Chaminade University of Honolulu

Students

School of Nursing Students, Ho`oulu Scholars Raise Health Awareness at ‘Hawaii Children & Youth Day’

Students from Chaminade University’s School of Nursing and Ho`oulu Scholars with the “I Am a Scientist” mobile outreach program raised awareness about the importance of healthy lifestyles during the 24th annual “Hawaii Children & Youth Day” at the State Capitol.

“This year is the fourth year that my junior nursing students participated in the fair,” pointed out Assistant Professor Eurina Yujin Cha. “Our purpose was to provide health screenings and nutrition education for parents and encourage physical exercise and vaccination education for children.”

Nursing students volunteering their time at the Oct. 1 event were: Abigail Adina, Mae Kimberly Corpuz, Ashley Farin, Airelle Guron, Eric Ganding, Jadelyn Yasuoka, Melissa Biador, Lauren Ngatuvai and Shayvell Noa.

Ho`oulu Scholars Cassandra Ainoa-Kanoho, Dairian Balai, Hi‘ilani Fujihara-Nagamine and Destiny Hamasaki underscored the importance of making healthy dietary choices by using hydrometers to reveal how much sugar is hidden in sodas, fruit juices and flavored milk.

In addition, the students showed more than 400 children how to read nutrition labels, while encouraging them to pursue college degrees and STEM careers.

“It’s important for people to understand that their children can have only a certain amount of sugar each day,” pointed out Hamasaki ’21, a Forensic Science major. Accordingly, this outreach educated “not only children who came to the table, but the parents who brought them.”

“This experience made me cut down on juice,” Hamasaki added, “so now I only drink water.”

Fujihara-Nagamine ‘21, an Environmental Studies major, said there were “many surprised faces” among children and parents when they realized how much sugar is contained in certain beverages.

“It was very eye opening for them, and some of the children even told me they were going to drink more water from then on,” Fujihara-Nagamine said. “A lot of the parents really appreciated that our booth was raising this awareness and thanked us for educating their children about how much sugar they intake just from sugary drinks.”

Fujihara-Nagamine described the outreach as “truly amazing.”

“Being able to help spread knowledge to families and children was really fun, and their enthusiasm was refreshing,” she said. “It reminded me of my childhood when I would learn about similar subjects. I never thought I would have the chance to be the one on the other side of the table teaching.”

Research Associate Lori Shimoda, who directs “I Am a Scientist” and founded the program in 2009, described the student volunteers as “fabulous ambassadors for Chaminade.”

“They were professional, cheerful and engaging,” Shimoda said, “with both little kids and their parents.”

E+ID Students, Graduates Among Recipients of 2017 ‘Excellence Awards’ from Society of Interior Designers

Four Chaminade University Environmental + Interior Design (E+ID) students and two graduates of the program were among the winners of “2017 Design Excellence Awards” presented by the Hawaii Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).

Receiving an Award of Merit were students Gerlie Valdez and Petrice Goto for their design of the Pantawan Arts & Learning Center in the Philippines, and Nicolle Soriano for a classroom renovation project at Holy Nativity School in Honolulu.

In addition, student McKenna Makizuru won an Award of Honor for her design work on Kawailoa Village, a community residence for homeless youth.

Alumna Beverly Clemente with the G70 design firm received an Award of Merit for the Hawaii Pacific Health – Kapiolani Medical Specialists project. Also, alumna Lyndee Park from INspiration Interiors Design Studio won an Award of Merit for the company’s Kitchen, Bath & Closet Showroom retail project.

“At Chaminade, we educate, engage and empower students to respect, appreciate and inspire design of the built environment,” pointed out Joan D Riggs, E+ID program director. Accordingly, graduates are prepared for careers in the fields of interior design, architecture and related professions.

Chaminade is well represented on the ASID Board of Directors for 2017-18. Alumni Nancy Schnur and Cassandra Okimoto are president and communications director, respectively; and undergraduate Jenelyn Sison is the student representative.

