Chaminade University of Honolulu

Student Life

Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program Kicks Off 24th Year

The Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program is now celebrating its 24th year mentoring students seeking independent business opportunities or leadership skills to help organizations succeed, both for-profit and nonprofit. On Wednesday evening, past and current Hogan participants, alumni, and business leaders gathered to launch another year of Hogan with an inspiring keynote address and opportunities to connect, network, share inspiring stories, and celebrate one of Chaminade’s most successful institutions.

Chaminade University President Lynn Babington, Ph.D., welcomed attendees to the celebration and thanked them for supporting the Hogan initiative over the years.

“It’s such a pleasure to be here with you this evening and again kick off the 24th year of the Hogan program,” Babington said.

“We are very proud of the Hogan program,” she said. “Linking students with community members enriches new ideas and opportunities here in Hawai‘i.”

This year’s Hogan Kick-Off Celebration, held at the Sullivan Family Library Lawn, featured music, good food, drinks, and time for attendees to mingle and socialize. The featured speaker for the evening was Melissa Crounse Kaufman, a renowned entrepreneur and Founding Executive Director of The Garage, a startup incubator at Northwestern University.

“Previous speakers have been terrific, but I think this is one of the best ones we’ve had that I can remember in my time,” said Roy Panzarella, Ph.D., Director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program.

Kaufman, who now lives in Maui and works as a school teacher, shared a story with the audience of how she once tested the entrepreneurial instincts of her students against artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

She split the class into two groups and asked each to develop an innovative idea for a new snack product. One group had unlimited access to AI tools; the other had to use their wits.

Upon conclusion of this exercise, the class determined that the best idea came from the “brain team” that was denied the use of any AI advantage. The winning team proposed selling hibiscus-flavored popcorn that comes in resealable bags.

Kaufman told the audience to take this lesson to heart.

“AI is a pattern matching machine,” she said. “It draws from what already exists, and it optimizes for what has worked before, in the past.

“The winning idea in my class didn’t come from a prompt. It came from a teenage girl’s lived experience.”

Kaufman said she owes her success not to building successful companies, but to building up people and helping them make personal connections they can translate into winning enterprises.

“Students cannot build judgment or persuasive speaking or interpret body language or build connections alone in their dorm rooms talking to Claude,” she stressed. “Students need to interact with real businesses and real business problems in real time.”

Panzarella said Kaufman’s message is poignant for the times as the rise of AI technology leaves everyone nervous for the future.

Kaufman pleaded with business leaders in the audience to deepen their engagement with Hogan students. The program’s long success lies not with technologies like AI, she said, but with the personal connections the program fosters.

“You have to help in this mission because we can’t do it alone,” she said. “You need to share your time, your expertise, and your network with the students by serving as a mentor or a guest speaker.”

In addition to raffle prizes, the event presented two awards recognizing present and future entrepreneurial success.

Kai Cowell was honored with the Hogan program’s “In the Arena” award for her success with Ka‘iulani Spices, a healthy foods and flavoring company selling products at major retail outlets. The $1,500 student award went to Liliyah-Joy Quel-Kaina, a Hogan junior juggling two majors and minors who recently landed a coveted internship opportunity. 

The latest Hogan kick-off celebration comes at the midpoint of the semester and also lands in the middle of Chaminade’s first Wellness Week, a series of events aimed at helping students pause and reset.

Panzarella said the timing for the 24th Hogan Kick-Off is deliberate. He finds participants are more engaged and primed for action at this point in the academic year compared to the beginning of the semester or in the summer.

“We wanted to take time to let the semester sort of breathe a little bit,” he said. “We found that people are much more amenable to celebrating, to community building.”

He said the 24th year of the Hogan program won’t be delivering any major new surprises, but the year will still feature plenty of exciting gatherings and inspiring speakers. He said the team is planning new leadership initiatives, including one that may happen at Pearl Harbor.

Much of this year will be spent planning for the Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program’s 25th anniversary year, coming up in 2027. Panzarella promised great things to come as the Hogan program rings in 25 years of incubating new business ideas and preparing young entrepreneurs for success.

“25 is going to be big,” he said.

