Chaminade University of Honolulu

Alumni

Community Service

Catholic Charities Hawaii renders aid to Maui residents

A day after the catastrophic Maui wildfire, Tina Andrade was already anticipating a groundswell of pleas for assistance. As the Chief Operations Officer of Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Andrade is no stranger to emergency crisis. After all, the aftermath of COVID-19 still lingers among some residents who continue to struggle financially, physically and emotionally.

“I am on Maui right now, and we are meeting with families on the west side,” says Andrade, who joined Catholic Charities Hawai‘i in 2003 as its vice president in mission integration and was appointed earlier this year to serve as the nonprofit’s Chief Operations Officer. “We’ve been giving them gift cards and solar lights, which also serve as phone chargers. We’ve distributed food, water and personal items. And we’ve placed families in Airbnb rentals, and will be helping with rental assistance/housing stability. We’ve also had counselors meeting with individuals.”

Serving Hawai‘i since 1947, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i has rendered aid to local residents of all faiths and cultures in previous disasters, including Hurricane Iniki, the recent Kīlauea eruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic and now the worst natural catastrophe in Hawaii’s history.

Tina Andrade has been with Hawaii Catholic Charities since 2003, and is currently the nonprofit's Chief Operations Officer.
Tina Andrade has been with Hawaii Catholic Charities since 2003, and is currently the nonprofit’s Chief Operations Officer.

“We typically serve approximately 40,000 individuals per year,” says Andrade, who engages the local community in Catholic Charities Hawai‘i’s mission through its Social Policy efforts and with the neighboring islands advisory boards. “We provide more than 40 social services and programs, ranging from rental assistance and mental health to immigration and senior advocacy to assist our kūpuna.”

Born and raised in Honolulu, Andrade graduated from Kamehameha Schools, and received her bachelor’s degree in religious studies (2005) and master’s degree (2014) in pastoral theology from Chaminade University.

Prior to joining Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, she was an educator at several Hawai‘i Catholic schools and worked within the Catholic community in the area of religious education and social ministry. Additionally, she has an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Transformational Leadership from Notre Dame University and a Professional Certificate in Human Resource & Workforce Development & Management from Michigan State University.

“I started with Catholic Charities Hawai‘i years ago as a receptionist until I decided to enroll at Chaminade,” Andrade says. “I really believe in our mission and our values—which are similar to Chaminade’s— that were first established by the Maryknoll Sisters. We seek to help strengthen families in the community and, to do so effectively, we partner with government agencies, hospitals and parishes, and we’re also part of Aloha United Way’s 211 helpline.”

With affordable housing as the number one priority in Hawaii—especially on Maui right now— Andrade has collaborated with community partners in securing $200 million to build affordable housing. As part of Catholic Charities executive team, she helped oversee the distribution of more than $150 million in federal rental assistance to tenants during the pandemic.

“Tina has been a trusted and collaborative member of our executive team for the past 20 years, helping us identify the priorities of our agency’s social policies to address poverty and social justice,” says CEO and President Robert Van Tassell, in a released statement. “With her extensive knowledge of our organization’s history, programs, personnel, partners and future potential, she is a natural fit to run CCH’s day-to-day operations.”

Celebrating its 75th anniversary last year, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i continues to serve as a beacon of hope for the state’s most vulnerable populations. It all started in 1859 when the Catholic Women’s Guild provided food, clothes and medical aid to immigrant plantation workers. The association was later reorganized by Bishop Sweeney as Catholic Charities in 1942. Recognizing that Hawai‘i was in dire need of social services following World War II, Sweeney contacted the Maryknoll Sisters, a group of New York women who exemplified their faith by devoting their lives to others.

“The Maryknoll Sisters’ primary emphasis was putting their faith into action,” Andrade explains. “That faith is what brought me here. It’s what keeps me here. We have one mission—to provide compassionate care—but there are many ways to carry out that mission.”

Special Delivery  

Dr. Thomas Shieh has delivered 11,000 babies on Guam and another 4,000 at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children.

Dr. Thomas Shieh with his daughter Beverly in his arms after the Chaminade graduation ceremony.
Dr. Thomas Shieh with his daughter Beverly in his arms after the Chaminade graduation ceremony.

