Chaminade University of Honolulu

Alumni

Doctoral Students Gain Practicum, Serve Community Needs

With practicum, internship, and dissertation requirements, hands-on learning and intensive scholarly inquiry are critical parts of Chaminade’s Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology. 

And thanks to the University’s assessment center, graduate students can tackle some of that patient-focused work right on campus.

The Chaminade Assessment Center (CAC), launched in Fall 2023 gives PsyD students the chance to conduct psychological evaluations and fill a community need at the same time.

Dr. Sean Scanlan, director of the Clinical Psychology program at the University, said the CAC started off small but with a strong mission: To offer children and young adults psychological evaluations so they can get the right  treatment and educational accommodations.

“We had Chaminade PsyD students searching for practicum sites, and we saw community members needing these psychological assessments,” Scanlan said.

The center’s first clients were Chaminade students. From there, the clientele was expanded to include students referred from nearby private schools. Scanlan said the center was able to serve about 30 patients in their first year and almost 50 in their second.

Meanwhile, about three PsyD students at any one time work under a supervisor at the CAC. Scanlan said each client requires six to 15 hours of testing, which may include an interview and cognitive, personality, and learning assessments. From there, the psychologist and PsyD students synthesize the findings and issue a report with a diagnosis and recommendations.

“For our PsyD students, it’s a lot of work,” Scanlan said. “Because it’s not just the student preparing  to be with an actual client; they have to be prepared to sit and listen to real world problems, all the while trying to conceptualize a diagnosis.” 

But Scanlan said that this real-world, experiential learning experience is critical to their training, similar to that of trainees in the medical fields. He stressed, their clinical supervisor is always there to offer expertise and guidance. The supervisor also handles initial and critical client interactions so students can see practiced psychological evaluations and interactions at work.

Sammie Wilkinson, PsyD ’27 was one of Chaminade’s first PsyD students to serve at the center following its launch and has since put in additional time there as an administrative and assessment specialist. She summed up her practicum experience at the center in one word: “Rewarding.” 

“I learned about comprehensive psychological evaluations and assessment, which are major components of the role of a clinical psychologist and a focus of the PsyD program,” Wilkinson said.

“During my practicum, I was able to support both Chaminade students and clients in the community by conducting assessments, identifying and diagnosing various challenges that often impact academic performance and social functioning. Since completing my practicum, I have continued to support the CAC with scheduling and helping clients access services.”

Wilkinson explained that assessment and diagnosis help clients put a name to specific mental health challenges they’ve been experiencing and provide a starting point for healing and support. 

“It has been a privilege to work with clients from diverse backgrounds, which has deepened my appreciation for taking a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to assessment,” she said. “One of the biggest challenges is determining an accurate diagnosis, as many conditions can resemble one another. For example, trauma may present similarly to ADHD. Therefore, it is so important that we are thorough, take our time to rule out diagnoses and consider each client holistically.”  

She added that helping to broaden access to community-based services has been especially meaningful—and she’s excited about the center’s continued growth. “Psychological assessments are in high demand but often come with long waiting lists or high costs so it has been wonderful to be part of a center that provides these services in a timely and affordable way,” she said.

Scanlan noted that the center started to accept insurance in 2025.  In the program’s first two years, services were free and mostly referral-based. “I think we have the foundation now where we can begin to increase the number of PsyD students we can take and, as a result, the number of clients we can see,” Scanlan said. “We’re happy to be providing this service to the community.”

The center’s growth comes as Chaminade’s School of Education and Behavioral Sciences also launches another win-win program for aspiring mental health professionals and clients in need of services. In spring 2026, the University’s Marriage and Family Therapy program launched its new MFT Training Clinic, where graduate-level MFT therapists in training provide care under the supervision of licensed clinicians. Services are affordable and open to anyone on Oahu. 

“This clinic is a training ground for future marriage and family therapists,” said Blendine Hawkins, Ph.D., LMFT, director of the Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy program at Chaminade. “By focusing on couples and families and embracing culturally humble, evidence-based approaches, the clinic is a meaningful new resource for our local community. We’re excited to share this development with those who value strengthening relationships and supporting families.”

Alumni Office Hosts San Diego Reunion

More than 80 alumni and prospective families gathered on a beautiful San Diego waterfront for a special Sunday brunch on March 8 that brought the Chaminade spirit to the mainland in a meaningful way. Against the backdrop of the harbor, the event offered a warm and welcoming space for Silverswords to reconnect, share stories, and celebrate their enduring ties to the University.

