Chaminade University of Honolulu

Students

Pauahi Foundation Scholarships Help Joey Pantil Pursue Her Dream of Attending Nursing School

Two prestigious scholarships from the Pauahi Foundation are helping Chaminade University undergraduate Joey Pantil realize her dream of becoming a nurse. Nursing student Joey Pantil “When I found out that I received the scholarships, I was so ecstatic, thankful and relieved because I would have a bit of a financial burden lifted off of my shoulders,” Pantil said. The Nanakuli High and Intermediate School graduate is the youngest of four children and the first person in her family to attend college. Now Pantil is on track to receive a bachelor of science degree in 2021 from Chaminade’s School of Nursing. After that, she plans to enroll in graduate school and eventually become a nurse midwife or nursing informatics specialist. “I found out about the Pauahi Foundation through my high school’s college and career center,” according to Pantil. “During my senior year, I made it a point to apply for every scholarship I was eligible for. And because the Pauahi Foundation scholarships have a preference for people with Native Hawaiian ancestry, it was one of the many scholarships I applied for. The foundation awarded Pantil the Dr. Lori Ann Kim Scholarship for students pursuing STEM degrees. Pantil also received the Kamehameha Schools Class of 1960 Scholarship for students demonstrating academic excellence, good character and a commitment to serving their communities. “I had no idea how I was going to pay for college,” Pantil said. “The scholarships that I received not only allow me to attend college, but they push me to work harder in getting my degree in nursing. “Because there are people who believe in me,” she added, “and that is shown with their endorsement.” Chaminade University’s School of Nursing offers a four year, full-time undergraduate program leading to a bachelor of science degree. The school’s core values include holism, caring, diversity, integrity and commitment, plus Marianist values of lifelong learning and community service. The nursing program is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Chaminade Students Inspire School Children at Annual ‘Astronaut Lacy Veach Day of Discovery’

By sharing their knowledge and love of science, two teams of Chaminade University students encouraged children to pursue STEM educations and careers at the “2017 Astronaut Lacy Veach Day of Discovery.”

Held Oct. 28 at Punahou School, this 16th annual event honored the life and legacy of NASA astronaut Charles Lacy Veach, who flew on Space Shuttle missions in 1991 and 1992 and developed robotics for the International Space Station. The Punahou alumnus and U.S. Air Force Academy graduate died of cancer in 1995 at the age of 51.

2017 Lacy Veach Day - anchialine pools activity

One team of Chaminade students conducted a workshop on the tiny opae`ula Hawaiian red shrimp and the ecologically fragile anchialine pools where they live. Anchialine pools are enclosed bodies of water with underground connections to the ocean.

“The kids we worked with made a habitat for the shrimp and were really excited to take them home,” said English major Kalei Ehlers from the Hogan Entrepreneurs Program. “Kids are excited by science and I had a blast teaching them something new.”

Also conducting the workshop were students Aulani Oka, Martina Segura, Tara Supit and Luwella Leonardi.

A team of students from the “I Am A Scientist” mobile outreach program showed children how to dust and “lift” latent fingerprints.

2017 Lacy Veach Day - fingerprint activity

“We got to educate kids and parents about the different characteristics in fingerprints that are unique to the individual person,” said Nursing major Heather Carvalho. “We also taught them that fingerprints are how they catch criminals.”

Carvalho said she enjoyed encouraging parents and children “to engage in science education together as a family.”

“It was an awesome way to get the kids outdoors,” she said, “instead of in front of the television and internet devices.”

Forensic Science major Kaitlyn Castillo said she initially thought young children “wouldn’t really think about doing science-related things.”

“After this event, I know that I was wrong and that some kids really do enjoy science so much,” Castillo said. “A few parents I talked to said they had bought their kids fingerprint kits and they would be dusting for prints all over the house.

“I liked knowing there were kids that got interested in forensic science by actually doing things related to forensic science,” Castillo added, “rather than from a TV show.”

Working with Carvalho and Castillo at the fingerprint booth were students John Aiwohi, Chante Carter, Doris Sanborn and Samantha Williams, along with alumna Cassandra Song and biology lecturer Dr. Eric Umemoto.

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.”