There’s an old Chinese proverb that literally translates to, “Nothing in the world is difficult for one who is determined enough to achieve it.” In other words, where there’s a will, there’s a way. This hasn’t always been the attitude Dr. Thomas Shieh ’87 projected when he was growing up in Salt Lake. He barely graduated from Moanalua High School, eking out a GPA of 2.2, just 0.2 points above the required average threshold to earn a diploma. College wasn’t even a consideration, let alone medical school.  

“I still have nightmares that Moanalua will call me one day and say they made a mistake,” quips Shieh, an obstetrician/gynecologist with a thriving, eponymous private clinic in Tamuning, Guam. “I was an average student with a 1.8 GPA at best until my senior year when I realized I might not graduate.”  

After graduation, Shieh enrolled at a local travel school for three months and earned a travel agent certificate, taking aim at a career in the tourism industry. He personally hand delivered his resume to all the airlines and travel agencies on the island. None responded.  

“Maybe if one of them had answered, I would have been the Roberts Hawaii,” says Shieh with a laugh. “But no one wanted to hire me, so I had a six-month gap between graduating from high school and starting university. Then one day, I was watching a Chaminade basketball game and I said to myself, ‘These guys are good.’ And this is how I learned about Chaminade—through basketball.”  

After applying to Chaminade, Shieh met with the late Sr. Roberta Derby who accepted Shieh’s application but placed him on academic probation for a year, and limited the number of courses he could pursue to just four. “It was English, math, social studies and I can’t remember the fourth one,” Shieh says. “During the summer of ’83, I got all As and I was now more motivated to continue my matriculation.”  

In the meantime, his high school sweetheart, Raven Rawlins—whom he met when he was a sophomore and she was a freshman at Moanalua—decided to follow him to Chaminade. He was studying biology and she was majoring in computer science. In his senior year, however, they learned that Raven was pregnant. After making two appointments at an abortion clinic, the young couple decided to keep the baby.

“I tell Beverly (the eldest of two daughters) this story all the time,” Shieh says candidly. “I got a lot of counseling from Henry Gomes (Chaminade’s director of Native Hawaiian Partnerships) who encouraged me that we could do this; that having a baby didn’t need to stop my education in pursuing a medical degree.”  

Dr. Thomas Shieh and Raven Shieh with their grandson Maui.

Having a 1-year-old infant and attending medical school seemed antithetical, but Shieh and Raven had a will…and they found a way: Enlist in the Navy so he could have his medical school paid for, as long as he committed to military service for four years after graduation.

During his third year at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Shieh witnessed his wife give birth to their second daughter, Tiffany. Inspired by the experience, he decided to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology.  

“I am thankful to my wife, Raven, whom I like to say went to medical school with me, but I’m the one who ended up with a degree; she was with me every step of the way—through all the challenges and fatigue to the clinical rotations and exams,” Shieh says. “She and my two daughters have meant everything to me.”  

With two young daughters, Shieh had little time to go to Milwaukee Bucks games or cheer on the Brewers, although he is a dedicated sports fan. Instead, he was parenting and studying from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., joking that the late hours were part of the training of becoming an obstetrician/gynecologist. Nearing the end of his matriculation at medical school, he was now preparing to become an active duty member of the Navy.  

“I was told by my Navy detailer that I was going to be stationed in San Diego, so I was OK with that,” Shieh recalls. “A month before graduating, though, I get a call from him, and he tells me ‘You’re going to Guam. We need you there.’ I had no idea where Guam was, and when I did an internet search, all I could find were references to super typhoons and brown tree snakes.”  

Initially reluctant to upend his young family to this U.S. island territory in Micronesia, Shieh eventually relented after his detailer promised that he would only have to serve two years in Guam. Afterward, he would be free to choose whichever duty station he would like to be relocated to serve out his remaining two years.  

That was 1996. Two years turned into four years, which extended to another four years and an additional four years. Twenty-seven years later, the popular Guam physician is committed to the community, and owns and operates a state-of-the-art, 9,000-square-foot clinic for women.  

“When I left the Navy, my office was 700 square feet and it only consisted of two exam rooms,” Shieh says. “I built this clinic two-and-a-half years ago to improve the full spectrum of healthcare for women and to enhance clinical teaching.”  

