal grandmother, and he has always sought to become a person that would make her proud.

Edward Adachi '20 speaks at the Mahalo Scholarship Luncheon 2020

“I came to college thinking I had life all figured out,” he began his address to the room. “I had made a list in high school of what college I wanted to go to, what degree I wanted to pursue, how I would obtain my career and what I would do in retirement—at the age of 18, I had 50 years planned out. My friend once told me, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. Well, God must have been rolling on the floor when he heard mine.”

Edward entered Chaminade as a business administration major. Within the first year and a half, after rethinking that decision several times, he finally landed on environmental science. He’s now planning a graduate degree in public health, and looks forward to a career educating communities across the pacific on how to be healthy.

His time at Chaminade has introduced him to a world full of possibilities and opportunities. He has met friends from all over the world, from all walks of life, and he’s traveled to the mainland and throughout the Pacific. He also discovered his faith at Chaminade, and now identifies proudly as a Roman Catholic.

“To be at a school that is so dynamic motivates me to be just as dynamic,” said Edward. “To live, is to change. Thank you for changing my life, and the lives of all of our students.”

To learn more about how you can support a student at Chaminade, contact Dawn Johnson at [email protected].

Chaminade University Now Accepting Applications for Four-Year Scholarship Program

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HONOLULU (January 23, 2020) – Chaminade University is now accepting applicants for its Ho‘oulu Scholarship program for Native Hawaiian students. Developed in partnership with Kamehameha Schools, the program was designed to grow the number of Native Hawaiians graduating with science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees.

The four-year scholarship is open to first-year and transfer applicants seeking degrees in Biology; Biochemistry; Chemistry; Data Science, Analytics and Visualization; Environmental Sciences; Environmental Studies; Forensic Sciences; and Nursing. The scholarship provides:

  • Full tuition (100 percent of tuition not to exceed the published amount) assistance for four years
  • Consideration for partial housing subsidy for on- or off-campus housing for neighbor island or rural students
  • Wraparound academic support services to promote on-time graduation
  • Participation in Chaminade’s four-year graduation guarantee
  • Access to post-graduate career paths via Chaminade’s suite of articulation agreements with medical and graduate schools
  • Paid internships for professional development
  • Financial support for career development activities, such as MCAT and GRE preparation

Now in its fifth year, the Ho‘oulu Scholarship gives preference to applicants of Native Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law. To date, 125 students have received Ho‘oulu scholarships at Chaminade.

“We’re extremely proud of the Ho‘oulu program at Chaminade,” said President Dr. Lynn Babington. “Both our persistence and four-year graduation rates are close to 100 percent for these scholars, who not only receive financial aid but more importantly intensive wraparound academic support services to help them succeed.”
The application submission deadline is March 16, 2020. For an application, visit chaminade.edu/hooulu.

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Chaminade University of Honolulu provides a collaborative and innovative learning environment that prepares graduate and undergraduate students for life, service and successful careers. Established in 1955, the university is guided by its Catholic, Marianist and liberal arts educational traditions, which include a commitment to serving the Native Hawaiian population. Chaminade offers an inclusive setting where students, faculty and staff collectively pursue a more just and peaceful society. For more information, visit chaminade.edu.

Celebrating Years of Service

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Chaminade faculty and staff gathered earlier this month for some holiday fare and fun – and to recognize dozens of colleagues celebrating years of service milestones.

Among those honored: Dr. David Coleman, a professor of Religious Studies at Chaminade, who has served at the institution for 45 years.

Dr. John Steelquist, professor of Operations Research, was recognized for 35 years at Chaminade.

And two members of the University ‘ohana are celebrating 30 years at Chaminade: Dr. Chock Wong, an associate professor of Mathematics, and Librarian Valerie Coleman.

Chaminade’s annual faculty and staff Christmas celebration is one of the few times during the year that team members from across the institution are able to gather and enjoy each other’s company.

The end-of-the-year luncheon is also a time for reflection – as faculty and staff members recall the accomplishments of the past year and the big goals for the year ahead.

Here’s the full list of Chaminade employees celebrating years of service milestones:

Ty Aki
Leiko Bedoya
Mefleen Billy
Dr. Denise Hackman
Karen Harp
Kevin Mikami
Shadrack Nabea
Maxine Nihei
Siako Noket
Andrew Perez
Cheryl Yamamoto

Eva Djou
Ryan Hirata
Seiko Kuliano

Dr. Joseph Allen
Heidi Harakuni
Allison Jerome
Choong Lim
Cassandra Sakamoto
Eva Washburn-Repollo

Dr. Lilia Castle
Huo Chen
Venus Ituralde
Dr. Regina Pfeiffer
Sr. Malia Wong

Rui Huang
Cesar Tesora  

Valerie Coleman
Dr. Chock Wong

Dr. John Steelquist

Dr. David Coleman

Graduate and Online Undergraduate Scholarships

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Dr. Lynn Babington talks to KHON2 about our new $5,000 graduate and online undergraduate scholarship in celebration of 200 years of Marianist Education. The one-time $5,000 scholarships are available to new, incoming students looking to pursue a master’s degree or online bachelor’s degree.

At Chaminade University, we are committed to improving the community we call home through education.