Chaminade University’s Division of Humanities and Fine Arts offers the only accredited, degree-granting Environmental + Interior Design program in Hawaii. This Bachelor of Fine Arts program satisfies the educational requirement for professional licensing through the National Council for Interior Design Qualification.

Nursing Students Among Presenters at Pacific Regional Behavioral Health Summit

School of Nursing graduates from Chaminade University presented three, year-long projects on mental illness issues at the sixth annual Pacific Regional Behavioral Health Summit.

Held in September at Tripler Army Medical Center, the summit brought together clinicians, researchers, policymakers, clergy, artists, community leaders and professors to discuss a broad range of evidence-based care for active duty military personnel, veterans and their families.

“Participating in this summit brings attention to the quality of work expected of our nursing students,” according to Associate Professor Julie Elting, the school’s Clinical Facilities Coordinator.

Mark Kawasaki (Nursing '17) Research Poster

“This demonstrates Chaminade’s commitment to providing health education for our community partners and their populations,” she added, while giving graduates an opportunity to meet other medical professionals from Hawaii and the Pacific region.

Among the summit attendees was Mark Kawasaki ‘17, who presented on the topic of “Best Practice for Dual Diagnosis Patients.” Working with him on the project were classmates Charles Cutaran, Theresa Cameron and Hui Tsuji.

Chaminade graduates also submitted posters on “Effective Coping Strategies for Adolescents” and “Telehealth for Mental Illness and Crisis Management.”

Kawasaki and his group focused on Po`ailani Inc., a nonprofit organization in Kailua that treats patients suffering from a combination of mental illness and drug addiction.

“The staff at Po`ailani noticed that there had been an increase in the prescription of a certain antipsychotic medication among their patients called Clozaril, and they wanted to know the reason for that,” Kawasaki explained.

To answer that question, the nursing students gathered information on Clozaril from peer-reviewed journals and online resources. They also researched the best ways to care for dual-diagnosis patients.

“Without this type of research, the standards of nursing would stagnate and we would not progress or grow as a profession,” Kawasaki said. “New information is being released constantly. So, as a nurse, you have to keep up.”

Kawasaki, who’s studying for the National Council Licensure Examination in November, plans to work with youth afflicted by mental illness.

Chaminade’s School of Nursing is a four-year, full-time undergraduate program that offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The unique program immerses students in nursing preparation with educational curriculum, human-patient simulations, community outreach projects, and service-learning and supervised clinical experiences. The curriculum for our undergraduate program is consistent with the Baccalaureate Essentials of Nursing produced by the American Association of Collegiate Nursing. The nursing program is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Nursing Student Chante Carter’s Road to Success Powered by HCF First Generation Scholarship

Chante Carter ‘19 holds down a job and raises a young child in addition to her full-time studies at Chaminade University’s School of Nursing. The Kahuku High School graduate is also the first person in her family to attend college.

All these factors – plus a strong GPA – combined to earn Carter the First Generation Community Scholarship from the Hawaii Community Foundation. The non-profit organization, which awarded more than $6 million in scholarships this year, recognized students and donors August 5 at a statewide ceremony.

“My family is very proud of me, but they aren’t able to afford to support my education,” Carter explains. “So every dollar that I received in scholarships has helped support my dream of becoming a nurse one day.”

Carter also obtained funding from the Pauahi Foundation and a Hoʻoulu STEM Scholarship from Chaminade and Kamehameha Schools.

“Affordability for college is always a struggle,” Carter says, “especially when you’re pretty much on your own when it comes to paying for it. My process is a little easier now that I’ve had some experience. I literally Google words like ‘Native Hawaiian scholarship’ and many pop up.”

After identifying scholarship possibilities, Carter begins the application process by asking professors “way ahead of time” to proofread her essays and write recommendation letters.

“It may seem like a lot,” Carter says, “but there are so many professors that offer to help.”

Carter says it “feels really good” being a first-generation college student and “setting a good example for my younger cousins.”

“They all look up to me and ask me for advice when it comes to applying for scholarships and getting into college,” Carter says. “And that makes me want to work even harder for them so they can also believe in themselves.”