Dr. Thomas Shieh and Raven Shieh helped establish the Merv Lope Scholarship.
Dr. Thomas Shieh and Raven Shieh helped contribute to the Merv Lopes Scholarship.

To date, Shieh has delivered 11,000 babies on Guam and another 4,000 at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. And when he’s not in the operating room, he’s in the classroom teaching the next generation of obstetricians and gynecologists at John A. Burns School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health.  

His support for the community, though, reaches far beyond the OR and maternity wards. His philanthropic endeavors span across the Pacific. For nearly the past 25 years, he has funded Guam’s best student-athletes with the Shieh Su Ying Scholar-Athlete award, named after his beloved grandmother.  

“I always credit my late grandmother for encouraging me to become a doctor,” Shieh says. “She always told me to help people and to do good for the community.”  

When he was a student at Chaminade, Shieh was voted in as the Senior Senator and helped place clocks in all the hall, half joking, he says, that the students were always late. He was involved with the yearbook, designing the silver medallion that graced the front cover. And he helped establish the Henry Gomes Endowment and the Merv Lopes Scholarship.  

“My journey at Chaminade was truly fun and memorable,” Shieh says. “Chaminade was my stepping stone; it gave me motivation and taught me the values of family spirit, faith, service, equality and justice. I truly cherish the years that I spent there.”                  

Doctor’s Orders

Laica Arcibal enters first year of residency at SIU

She will be the first to concede that becoming a physician is both a privilege and a responsibility. And for Laica Arcibal ’19, attending medical school meant being one step closer to achieving her lifelong dream of becoming a practicing physician. Now in her first-year residency at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine in Quincy, Ill., the Waianae native earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) at A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) in the spring.

“Chaminade provided the foundation to my medical career,” Arcibal said. “I am especially thankful to OHPAUR (Office of Health Professions Advising and Undergraduate Research, now known as the Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Programs) for the opportunity to widen my exposure to different healthcare careers.”

Despite an interest in research when she was in high school and during her first two years at Chaminade, Arcibal decided to pursue a medical degree instead. After shadowing a doctor of osteopathic medicine at Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, she witnessed how osteopathic manipulation treatment could alleviate people’s pain almost immediately.

Laica Arcibal informed Dr. Amber Noguchi that she started her residency.

“I shadowed a DO who was able to provide some relief to a patient with a persistent cough, and saw how appreciative the patient was,” Arcibal recalled. “That was when I told myself, ‘I want to be a DO.’”

Thanks to an articulation agreement that Chaminade enjoys with A.T. Still University, Arcibal was allowed early admission to the Kirksville College of Osteopathic, her school of preference since, she said, it felt just like Chaminade.

“I knew medical school would be grueling, so I wanted a place to safely challenge myself, and ATSU-KCOM reminded me of my experience in Chaminade,” Arcibal said. “I also like the fact that ATSU focuses on whole person healthcare, scholarship, community health, interprofessional education, diversity and underserved populations, which Waianae is.”

 At its essence, an Articulation Agreement document is between two colleges or universities, and lays out a transfer plan between two program offerings. Depending on the program and degree, students can set an early course to advanced studies as an undergraduate—establishing a strong academic record and completing prerequisites while at Chaminade. The agreement helps the student by ensuring all completed classes (credits) transfer and shows a clear pathway for continued advancement.

“Laica was one of my students from when I worked at Waianae High School as a pre-college advisor,” said Amber Noguchi, Ph.D., Chaminade’s Program Director with the Undergraduate Research & Pre-Professional Programs. “I first met her when she was a high school sophomore so it has been really great seeing her progress throughout this past decade.”

Arcibal decided to become a DO because she believes that DOs bring a unique, patient-centered approach to every specialty across the full spectrum of medicine. She also appreciates the University’s curriculum, which aligns with the Marianist values she learned while at Chaminade.

Laica Arcibal, second from left, with former classmates on a field trip with Dr. Hank Trapido-Rosenthal.

The Complete Doctor, a hallmark of the KCOM curriculum, incorporates early clinical experiences with didactic study in physical exam skills, communication skills, social determinants of health, spirituality in medicine, medical jurisprudence and ethics. Reflecting the osteopathic philosophy, the curriculum also emphasizes preventive medicine and holistic patient care.

