How did your education at Chaminade contribute to your professional success?
I enrolled at Chaminade after completing my A.A. degree at Kapiʻolani Community College. I had already decided to go into counseling so completing my B.S. was simply a means to achieving the result of completing my M.S.C.P. I had a choice of focus areas once in the M.S.C.P. program, and I teetered between Human Services counseling and School Counseling, but soon realized that school counseling was my calling. I was fortunate to have secured a school counseling position with the D.O.E. prior to completing my master’s degree, but they made it clear that I would need to complete the degree to keep the position. In total, I completed a 28.5-year career in formal school systems.
Can you recall a specific moment or experience during your time that had a significant impact on you, either academically or socially?
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Chaminade—so much so that I decided to continue my experience there by taking a role in the Admissions Office after I finished my bachelor’s degree. My early years as a graduate student were coupled with being an employee of the University. I recall preparing for my interview and making the choice to wear a suit—my very first “real job” kind of interview. I guess the suit worked because I was offered the position, and had the opportunity to share my own Chaminade experience with potential students around the country as well as Guam, Saipan and Micronesia. This experience taught me the importance of first impressions. As I moved into my career in education, I sat through many interviews—panel style—just as I had in that first interview with Chaminade. Later in my career, as a school administrator, I found myself a regular member of many more interview selection committees.
How did your Chaminade education shape your perspective and personal growth?
After I graduated from Damien Memorial High School, I wanted to venture into the world of college by attending U.H. Mānoa. However, because I was so used to the small school setting, U.H. proved to be a little overwhelming. After a little break from school, I continued at the then-brand-new Kapiʻolani Community College at Diamond Head where I thrived in the small campus environment. Having to move on after completing my A.A., Chaminade seemed like the natural choice. I was also somewhat of an untraditional student since I had taken a little break. Chaminade provided a great community in which I could grow intellectually and professionally. I have fond memories of the students with whom I attended classes, as well as the professors of the courses that I took.
How have you continued to invest in your professional development since graduating?
After completing my master’s degree, I began my profession as a school counselor for the state as well as independent schools. Being a school counselor sets you up perfectly for school administration, and I eventually went that route. I am happy to say that in 2011, I decided to return to U.H. Mānoa’s College of Education where I completed a three-year doctoral program in Professional Educational Practice. Working in education automatically provides you the opportunity to continuously grow in your development as an educator, and I took every advantage of those opportunities. I have to say that building a strong professional network is just as important, and the internet and social media surely have fed into building that network.
How has your education influenced your personal goals and achievements?
Graduating from a Catholic high school and university instilled great values, and being able to simultaneously grow spiritually has had a tremendous impact on my personal goals and achievements. Catholic school education teaches you how to be a good student and having that firm intellectual foundation helped to provide more opportunities, particularly in one’s chosen career. Many here in Hawaiʻi choose private school with the hopes that it will help move you forward, and I can confidently vouch for that. The importance of education was promoted at home and continued in all the schools that I attended. My education had a great influence on both my personal goals and achievements.