Chaminade’s First-Ever Wellness Week Begins

A full week at Chaminade University is set aside to help students rest, reflect, and recharge, priming them to finish the semester strong.

Wellness Week, which lasts through Friday, features a series of events focused on instilling better physical, mental, spiritual, and academic well-being within students. Chaminade’s leadership was inspired to organize and launch the university’s first Wellness Week to give students an opportunity to pause and consider where things stand in their lives and studies at this point in the semester.

To help students rest and rejuvenate, the university has set aside quiet spaces for silent reflection, meditation, and prayer. The Mystical Rose Oratory’s doors are open, with students invited to use the space for quiet contemplation, introspection, and seeking inner peace.

The week will feature guided meditation and yoga, along with fitness and nutrition demonstrations. Meanwhile, the Vi and Paul Loo Theatre in Clarence T.C. Ching Hall has been transformed into a “sound bath” for students to enjoy.

Each class is holding only one session this week, with faculty using the time to guide students through tailored Wellness Week activities they’ve arranged.

Chaminade University Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Lance Askildson, Ph.D., said he initially conceived of Wellness Week after noticing how students could begin feeling a bit overwhelmed by early October.

“The idea was to intervene intentionally before relatively manageable challenges become much harder to reverse,” he said.

Planning for Wellness Week began back in February. The Office of the Provost, Academic Affairs, Student Success, Campus Ministry, and all four Colleges collaborated on planning and preparations. The concept was accepted unanimously by both the Academic Council and Senior Leadership Council.

Askildson said Wellness Week is organized with students’ academic wellness first and foremost in mind. “The overarching goal is to give students a chance to reset and reengage.”

“The week has been intentionally designed to focus on academic support, first and foremost, and alongside broader wellness activities and opportunities for reflection,” he added. “Basically, we want to give everyone a chance to catch their breath and take stock of where they are at in the semester.”

The Mystical Rose Oratory is serving as an open meditation, reflection, and prayer space during Wellness Week.

The week’s schedule is filled with activities organized to appeal to all tastes and desires.

Wellness Week kicked off with guided meditation at the Mystical Rose Oratory and on Zuberano Lawn. Aramark Dining Services hosted a demonstration on the art of crafting the perfect onigiri, or Japanese rice balls. Not to be outshone, the Marianist Center and College of Nursing & Health Professions invited students to its “Nacho Normal Taco Tuesday” event, where participants can learn how to master dorm cooking.

The Carlson Fitness Center will show students how to design a safe and satisfying workout routine through demonstrations happening there Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

Therapy dogs are even returning to campus for Wellness Week. Students are invited to unwind with the pups and perhaps enjoy some rock painting with the Student Affairs office and Campus Ministry.

Wellness Week closes with a mid-day live concert featuring The Racket Brothers & The Rackettes. Friday also features a crochet workshop and a special discussion on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies on society, led by guest speakers Kyle Ballarta and Louis Kim.

Askildson said now is the perfect time to offer some space for students to unwind, rest, and have fun.

“We see this as a targeted and useful pause at the midpoint of the semester and an intentional time for academic and personal reflection,” he explained, adding that he hopes the very first Chaminade University Wellness Week will leave students “ready to be successful for the second half of the term.”

Wellness Week may be repeated next year, creating a new annual Chaminade tradition, based on receptions from students, faculty, and staff.

New Honolulu Bishop Gathers With Young Faithful at Chaminade

A new Bishop is in town.

Last spring, Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Michael Thomas Tupou Castori as the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu. As a way of introduction, Bishop Castori visited Chaminade University to mentor–and and learn from–young Catholics in Hawai‘i.

Bishop Castori succeeds former Bishop Clarence Richard “Larry” Silva, who retired after more than two decades as head of the Honolulu Diocese.

Accepting an invitation to the Chaminade campus, Castori dropped by on the evening of October 3 for a “meet-n-greet” with young adults.

More than 100 participants turned out to meet the new Bishop and hear his thoughts, an impressive turnout for a Saturday night in Honolulu. Organizers said they were pleased with the interest and enthusiasm of the crowd.

During his talk, Bishop Castori shared that he almost never became the new leader of the Honolulu Diocese, which oversees church affairs throughout the state of Hawai‘i.