“DOs bring a whole-person approach to care by focusing on looking beyond patients’ symptoms to understand how lifestyle and environmental factors impact their wellbeing,” said Arcibal, citing the Kirksville College of Osteopathic’s program description. “The osteopathic philosophy of medicine sees an inter-related unity in all systems of the body, with each working with the other to heal in times of illness.

“As part of their education, DOs receive special training in the musculoskeletal system, your body’s interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones,” Arcibal further cited. “By combining this knowledge with the latest advances in medical technology, they offer patients the most comprehensive care available today.”

As a SIU School of Medicine Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY1) resident, Arcibal has many years before she completes her residency training, qualifies to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE board exam), and then becomes a fully credentialed doctor.

When she does graduate to Dr. Arcibal—and no longer a doctor-in-training after finishing medical school—she plans to return to Waianae to serve her community.

“I would not have gotten this far without my supportive family, friends and mentors, who for some, I met way back in high school,” Arcibal said. “It is only right that I come back and serve the very people who motivated me to get this far.”

Celebrity Emcee

’96 alumna and former Miss Universe to host Silversword Reunion

How a young wahine who rode the #53 Bus from Pearl City every day to get to school landed on the international stage is a Cinderella story. At 26 years old and 128 days, Brook Meahealani Lee became the then-oldest woman to be crowned Miss Universe in 1997. It was as much a surprise to her, as it was to a worldwide audience of more than 600 million viewers.

“It was a lot to process at the time,” said Lee, a ’96 alumna who majored in English with a minor in Communication. “One moment I was in Shreveport, Louisiana, the next I’m in Miami, Florida. Next was Toronto, Canada and then back to Los Angeles. It was a whirlwind that year.”

Of mixed Hawaiian, Korean, Dutch, English, French, Portuguese and Chinese ancestry, Lee became the first indigenous person and Asian American to wear the crown. It was a sparkling moment, for sure, preceded only by equally memorable answers to two of the Miss Universe Final questions.

However, before getting to what made Lee’s remarks so memorable, there’s a bit of backstory. At that time, Lee’s predecessor, Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, came under public scrutiny for her weight gain, drawing considerable press attention. So when host George Hamilton asked, “Miss Universe has recently been the subject of a lot of press attention about her weight. If this happened to you, how would you handle it?”  

Lee perfectly offered up one of the best answers in pageant history. “I would take a good hard look at myself and I’d look from the inside out and I’d know that I was the same girl that was crowned that day,” Lee said. “So if I go up or go down—I get taller, I get shorter. My nose gets bigger… smaller. I’m still who I was when that crown was on my head and I’m a good representative no matter what.”

Yet, it was her response to the Miss Universe Final Question #3 that drew the loudest cheers and hysterical laughter from the audience and Hamilton. If social media existed then, her answer surely would have gone viral. And not for the unfortunate reasons most pageant answers make the social media rounds these days—Lee’s was amusing, frank and completely authentic in a very Hawaiian sense.

Asked: “If there were no rules in your life, for one day, and you could be outrageous, what would you do?” Lee unhesitatingly responded with: “I would eat everything in the world. You do not understand. I would eat everything twice.”

“It was a little bit of a jab at the President of Miss Universe Organization, who was the one who criticized the weight gain of my predessor,” said Lee, recalling that moment on stage. “But I don’t think he ever got it.”

Prior to winning Miss Hawaii USA and then being crowned Miss USA, Lee had minimal pageant experience. She said the first Miss Hawaii Competition she competed in, she lost big time. She would go on to win the title in 1997, which earned her a scholarship to Chaminade University. Walking through Henry Hall, Lee reminisced about her time on campus, pointing out Room 227 as the classroom where she sat for her English classes.

“I feel like I’m Jane Jetson; everything is so new,” quipped Lee, who will emcee the Silversword Reunion in October. Gesturing to the Sullivan Family Library, she pointed out that it didn’t exist when she was around, nor did the Athletics Coaches’ Office Complex below the parking structure.

While a lot has changed and improved since Lee’s time at Chaminade, some things remain the same. The Kalaepohaku campus is still as inviting, and students still need to climb all the steps to reach “Mount Kiefer.”

Brook Lee with her son Fynnegan, daughter Bailey and husband Tory Mell.
Brook Lee with her son Fynnegan, daughter Bailey and husband Tory Mell.

