Chaminade University of Honolulu

Students

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.”

Three Chaminade Students Return for Fall Fresh off Three Unique Experiences

By Justin Siliva

Junior communication major James Carter brought a new perspective back to Chaminade University after spending a month in Colombia and 10 days in Thailand over the summer. 

“You see people who may have less but are still very happy with what they have,” Carter said.

Summer took Chaminade students beyond their usual routines. Some traveled thousands of miles from Hawai’i, while others worked, trained for their upcoming sports season, or returned home to spend time with family. By the start of fall, those experiences had shifted their priorities. 

Carter wasn’t the only one returning with a different outlook. 

Senior communications major Milan Cordone spent her summer back home in Las Vegas, while junior psychology major Malcolm Seales prepared for a fresh start right here in O‘ahu as he entered his first semester at Chaminade. 

For all three, the summer gave them something to carry into the new school year.

In Bangkok, Carter tried Thai food, learned about Buddhist traditions, and took in the city’s fast pace. One of the trip’s most memorable moments came when he fed milk to a baby tiger and fed giraffes and kangaroos.

“It was an eye-opener seeing different cultures and how people live,” Carter said. “Traveling gives me a chance to decompress, recenter, and come back more focused.” 

During his month in Colombia, Carter tried different dishes and saw firsthand how daily life and conditions differed from what he was used to in Hawai’i. He spent time observing the culture and the way people went about their everyday lives, giving him a closer look at a place far different from home. 

Cordone’s summer looked different from the past few years, when she played for Minnesota Aurora FC, a semi-professional soccer team. This year, she returned to Las Vegas, where she was born and raised.

There, she continued training for Chaminade’s fall soccer season while working for her uncles on flooring and sewage jobs. Cordone also helped with her family’s business, American Funnel Cakes, working at its food stand during a Filipino festival alongside her cousins.

“Being with my family was a big priority of mine,” Cordone said. “Just seeing my cousins and my parents hit a little bit differently this summer.”

Seales spent most of his summer on the island working to support himself and prepare for the semester. He arrived at Chaminade after serving nine years in the U.S. Army.

While on active duty, Seales attended Hawaiʻi Pacific University. His military schedule often meant taking night classes and fitting school around his service responsibilities, with classes sometimes held at different locations around the island.

Seales stayed in Hawaiʻi after leaving the military. When choosing his next school, he wanted smaller class sizes and a Psychology program. 

He found both at Chaminade.

For Carter, returning to Chaminade meant finding a better balance between his classes and his participation on the cross-country team. After spending last semester worrying about assignments and stressing about their deadlines, he entered the fall focused on managing his workload without putting as much pressure on himself.

“It feels good to be back at school, being back in a learning environment, knocking out my courses,” Carter said. “I’m just looking forward to conquering things, you know, just finishing the semester strong.”

Cordone transferred to Chaminade last spring after playing Division I soccer at the University of North Dakota. This fall marks her senior season and her first full year at Chaminade.

Because she arrived in the spring, Cordone had several months to settle into Chaminade before returning to compete this fall. That time gave her a chance to get familiar with the campus and build relationships with her teammates before the season began. 

“Coming from a Division I school, it was a lot more of a ‘this is my entire identity, and I need to make sure that I can prove that I’m worth being there,’” Cordone said. “Whereas here it’s more about enjoying the experience, still working hard, but just not as stressful.”

For Seales, his first semester at Chaminade also means getting further into his major. He spent the majority of his previous semester taking general education courses. Now, more of his classes are focused on Psychology.

The classroom experience has been different, too. Seales said smaller classes and resources such as tutoring have helped him academically. He’s also spending more time around students studying the same course and working toward similar goals about what they want to do after college.

“Now I’m starting to really get challenged by the people around me,” Seales said. “As they say, steel sharpens steel.”

Cordone’s senior year will be her final season with Chaminade women’s soccer and her last few months of college with her friends and teammates. The Silverswords are 0-2 through their first two matches of the season. 

“I just want to be able to say that I enjoyed college,” said Cordone, a senior midfielder. “I feel like how you end things is usually how you remember them. So ending it on a very fun note with a bunch of my friends and my teammates would really be a great thing to walk away with.”

As Cordone looks to make the most of her final year, Seales is approaching his first semester at Chaminade with lessons from his previous experiences in school and the military.

“I always look back to situations where I thought they were the hardest,” Seales said. “If I was able to make it through that, then I definitely can handle the ones that are coming around the corner.”

Scholars Need ‘Eight Eyes’: Kristiana Kahakauwila Shares Her Story at Inaugural Lecture

“I hate everything I write, but I write anyway.”

Those were just some of the unexpected words of encouragement author and English professor Kristiana Kahakauwila offered to Chaminade University freshmen earlier this week.

She meant that aspiring writers should write as much as possible, even if they worry that their prose or storytelling isn’t particularly good. It’s not meant to be perfect the first time, she said. The point is to pour your thoughts out–perferably on paper the first time, she recommended–and later craft the language more carefully. Over time, this exercise will hone one’s writing skills.

Prof. Kahakauwila was the featured speaker for the inaugural CUH 100 guest lecture series. She spoke in front of a packed, standing-room only audience of mostly freshmen students enrolled in the CUH 100 course.

CUH 100 is a single-credit course open only to first-year students. The class is designed to be a general introduction to college life oriented toward helping students develop better academic skills.

Currently the director of UH Mānoa’s Creative Writing Program, Kahakauwila is the author of two books: This is Paradise: Stories (Hogarth 2013) and Clairboyance (HarperCollins 2024). The latter title is about a young girl who gains the power to hear what boys are thinking.