The future nurse describes her upbringing as “a little complicated.”

“When I was ten years old, my dad’s sister adopted me because of drug-related reasons my parents were going through at the time,” Carter says. “My auntie always encouraged me to stay in school – the sky’s the limit. She always acknowledged my hardships as a child, but she always told me to not let the past get in the way of my success. And I believed her!”

Carter says she chose the nursing field “because I love working with people.”

“I believe this is a job where you can really be a part of your community and make a difference in it,” she says. “Having a job that helps others makes my life worthwhile.”

Carter says she enrolled at Chaminade because “the professors are awesome” and they truly care about helping students succeed.

Her biggest takeaway from nursing classes? They’re certainly not easy.

“It’s a tough curriculum,” Carter points out. “But if you believe in yourself enough to think you are that right person who can make a difference in this world, then that’s when you know this is the career for you.”

Carter’s advice for future nursing students?

“When you fall, get up again and again until you get there,” she counsels. “Don’t ever think because you have a setback that it will change your path to success. It does not matter how long it took you to get there. As long as you get there, that’s what matters most.”

Future STEM Teachers Inspired by Leading Scientists, Engineers at NASA Institute

For the second consecutive summer, future teachers studying at Chaminade University gained a behind-the-scenes look at America’s space program. This during a five-day professional development institute conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The training program, funded by NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project, helped pre-service teachers enhance their STEM instructional practices. Field trips and other interactive events focused on the International Space Station, a planned mission to Mars and other major NASA initiatives.

Dr. Katrina Roseler, an associate professor with the Division of Education, applied for the program and took seven Chaminade students to Ames Research Center, a major NASA facility in California’s Silicon Valley.

Education students at NASA Research Park“For me, the most memorable part of the trip was watching the excitement of the students as they engaged in new activities,” Dr. Roseler said. “They developed their engineering design skills and had firsthand learning opportunities with some of the leading U.S. scientists and engineers.”

She pointed out that many elementary schools emphasize mathematics and language arts – because they’re highlighted on standardized tests – at the expense of science education. Moreover, pre-service teachers are only required to complete six hours of science-related coursework in their undergraduate studies.

“As a science educator, to me, this is unacceptable,” Dr. Roseler said, emphasizing that “science knowledge and practices are essential tools for engaging with the world.” NASA addresses this issue, she said, by providing learning experiences for future teachers “that can be directly applied to their future classrooms.”

Danielle Friend ‘18, a double major in Elementary Education and English, said she and the other six Chaminade students “got to go inside a wind tunnel, see how the NASA engineers prepare to send things up to the space station, and so much more.”

“I am excited to share what I learned at NASA with just about anyone who will listen to me,” Friend said. “But mostly, I hope to take what I learned and help encourage students to love science. Teach them that if they work hard, they really can become astronauts or even rocket scientists.”

Katie Grywczynski ‘18, an Elementary Education major, said she wanted to attend the training institute “because it sounded like a really fun opportunity to learn about NASA, their resources and STEM activities I can use in my future classroom.”

Education students at NASA Research Park“My most memorable part of the trip was getting to tour the facilities/labs and learning about everything that NASA does in our world,” Grywczynski said. “My biggest takeaway from the program was learning about all the amazing and free resources NASA has to offer.”

Elementary Education major Sara Castillo ‘19 said the training program was “jam-packed with so many sessions, tours and lessons.” This included meeting an astronaut, experiencing a mega-computer “that took up a whole upstairs building,” and exploring numerous NASA sites.

“I think my biggest takeaway – literally – is all the physical resources that we were given on the last day of the conference,” Castillo said. “Everyone was given pamphlets, lesson plans, posters for the classroom, stickers and just so many heavy resources – 20 pounds to be exact.

“Many of us were struggling to put it in our luggage without going over the airline’s weight limit,” she added.

Other Chaminade students participating in the training institute were: Angelica Louise Concepcion, Hannah Parker, Marisa Paz and Samantha Tufaga.