After her reign as Miss Universe, Lee made several cameo appearances in movies and television shows, and has hosted many television shows in Asia and the United States. She has also been a judge at Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, and served as a color commentator for past Universe Pageants.

After permanently returning to Oahu from Los Angeles three years ago, Lee now juggles her time between being a mother of two, a supportive spouse and three gigs. She is the host of KHON2’s “Modern Wahine Hawaii;” she is the co-host for the Podcast “It’s a Hawaii Thing;” and she dances hula at Halekulani’s House Without a Key.” She also believes in service to the community, taking on the Artistic Director role with the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame, where she produces the annual Lei of Stars installation of Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame inductees, and serves as the secretary for the nonprofit BEHawaii.

“My work with BEHawaii has been deeply meaningful as we started around a simple dining room table in Kapālama committed to elevating musicians in Hawaii and branching out in ways I would have never imagined,” Lee said. “BEHawaii is committed to finding solutions for our Lāhui in diverse ways, and holding fast to our Kūpuna and their wisdom.”

The group also launched the Lei Poinaʻole Project, which aims to revitalize, strengthen and support the Hawaiʻi lei industry. Lei Poina‘ole means “the never forgotten lei,” and the project is committed to this vision, so that the Hawaiʻi lei industry and its people are never forgotten.

To increase awareness and generate demand for locally grown flowers, materials, and lei, program leaders said the message is simple: “When you buy locally produced lei, you are nourishing our ʻāina, supporting Hawaiʻi farmers, preserving local traditions, and sharing aloha throughout our community.”

And aloha is what Lee has shared and breathed ever since she was a keiki riding the #53 Bus to school.    

Silversword Reunion Blooms

Criminal Justice alumni reunite at Vi and Paul Loo Student Center

Dr. Greg Mark makes it clear that Criminal Justice reunions involve more than just those who may have been one-time dorm mates or who may have taken classes together. Because attendees come from varied disciplines with different majors, the event holds a lot more meaning and makes for a qualitatively powerful experience, according to Mark.

“There’s lots of spirit and camaraderie,” says Mark, a former Criminal Justice professor with Chaminade from 1977-1989. “I’ve been involved with a couple of reunions, one eight years ago at The Willows and a second on campus, which took place right before COVID.”

When Mark taught at Chaminade, the program was called Justice Management until he took over the chairmanship of the department. Because he obtained his doctorate in Criminology—a degree not many people in the country held at the time—and simultaneously taught Ethnic Studies, the then young 20-something-year-old professor decided to change the name to Criminal Justice, which was more accurately reflective of what they were teaching at Chaminade.

Dr. Babington welcomed Criminal Justice alumni and faculty back to campus.
Chaminade President Lynn Babington, Ph.D., welcomed Criminal Justice alumni and faculty, including, from left Pulasi “Sam” Puletasi, Frank Okamura, Kevin Shimoda and Dr. Greg Mark.

“I took fragments of Management Justice and developed a criminology curriculum,” says Mark, who recently attended a Criminal Justice mini reunion held at the Vi and Paul Loo Student Center on campus. “It was a very exciting time to be part of the Chaminade faculty.”

A Criminal Justice major who graduated in 1986, Frank Okamura remembers taking Mark’s Criminal Justice Agencies class and describing him as fair and just like “one of us.” This may be true since some of the students—like Okamura, already a father of two and working as a U.S. Customs Service Inspector and bartender—were closer in age to Mark.  

“I think he (Mark) felt sorry for me because he named me ‘Outstanding Student’ or something like that,” laughs Okamura, who also attended the recent reunion on campus and had a chance to spend some time with his former professor. “I really enjoyed his class, which provided me a better understanding of the different law enforcement agencies.”

A tight-knit group, Criminal Justice alumni members will often socially meet either for lunch or dinner, reminiscing about their days as Silverswords, updating each other on their kids and grandkids, and their achievements since graduation.   

“During my time at Chaminade, we did so many things together, which brought us closer together,” says Mark, referring to students and faculty. “There was a lot of aloha among people in the department and it was a dynamic time.”

At the mini reunion, Okamura was impressed that Chaminade President, Dr. Lynn Babington,  had showed up to welcome them back to campus, making them all feel like they were home.