Attendees traveled from across the region—and beyond—to be part of the occasion. Many alumni made the drive from throughout California, while one dedicated alumna even flew in from Arizona specifically to attend. Their efforts underscored the strength of the Chaminade community and the lasting impact of the relationships formed on campus. Whether reconnecting with classmates after years apart or meeting fellow alumni for the first time, there was a shared sense of pride and belonging throughout the gathering.

President Dr. Lynn Babington joined the group and spent time connecting personally with alumni and guests. She offered updates on the University, highlighting continued growth, new academic initiatives, and the ways Chaminade is evolving to meet the needs of today’s students while remaining grounded in its mission and values. Her remarks reinforced the University’s commitment to fostering a close-knit, purpose-driven community—one that extends far beyond the shores of O‘ahu.

The event also created opportunities for prospective families to engage with alumni and learn firsthand about the Chaminade experience. Conversations flowed easily between generations, with alumni sharing stories about their time on campus, the friendships they built, and how their education has shaped their personal and professional journeys. For prospective students and their families, it was a chance to see the lasting value of a Chaminade education come to life through these authentic connections.

Adding to the festive atmosphere, attendees enjoyed Chaminade-themed swag and participated in a drawing for prizes, bringing an element of fun and excitement to the morning. Chaminade magazines were also available, offering a deeper look at campus developments, student success stories, and the continued momentum of the University community.

Events like this serve as a powerful reminder that the Chaminade connection does not end at graduation—or at the edge of the island. Instead, it continues to grow and thrive wherever alumni gather. The San Diego brunch was more than just a reunion; it was a reflection of a vibrant and engaged alumni network that remains deeply connected to the University and to one another.

A Calling to Counsel

Taylee Miyamura

Taylee Miyamura, MSCP ‘23 has been awarded the 2025 Hawaiʻi Milken Teacher of Promise Award. A counselor at Mililani Middle School, she was selected for this honor based on her exceptional leadership, commitment to student wellbeing and innovative work developing restorative, student-centered support for Hawaiʻiʻs largest middle school. Taylee is a graduate of Mililani High School, the Oregon Institute of Technology, and Chaminade University. 

The Chaminade communications and marketing team reached out to Taylee recently. 

Q: When did you decide to become an educator?

A: I decided that I wanted to pursue school counseling during my final year of getting my undergraduate degree. While interning at a high school in a small town near my college, I realized how meaningful it was to support students and help them navigate challenges. That experience inspired me to pursue school counseling so I could make a positive impact in students’ lives and help them develop the skills and confidence needed to be successful.

Taylee Miyamura

Q: Why did you choose to earn a master’s degree from Chaminade?

A: I knew that I wanted to return home and become a school counselor in Hawaiʻi to give back to the community that helped raise me. I felt that Chaminade would be the place to help me fulfill that goal, as its mission and purpose strongly align with my commitment to service and making a positive impact.

Q: What was your experience as a master’s student like?

A: I began my master’s program at Chaminade right in the middle of COVID, but the professors still found creative and meaningful ways to continue supporting our learning despite the challenges. During that time, I built strong relationships with faculty and classmates who I know I can turn to for guidance and support till this day. Chaminade helped prepare me for my career and equipped me with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in my role as a school counselor. I would not be where I am today without Chaminade University.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of your work?

A: The most rewarding and meaningful part of my job is building strong connections with my students and making them feel supported through their middle school years. It is also those small moments where you see them becoming more confident, hopeful, and resilient!

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring teachers?

A: My advice to aspiring educators is to always remember your “why” in everything that you do. There will be both high days and low days, but keeping your purpose at the forefront will help guide you and remind you of the impact that you are making for these kids. Focus on building connections, being patient and kind, and creating a warm and supportive environment where all students feel valued and encouraged.

Q: Any final thoughts on receiving this award and your education at Chaminade?

A: Receiving the Milken Teacher of Promise award for the LMW (Leilehua, Mililani, and Waialua) complex was truly an honor, and I am very grateful for the education and experiences I received at Chaminade. My time there has helped shape who I am both personally and professionally,

and it has given me the knowledge, skills, and values that guide my work today. I am extremely thankful for the mentors, professors, and my awesome cohort who supported me through my graduate school journey. I am very proud to be a Chaminade Alumna!  

Gratitude Celebrated at Scholarship Luncheon

“We’re grateful for you.” 

“We’re inspired by your generosity.” 

“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” 

“We celebrate you.” 

“Mahalo nui loa and thank you so very much.” 