Castori said it seemed that a higher power had other plans.

He initially asked to be taken off the list of candidates for Bishop of Honolulu given that he recently started work at Seattle University. That request didn’t go well for him, he said.

“The way God works with me is, when I’m acting contrary to his will, I can’t sleep,” he explained.

After fussing all night, he recalled how he prayed on the matter and ultimately decided to keep his hat in the ring. Following that, he managed to get one hour of sleep, and then rescinded his request that morning.

“Once the appointment was confirmed, I felt a lot of peace and salvation and joy,” he said.

The Pope’s selection of Castori may stem from his long experience in Oceania.

Ordained in 1996, Castori ministered in Tonga, Fiji, Guam, and the Marshall Islands. His appointment as the newest Bishop of Honolulu marks his return to the Pacific region.

While at Chaminade, Bishop Castori was interviewed by the EPIC Ministry Podcast host Malcolm Zara.

In the interview, Castori confided that he originally sought to become a lawyer. That changed after he attended a retreat with his college campus ministry during his senior year. There, he had a profound and life-changing experience.

At the retreat, he recited a prayer from Psalm 131, “and I felt God was right there with me,” he recalled.

Later, he found himself alone walking down the stairs in front of a Jesuit high school in Boston wearing a long black coat when he experienced the calling again.

“Suddenly, I found myself looking around, and I felt like a priest.”

An exchange with young Catholics

Young adults from O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island traveled to the Chaminade campus to meet the new Bishop. After a lively exchange with Zara, the audience had a chance to pose questions to him.

Asked about the difficulties younger Church members are having breaking into leadership roles as they face resistance from older members, Castori advised patience and presence, and perhaps gentle reminders to established authorities that they were once young Catholics seeking a place in the Church hierarchy. “Don’t give up, don’t run away,” he said. “I think presence is important.”

Some in the audience asked how they should approach friends and family members who have fallen away from the Church. Castori said the best approach to take is to be a “loving presence” as “that can be the most powerful way of evangelizing.”

Keeping youth engaged in the Church may be becoming less difficult with time.

Toward the end of the evening, the discussion turned to the apparent revival of interest in Catholicism among young adults, including those who have no familial history with the Church. Taking his turn to ask questions, Bishop Castori asked the audience of young Church-goers if they could provide an explanation for this sudden surge of interest in joining the Catholic Church, particularly among young adults and younger men.

Audience members shared that it likely stems from the isolation and loneliness many felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also explained that there is a great dissatisfaction with modern technologies that offer poor substitutes for genuine human interaction. Another audience member said youth are increasingly seeking authenticity, and the Church provides that.

Bishop Castori praised this development but also challenged the audience members to set positive examples for new Church members and their peers to follow.

“There are unlimited opportunities every day to do the good right in our midsts,” he said.

Chaminade’s First ‘Back to School Bash’ is a Smash Hit

A new tradition delivers music, food, and fun to the Chaminade University community.

Chaminade’s first ever Back to School Bash was held on September 25 with great success. The Bash was organized as a way for the university to welcome everyone back to campus after the summer break.

The festivities went on as scheduled and the crowd turned up in strength despite the potential for inclement weather with Hurricane Nolo’s approach.

Hundreds of Chaminade students stayed on campus Friday evening, joining alumni, faculty, and staff to celebrate the new academic year while enjoying good food and good music. Chaminade University President Lynn Babington, Ph.D. thanked the crowd for coming and indicated that plans are already in the works for many more such occasions to come.

“We hope this is the first of many Back to School Bashes,” she said.

Vice President for Advancement Jill Higashi said planning for the first Bash had been underway for several months. She said the organizers aimed for the Bash to help foster a better sense of family and belonging.

“It really came out of the desire or the goal to engage the Chaminade community, the current students who live on campus, but also the commuters,” Higashi said. “Something that would keep them on campus so they can mingle and build relationships with those that are dorming as well as with some faculty and staff, and alumni, too. So that was kind of the hope.”

She said Chaminade has hosted one-off gatherings for students and alumni in the past, but never at this scale.