Kahakauwila covered a lot of ground. In her lecture, titled ‘Ways of Seeing: Becoming a Scholar,” Kahakauwila retold stories of her time in Maui, Long Beach, California, and at Chaminade.

She noted how her career trajectory involved a series of twists and turns, at times working as a bar tender, other times teaching as an adjunct. She went on to study literature at Princeton University and creative writing at the University of Michigan.

Kahakauwila seemed to particularly enjoy recounting tales of her time taking The Bus back and forth across the island between jobs. She told the student audience that they should all try to take the bus to the North Shore and all around Oahu at least once. “It will take you all day,” she admitted, but she argued that it would be worth it for the chance to meet some interesting characters who would tell them fascinating stories during the ride.

On the larger theme of her talk and the CUH 100 course, what it means to be a scholar, Kahakauwila said students should strive toward achieving Makawalu, ‘eight eyes’.

She explained that Makawalu is a traditional Hawaiian expression that means people should aspire to broaden their horizons, learn to see things differently, and gain new perspectives on their journeys through life.

“The liberal arts education is one aimed at giving you more ways of seeing,” Kahakauwila explained.

In other words, you chose to become a scholar “so you can grow more eyes.”

“I added a lot of new eyes during my time at Chaminade,” she recalled.

However, aspiring for Makawalu should not end at graduation from Chaminade, Kahakauwila cautioned.

“If all you do is leave with Makawalu you haven’t done enough”

Chaminade Hosted L.E.A.D. With Mary Immersion Experience

With mud between their fingers and toes, students stood at the loʻi patch taking in the fresh air, lush scenery, water, history of the loʻi and the warmth of aloha. They were part of the L.E.A.D with Mary cultural immersion experience which brought students from across the country and Hawaiʻi together in the spirit of the Marianist founders to learn more about Hawaiian culture. 

“We learned a lot about what it means to honor the land,” said one student from San Antonio, Texas as she stood in the loʻi or taro patch. “If we take care of the land, it will take care of us.”

Chaminade University hosted the week-long L.E.A.D. with Mary for the  first time this summer. Now in its third year, the program was previously hosted by St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas and the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. These institutions, along with Chaminade, are the nation’s three Marianist universities.

Each university selected four students through an application process to participate in the program. The immersion experience is designed to help students learn more about the Marianist tradition through the culture of the host school’s location. 

The Hawaiʻi experience was planned by Scarlett Ford, Campus Minister, and her team at Chaminade. The team included individuals born and raised in Hawaiʻi, to ensure that each activity and location was culturally appropriate and respectful of the islands’ sacred places and natural environment.

Each activity was tailored to Hawaii’s unique environment and the Marianist values. L.E.A.D. with Mary offered students the opportunity to deepen their faith while learning more about both Hawaiian and Catholic spirituality.

After the out-of-state students arrived on Wednesday afternoon, the program began early Thursday morning with a sunrise hike and morning prayer at Makapuʻu. The group also stopped at Halona Blowhole Lookout before making their way to Iolani Palace for a docent-led tour. The evening concluded with dinner at Kahala Hotel & Resort, a dolphin show and an evening prayer.

Friday’s main experiences were Hanauma Bay snorkeling in the morning after prayer and a guided tour in the afternoon of Hawaiian Hall at Bishop Museum, home to the world’s largest display of Polynesian cultural artifacts.

“Yes, it’s fun but there’s also a deeper purpose of growing an understanding of God’s creation and why it’s important to take care of it,” Ford said.

That focus on faith, reflection, and stewardship continued throughout the weekend. It was filled with prayer, Bible study and optional group activities from shopping to hiking Mānoa Falls and visiting Ala Moana beach park. On Saturday, the group took a trip to a loʻi patch, where they tended to the taro patch in knee-deep mud. On Sunday, there was Mass and the group prepared for one of the most anticipated experiences of the week.

At 7 a.m. on Memorial Day, the group left campus and headed for the airport to begin their journey to Kalaupapa on the island of Molokaʻi.

“We’re going on small, nine passenger planes,” Ford told the students to prepare them for the flight and landing on the short runway.

Kalaupapa is a significant place in Hawaiʻi’s history. People with Hansen’s disease (leprosy) were forcibly isolated there. More than 8,000 people, primarily Native Hawaiians, have passed away on Kalaupapa since 1866. 

Kalaupapa was also home to the two Catholic saints who helped those affected by Hansen’s disease. One was St. Damien de Veuster, a Belgian priest who arrived in Kalaupapa in 1873. He passed away from Hansen’s disease in 1889. St. Marianne Cope, a German-born Franciscan nun, moved to Kalaupapa in 1888 to assist Father Damien in caring for those affected by Hansen’s disease. She died of natural causes in 1918.

Today, Kalaupapa is home to a small number of cured patient-residents and visitation is only offered by guided tours. The L.E.A.D. with Mary group was able to include Mass on Kalaupapa in their tour before returning to Oʻahu later that evening.

Tuesday was their last full day, and they used it to help the community. They prepared care packages and lunch for people experiencing homelessness.

“It’s an opportunity to learn more about the Marianist charisms through acts of service,” Ford said. “We’re going to a homeless shelter to help out.”

They ended the day by participating in Mass with a final prayer.

As the week came to a close, students gained a deeper understanding of Marianist values and Hawaiian culture. Through prayer, reflection, service and immersion in local history, students experienced firsthand the values that unite the nation’s three Marianist universities.