Those were the sentiments celebrated at the annual Chaminade Mahalo Scholarship Luncheon held February 13 at Clarence T. C. Ching Conference Center on campus. More than 115 donors, students, faculty and staff gathered to celebrate how financial support opens doors for students to reach their goals, go out in the world, and give back to the community. 

Fr. Martin Solma opened the luncheon with a prayer followed by remarks from President Lynn Babington, who shared that 346 students at Chaminade benefit from donor-funded scholarships and that 98 percent of all students receive some form of financial aid. Fifty-one percent of students are the first generation in their family to attend college. Vice President of Advancement Jill Higashi noted that none of this would be possible without the support of donors. 

Donor Keven Matsuura attended the lunch with his mother Diane Matsuura and spoke about how he did not know all that nurses do when caring for patients, until his father needed nursing 24-hour care until he passed away in 2024. Today the Kenneth and Diane Matsuura Foundation supports two scholarships for nursing students, which is his family’s way to give back to the community and to help alleviate the local nursing shortage. 

“We saw what nurses do and, thus, wanted to support local nursing students who plan to stay in Hawaiʻ’i,” Matsuura said. “We are proud to support students at Chaminade University and their lifelong commitment to hard work and advancement in the nursing field.”

Students Jason Edric Ulep ʻ27 and Tessa Stanley ʻ27 also spoke and shared their personal stories about why attending Chaminade has been a life changing dream come true, and expressed their gratitude for the scholarships they receive. The small class sizes, individualized attention, secure and safe campus have made the Chaminade experience fulfilling and meaningful as they pursue their studies and plan their careers after graduating next May. 

At the podium, Stanley opened her remarks by sharing two simple yet meaningful words: “Thank you.”

Watch this video that was shown at the Luncheon.

Leading with Service

Before Christine Baleto ’91 left her native Guam for college, her dad sat her down for a conversation she’ll never forget. He told her many people leave the island to pursue higher education, but too few return to use what they’ve learned to give back to the community.

Christine Baleto ’91 (right) poses with Annette Taijeron Santos, DBA, interim dean of Chaminade’s School of Business and Communication.

“If our own people don’t come back to help improve our island and create opportunities, who will?” Baleto recalls her father asking her all those years ago. “He urged me to get my education, but more importantly, to come home and use it to serve our people and our island.

“That conversation left a lasting imprint on me. I left Guam with a clear purpose: to return.”

And that’s exactly what she did.

Today, Baleto is president and CEO of telecommunications firm Docomo Pacific, the largest provider of mobile, internet, television and phone services in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Despite her high-stress day job, Baleto still makes time to serve on nonprofit boards, volunteer her time to civic organizations and serve as a mentor to young people.

That focus on giving to others is something Baleto says was ingrained in her throughout her childhood, and a value she was able to foster during her time at Chaminade.

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While a student, she served as president of the National Honor Society and volunteered for a long list of clubs. “That commitment to service shaped how I lead today,” she said.

Baleto came to Chaminade as a transfer student.

After graduating from high school, she headed to Eastern Oregon State College on a full scholarship. While she says she enjoyed the opportunity, Baleto struggled with the climate and the distance from her island home, so she made the decision to transfer to Hawaiʻi.

Christine Baleto ’91

“I wanted connection and community,” Baleto said.

She found it at Chaminade.

“The intimate campus environment was exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t want to be just another face in a large lecture hall; I wanted a place where professors knew my name and where mentorship and one-on-one engagement were part of the learning experience.”

Baleto says she thrived in Chaminade’s tight-knit community and enjoyed the University’s values-based education. Chaminade’s mission of service, in particular, resonated with her.

“From a young age, I felt a strong calling to serve,” she said. “My earliest passions were rooted in social service, and even as my career evolved, that sense of purpose never faded.”

It’s why today, Baleto sees her role as a leader as an opportunity to make a broader positive impact. “Returning to Guam and contributing to our community wasn’t just a personal goal. It was a responsibility I embraced, and one that continues to guide my path today,” she said.

Her message to tomorrow’s leaders at Chaminade is twofold.

First, she says, there is no substitute for hard work.

And secondly: “True leadership is rooted in humility, kindness, and a continuous willingness to learn from others,” Baleto said. “If you aspire to be a leader or a changemaker, remember you cannot do it alone. Real, lasting change happens when you empower those around you.”

Baleto said her Chaminade years were formative, including in helping her develop her community-focused leadership style. And this spring, Baleto had something of a full circle moment when she got the opportunity to visit campus for the first time since she’d graduated.