This very first Back to School Bash was held on the lawn next to Sullivan Family Library and featured local musical talent. Denny Ono got things rolling, followed by Sons of Yeshua right around sunset. By nightfall, Kapena took to the stage to close the concert out.

Local food truck vendors parked nearby, while Chaminade’s golf team set up shop, serving up burgers and chips. Higashi said she hoped other student groups will be inspired to become involved at the next Back to School Bash.

Some lucky attendees were awarded with door prizes as the celebration kicked off.

More students turned up as the sun went down for the evening of food and entertainment. By nightfall, Sons of Yeshua put the crowd in the mood for some dancing.

Chaminade’s 2026 Back to School Bash was a welcomed break from classes and textbooks. The university ‘ohana is already looking forward to next year’s Bash.

“We’re talking with those that came, and also reaching out to some students from different areas for feedback, to see what worked well or what they would change a little bit,” Higashi said.

Employers Offer Options to Chaminade Students at Campus Career Fair

Private sector employers, state agencies, federal government offices, and nonprofits all turned up in force to the campus’ latest showcase of career opportunities, sizing up Chaminade students while advertising job openings and career paths.

The Chaminade University Career fair was held at Hale Hoaloha on Wednesday, and it was well-attended. Hundreds of students turned up for the three-hour gathering, spending time at dozens of employers’ booths to learn more about the positions state and mainland employers are trying to fill and the types of candidates they’re looking for.

Jeri Mara-Berger, Business Development Manager at Altres Medical, said she came to the Career Fair to set up an information and recruitment booth in the hope of making connections with students in Chaminade’s renowned nursing program.

“I’m here specifically for medical, because Chaminade has RN programs,” she explained. “A lot of RNs have difficulty finding jobs when they graduate, so we’re here to kind of let them know that there are options.”

Mara-Berger confirmed that there is an acute shortage of nurses in Hawai’i. Thus, Chaminade University’s nursing students are in a strong position to locate work post-graduation. All they need to do is reach out, she said.

“We’re always short staffed,”  Mara-Berger said.

Altres Medical was hardly the only medical and mental-health related employer represented at the fair.

Representatives at ‘Ike Loa Therapeutic Services said they were busy recruiting future counselors and were interested in speaking with psychology majors. Officials with Hale Kipa, an Ewa-based nonprofit that supports and empowers at-risk youth and families,  also said they were on the lookout for crisis counselors and mental health professionals soon to graduate from Chaminade.

Meanwhile, Chaminade’s criminal justice and forensic science programs drew in representatives of state and federal law enforcement agencies.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation set up a booth at the fair, as did the U.S. Secret Service and Maui County Police Department. FBI representatives said they were there to tout internship opportunities and the bureau’s efforts to recruit new trainees even among students still in their junior year in college, part of a new Collegiate Hiring Initiative that aims to foster new FBI recruits through its training and promotion system for years.

Employers looking for technically qualified candidates also turned up to the Career Fair in strength.

Shay Zykoba, Corporate Engagement Manager at Hawaiian Telecom, said this was her first year to recruit at the Chaminade University Career Fair.

Zykoba said the rising frequency of storms and related service outages in the state has her company mindful of the need to hire more personnel.

“There have been a lot of storms recently,” she said. “That’s why we need these positions filled. It’s very important to keep people online during bad weather.”

Zykoba said Hawaiian Telecom knows what it is looking for in new recruits. She was confident that Chaminade’s students meet those expectations.

“We’re looking for folks who are go-getters, who have the attitude to be given a task and complete it on their own without much direction but to ask for help when they need it,” she said.

State government representatives also turned up to remind continuing and graduating Chaminade students that the State of Hawaii is in an ongoing drive to streamline its hiring process while working to quickly fill long-open civil service and non-civil service positions alike.

They advised Chaminade students to check out the website jobs.hawaii.gov for information on the state’s latest openings.

The Fair featured employers large and small, from the U.S. Navy to Waikiki Community Preschool. Kamehameha Schools was on hand to recruit students, as was the Make-A-Wish Foundation and other notable nonprofit organizations.