Chaminade’s Division of Education offers undergraduate programs in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and Secondary Education. The division also offers graduate programs leading to a Master of Education degree or Master of Arts in Teaching degree. 

Nursing Students Share TLC with Health Screenings, Wellness Education at Big Island Cultural Festival

In what has become a yearly outreach to Big Island residents, Chaminade University School of Nursing students conducted health screenings and offered wellness education at the Ho’oku’ikahi Establishment Day Hawaiian Cultural Festival.

The 45th annual event was held at the Pu’ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, famous for its ruins of an ancient Hawaiian temple built circa 1790 by King Kamehameha I. The popular festival draws Native Hawaiians and other residents from throughout the Islands.

Nursing students participating in the 2017 Puukohola eventAlong with performing first aid and intake, the future nurses helped 150 festival goers by checking their blood pressure and Body Mass Index. Students also counseled local residents about the importance of making healthy lifestyle choices to prevent and treat common maladies such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

Joining students at the outreach was Chaminade President Lynn Babington, who holds doctorate, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in nursing. She also works to improve America’s health care system by serving as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow.

Chaminade Chief Nursing Administrator Dr. Edna Magpantay-Monroe said the annual outreach is in keeping with the school’s mission and the University’s Marianist values.

“We want the students to share their knowledge in a humble way that serves the people,” Magpantay-Monroe said, “and look at the people they serve from a unique perspective of body, mind and spirit.”

Nursing student Erin Ah Sue (‘18) said conducting the screenings was part of her kuleana as a Native Hawaiian scholar to promote health and wellness among other Native Hawaiians.

“I felt ‘re-rooted’ to my Native Hawaiian culture,” she said. “It helped me to re-focus and ensure that my goals after graduation are in line with what I have promised as a Ho’oulu scholar, which is to be a part of a lahui (group) of health practitioners ‘who are equally grounded in science and culture.’”

Student Jessica Jicha (‘18) said it was “humbling to be able to give back to the community.”

“Not only did I get to indulge myself in my own culture,” Jicha said, “it is an experience that I can integrate into my bedside manner when working with patients of the Native Hawaiian culture.”

Nursing students participating in the 2017 Puukohola eventJohn Aiwohi (‘19) called the outreach experience “life changing.”

“I will take what I have learned and incorporate that in my future career as a nurse professional,” Aiwohi said. “The ability to work well and efficiently with other professions ensures quality care, continuity, promotes client safety as well as advocacy.”

Tiana Sula (‘19) described the outreach as “an amazing experience” that “challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone and explore different parts of myself.”

“As a future nurse, I plan to use what I’ve learned to serve the people of Hawaii to the best of my ability,” Sula said. “Hawaii is such a unique place, so full of culture and tradition. As a nurse I want to be sensitive to these different aspects, and provide care that is unique to each patient.”

Guam native Danielle Balajadia (‘18) said the Big Island trip helped her “learn and understand the Hawaiian culture through their history and traditions.”

“From watching the shooting stars at 4 in the morning to listening to the Hawaiian chants of the people, I could feel the emotions and connections among the people, land and waters,” Balajadia said.

“Just being in that moment and releasing all the worries and stressors of life was such an incredible feeling,” she added. “Truly a great refresher to start off senior year.”

Helping underwrite the Hawaii Island trip were School of Nursing graduates Michael Ono (‘14), Genalyn Agustin (‘15), Annette Pakele-Chang (‘16), Hailey Hema (‘17) and Alaina Cabreros (‘17). Additional donors include: Grissel Benitez-Hodge, Dr. Stephanie Genz, Jeanette Peterson, Bryan Arce, Eva Gallegos and the Filipino Nurses’ Organization of Hawaii. An anonymous donation also supported the outreach.

Chaminade’s School of Nursing is a four year, full-time undergraduate program that offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The unique program immerses students in nursing preparation with educational curriculum, human-patient simulations, community outreach projects, and service-learning and supervised clinical experiences. The curriculum for our undergraduates program is consistent with the Baccalaureate Essentials of Nursing produced by the American Association of Collegiate Nursing. The nursing program is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.