“Stepping onto campus 30 years later brought back so many wonderful memories— of the professors who knew me by name, the close-knit community, and all the ways I was active as a student,” she said. “I was especially proud to see how much the University has grown.”

Baleto added she’s grateful to be part of Chaminade’s past, present and future. “Chaminade is not merely a place to earn a degree,” she said. “It is a community that fosters one’s values, stimulates intellectual growth, and equips individuals with the skills necessary for purposeful leadership.”

This story appears in the Fall 2025 edition of Chaminade Magazine. To read the full issue, click here.

A Life of Public Service

As adjutant general of the Hawai‘i Department of Defense, Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan ’89 acknowledges a life of public service isn’t easy—or especially lucrative. But giving back to the community and looking for ways to make things better, he says, really is its own reward.

“My message to students is: Stick with it. You just don’t know where it’s going to take you,” he said.

Logan’s career certainly has been full of twists and turns.

He was a Honolulu Police Department (HPD) helicopter pilot and military aviator. He deployed as a deputy commander to Afghanistan. During the pandemic, he lived for months in the Hawai‘i National Guard’s headquarters in Diamond Head. And when flames tore through Lahaina, he led a joint task force to aid in the response efforts.

All that happened before Logan took on one of the toughest jobs in Hawai‘i state government—overseeing the training and readiness of the Hawai‘i Army and Air National Guards as state adjutant general, a role he assumed in October 2024. At a moment’s notice, the Guard must be ready to assist with everything from natural disasters at home to conflicts abroad.

Logan, 61, said his journey to being named state adjutant general was a circuitous one.

This story appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Chaminade Magazine. To read more, click here.

It began right after he graduated from high school on O‘ahu and joined the military. When he returned, he enrolled in the police cadet program and started what would become a long career with HPD. About the same time, he applied to Chaminade University and started taking night courses as he was working during the day. Logan says he was grateful for the flexibility.

He studied Criminal Justice and says one of the things he enjoyed most about Chaminade was learning from experienced leaders in their fields and being encouraged to apply his skills in real-world situations. “It gives you the theory and then the practice,” Logan said.

For example, Logan added, his professors included a retired Circuit Court judge, high-ranking police officers and a civil litigation attorney. Those experts gave him a fuller picture of the criminal justice system that would help him as a police officer and military leader.

Logan comes from a family of public servants. His grandfather served as a police officer in New York City. His father was in the Navy and the Army. And his two brothers are also veterans. In fact, brother Arthur Logan was previously the state adjutant general and is now Honolulu’s police chief.

Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan ’89 recites the Oath of Office to Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Mysti Bicoy)

“My parents were steeped in public service and giving back,” Stephen Logan said, adding he chose military service and law enforcement because he wanted the chance to help others. “There are certain things on a regular workday where you can really help someone out,” he said.

“I used to tell my subordinates: When you take off your uniform, you can think that ‘I served a greater good.’ There’s simply no monetary value you can put on that. You can be proud of yourself.”

In the National Guard, Logan trained as a helicopter pilot and later became a test pilot. Later, at the Honolulu Police Department, he would fly HPD’s helicopter to maintain his flight certifications.

Over his years at the agency, Logan also climbed the ranks—and thought he would retire there.

But then a “dream job” opened up at the Hawai‘i National Guard—as state Army aviation officer—and Logan jumped at the opportunity. He held the position for more than a decade, overseeing a massive aviation program amid a “revolving door” of Middle East deployments.

At the Hawai‘i Army National Guard, and later, at the State Department of Defense, Logan continued to embrace new challenges. In 2019, he was named deputy adjutant general, a role in which he helped the state respond to some of the biggest crises Hawai‘i has ever seen, from the COVID pandemic to the deadly wildfires that tore through historic Lahaina town.

After the fire, Logan traveled to Maui to help oversee the National Guard’s response. Guard members augmented FEMA recovery teams, assisted with relief efforts, and established a security zone. Logan said many of those who responded had just wrapped up an exhaustive training exercise. When he went to visit them, they’d say, “There’s no way I could stay home.”

“That’s what really swells my heart,” he said.

As state adjutant general, Logan also serves as director of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency. He said while the Lahaina disaster was a tragic wake-up call about the growing dangers of wildfires in a warming world, the state is more prepared now to respond to fast-moving blazes.

“The more we do now, the more responsive and effective we’re going to be later on,” Logan said, adding that one of the best resources in the preparedness fight is human capital—a conscientious and talented workforce of people committed to serve. His advice to young people considering their future careers: “A life of public service is rewarding. You can give back—and that’s something.”