“Chaminade provided me with a path that I would have never known,” says the 62-year-old retiree and grandfather of five grandkids. “Whenever I needed help, my professors were always there; they were always so supportive and attentive. I am just so appreciative and grateful for my time there.”

Asked if they plan to attend the October Silversword Reunion, Okamura and Mark unhesitatingly said “Yes.” “It will be another chance to talk about each other and some of the work we did together,” Mark says. “Teaching at Chaminade was a great experience. It’s where I grew up professionally, and it’s where I developed my academic and administrative skills.”

Campus Romance Endures

Emily Palmer and Jason Perez enjoy life together after Chaminade

Her mom, Erinn Palmer ’81, graduated from Chaminade University. So, too, did her dad, Ron Palmer ’81. So a visit to the Kalaepohaku campus in 2010 easily convinced Emily Palmer ’17 that Chaminade University was the right fit. Meanwhile, Jason Perez’s ’18 reason to become a Silversword was so he could join his sister, Christela Perez ’19, on her journey to Hawaii.

“We met through my sister,” says Perez of his initial encounter with Palmer. “They were already close friends and because I’m close with my sister, I was always hanging around them.”

The young couple would eventually begin dating, and seeing each other every day. They would frequent the Sullivan Family Library’s lanai to study, preferring it over other outdoor areas because of its serenity and proximity to research literature.

Emily Palmer and Jason Perez constantly walked along Waialae Avenue.

Yet, what makes Palmer’s and Perez’s students-to-husband-and-spouse fairytale story is its rarity. Pew Research Center data reveals that when it comes to marriage after graduation, 28 percent of married graduates attended the same university as their spouse. But that percentage precipitously plummets to two percent when it comes to marriages between college sweethearts, according to researchers with CreditDonkey, a personal finance website.

This statistic highlights the fact that, while many college students may find themselves in romances, the chances of those relationships lasting into marriage are slim. It also serves as a reminder that college affairs can often be fleeting, and that it is important to be mindful of the potential for heartbreak.

However, because Chaminade has a nurturing environment and is rooted in community—which is the resounding sentiment echoed across the campus—students can be reassured that they will receive the necessary support. It’s not uncommon for this phrase—the prided, capital-c Community—to be interchanged with an even stronger word: ’Ohana.

Aside from the broader, communal ‘ohana that Chaminade fosters, it also often provides the backdrop to the infinite beginnings of new families, flesh and blood. Families like that of Palmer and Perez, and their 3-year-old son, Raiden.

“Maybe he’ll be the next generation to attend Chaminade,” jokes Palmer, who received her BS in Biochemistry, and is presently pursuing a pharmacology degree from Touro University California. “It was such a good choice for me to move away from California to attend university in Hawaii.”

Emily Palmer and Jason Perez are parents to 3-year-old Raiden.

Graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Communications Mass Media, Perez’s greatest takeaway while at Chaminade was the university’s diverse student population and its ability to bring people together.

“I still communicate with a lot of my classmates,” said Perez, who, along with Palmer, attended a Chaminade alumna event at Pitch Sports Bar at SALT at Our Kakaako earlier this year. “I really liked the different clubs, which were welcoming and inclusive.”

When Palmer’s education began at Chaminade, she was a shy, reserved teenager, and barely spoke out. But the four years she spent on campus transformed her from a meek 18-year-old teen to a confident young woman.

“I can speak out for myself now,” Palmer asserts. “I have my own voice and independence; I am a woman hear me roar!”

During her sophomore year, Palmer became an Admissions Department Telecounselor, entering prospective students’ data into the university computer system, maintaining contact with them to update their student status, and conducting campus tours of the university for incoming students and their families.

“Choosing Chaminade allowed me to be out on my own,” Palmer says. “It was a safe place where faculty, staff and peers would come to my aid if I ever needed it. It felt truly like ‘ohana.”

Perez says he became more worldly, especially as a staff writer with the Chaminade Silversword student newspaper, where he covered hot-button, controversial issues like the U.S. presidency, immigration and reform. “I liked the fact that the students all came from different walks of life and many from interracial families,” adds Perez, who is now the lead brewer for Heretic Brewing Company in Fairfield, Calif. “It felt so comfortable; it felt like being at home.”