Jill, Talent Acquisition Specialist at Enterprise, said she turned up in the hopes of recruiting candidates interested in management positions, potentially ideal for business students, though she stressed that she was interested in hearing from students of all backgrounds.

“We have our summer internships and our management training programs, and so they are open to any student,” she said. “We are looking for juniors who may be interested in learning about how to run a business.”

Chaminade ‘Ohana Paddles Out in Renewed ‘Surf Hui’ Tradition at Waikīkī

Surfing is Hawai’i, and Hawai’i is surfing.

The sport of surfing traces its roots to ancient Polynesia, was perfected here, and was later popularized from these shores, spreading to the world. Surfing is by far Hawai’i’s most successful cultural export. Now, Chaminade University’s leadership is determined to revive a campus surf club tradition that fell by the wayside during the pandemic.

Lance Askildson, Ph.D., Chaminade’s Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, is an avid surfer. For 20 years, Askildson has been riding waves and improving his craft. He even brings his surfboard with him to work most days, so he’s ready to hit the water again after classes before the sun goes down.

Eager to share his passion, this past weekend Askildson hosted the first of what will become many ‘Surf Hui’ gatherings at Waikīkī.

For this first introductory Surf Hui, Askildson invited beginner faculty, staff, and student surfers to take lessons and learn the ropes. The next Surf Hui will be meant for those comfortable enough with the sport to paddle out and control their boards.

Askildson said surfing is a physical, emotional, and spiritual escape for him, and he’s excited to be sharing it with his Chaminade ‘ohana.

“For me, this love of surfing is deeply tied to the connection to nature and being out in the ocean,” Askildson shared. “Being out in nature means it’s an opportunity to remind yourself that you are a part of creation, and it’s very humbling.”

“It actually makes me feel closer to God.”

Though already huge, surfing is gaining popularity globally.

The sport was featured as an official Olympic sport for the first time ever in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics, then again in the 2024 Paris Olympics, with competition occurring in Tahiti. Surfers will compete for Olympic gold once again at the 2028 Los Angeles games.

There are a growing number of high school surfing clubs worldwide. Those students will soon have the opportunity to continue surfing and enjoying the sport at Chaminade as the campus community’s Surf Hui tradition is restored.

As global as it has become, surfing cannot be separated from its Hawaiian roots.

For centuries, riding coastal waves on crafted wooden boards was a way for Native Hawaiians to showcase their connections to the ocean. For many Hawaiians, surfing still holds deep spiritual meaning and significance.

It’s for those reasons and more that it’s important for surfing to once again find a home at Chaminade.

Several faculty members are excellent surfers, and Askildson goes out regularly with a few of them. There are frequent surfers among the staff and student body, as well. They will all now have more opportunities to surf together on weekends, weather permitting.

The new Surf Hui is not just a casual weekend excursion Askildson is hosting that others are invited to join. This revived tradition has earned official Chaminade University sanction. Askildson said he went through all the proper channels to secure the governing cabinet’s approval.

Participants have a few waivers to sign and rules to follow. Other than that, the most important rule for Surf Hui is to have fun and stay safe–the group goes out together and returns to the beach together.

This past weekend was for beginners and those still learning. The next Surf Hui, scheduled for September 27, won’t necessarily be for experts, but Askildson said it’s important that participants know the basics.

“You need to be able to surf independently and control your board for safety reasons,” he explained. “Anybody who even does the lessons needs to be able to swim; that’s kind of the de minimis thing.”

“Then once they feel like they have those essential surf skills, they can join the Surf Hui.”

Askildson said he’s planning to host four more Surf Hui’s this semester following this past weekend’s introductory lessons. After the September 27 event, there will be another Surf Hui organized sometime in late October.

Though he’s happy to help get the ball rolling, Askildson said his real hope is that the students take over the organizational work and keep this tradition alive. Either way, Surf Hui is back, bringing together Chaminade University leadership, administrators, staff, faculty, and students all together for a day of casual camaraderie, to share their love of surfing and the connections to nature and Hawai’i that come with this ancient tradition.

“This is about building community,” Askildson said. “This is about meeting other people who are enthusiastic about surfing, but also to just feel a connection to Hawai’i surf culture, which has really deep roots here, cultural roots.”