Business Administration

Chaminade Students Organize Special ‘Unity Prom’

November 21, 2025

There are few events in high school more memorable than prom.

A group of Silverswords made sure that was especially true for more than 120 special education high schoolers, who gathered on November 18 at the Salvation Army Kroc Center for the 2025 West Oʻahu Unity Prom.

Students in Chaminade’s Business and Sport and Event Management programs planned the event, from the decorations to the live music and photo booth to the buffet. Meanwhile, some 80 Chaminade student-athletes volunteered as dance partners for the guests of honor.

Wendy Lam, Ph.D., associate professor of Business Administration and Sport and Event Management, said students from Waianae, Waipahu, Nanakuli high schools, DreamHouse Ewa Beach and Kamaile Academy attended. There were also a number of Chaminade administrators there, including President Lynn Babington, Ph.D., along with community members.

The event was sponsored by Ho’ea—The Foundation.

Lam said last year, Chaminade students volunteered at the East Oʻahu Unity Prom and were inspired to put together a special event for students on the other side of the island. She added Silverswords were integral to all elements of the gathering as part of field experience courses.

“This event exemplifies Chaminade’s commitment to community engagement, servant leadership, and the Marianist values of inclusivity, compassion, and formation through service,” Lam said.

“Our students are not only applying their classroom learning but also living out our mission to serve others and build a more just and caring community.”

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Trysten Mooney ’27, who is majoring in Business Administration with a minor in Sport and Event Management, was among those who helped put the event together. At the prom, he joined classmates to manage activity booths, including fun make-up and photo stations.

“Seeing all of the smiles from the students and teachers made all the work worth it,” Mooney said.

“This project helps connect Chaminade to the community by showing our love and core values with everyone. It is a cool experience for both the students involved and us students working it.”

Students Flex Their Event Planning Skills

April 16, 2025

You can’t take advantage of opportunities you don’t know about.

That’s the idea behind the annual LEI (Leadership, Exploration, Inspiration) event, which is organized by nonprofit ClimbHI in collaboration with Chaminade students in the University’s senior field experience class.

More than 650 high school and college students attended this year’s LEI gathering, held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center on April 14.

The fair featured over 60 Hawai’i business and organizations sharing career opportunities in short “speed-dating” style segments. Students also learned about what types of preparation different jobs require and the internships that might be available to them as they advance their skills.

“We want these high school students to know that after graduation, there are all these opportunities available to them,” said Wendy Lam, Ph.D., a professor of Business Administration and Sport Event Management at Chaminade who oversees the Chaminade students who help organize the LEI event.

“It’s a very meaningful project that our students can apply everything that they have learned, from accounting to marketing to management and human resources.”

Loke Yokoyama ’25 is among the students who worked on the project.

“As a Chaminade student, we get to help with the planning and coordinating of the event,” she said. “It’s been a lot of fun using my skills that I have obtained at Chaminade. The best part is working as a team.”

Yokoyama added Silverswords even made ti leaf lei for participating businesses.

John Paul Pacura ’25, a Business Administration senior, said Chaminade students got to apply their strongest skills and sharpen others in putting the event together.

“One of the biggest takeaways from this event is utilizing all the skills we have learned at Chaminade over four years,” Pacura said.

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This is the 13th year of the LEI event, which is especially focused on inspiring Hawai’i youth to pursue careers in the visitor industry. At the exposure fair, participants also got a chance to engage with industry leaders and participate in hands-on activities.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with ClimbHI and our industry and community partners to bring this important program to life,” said Caroline Anderson, interim president and CEO of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.

ClimbHI President Julie Morikawa said the LEI program is designed to offer a stepping stone between exposure to career opportunities and the hiring process, “allowing students to achieve their dreams and helping local businesses with workforce development.”

Annual Conference and Assembly Meeting

May 13, 2024

Judges Praise Silverswords for Their Creative Results

A 15-year participant in the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education’s (IACBE) Annual Conference and Assembly Meeting (ACAM)—which took place in Memphis, Tennessee this year—Chaminade University has consistently fared well against other mainland and international institutions, often winning several competitions or placing in the top three.

“As the coach, I help set up the teams and select the students who will compete in the Case Competition,” explained MBA Director and Program Advisor, Eddie Merc, Ph.D. “I oversee all the logistics for the trip, as well as help prepare the students to excel in their final presentation delivery.”

This year’s Spring 2024 IACBE’s Live Case Competition featured Tennessee-based organization Viralish, which set forth the challenge to students with this theme: “The 90 Day Creator: A Fast-Track Program and Planning Tool to Help Content Creators Generate $5,000 per Month.” The project tasked student teams to develop an innovative way for Viralish to help business owners and content creators monetize their digital content effectively. Among the participants from schools all around the U.S., Chaminade’s team included seniors Liz Devine, Alexander Hernandez, Ross Reeves and Kelsey Sablan. They were mentored by professors Wera Panow-Loui and Richard Kido. “The team of four undergraduate business seniors delivered creative results that were actionable, unique and thought provoking,” according to the competition’s judges.

Wera Panow-Loui and Dr. Eddie Merc flank students, from left, Alexander Hernandez, Liz Devine, Kelsey Sablan and Ross Reeves.

Dr. Eddie Merc presents his research during the Peregrine Best Practices Poster Competition.

Chaminade team members included, from left, Alexander Hernandez, Liz Devine, Kelsey Sablan and Ross Reeves.

Dr. Eddie Merc stands prepare to present his research findings in the Peregrine Best Practices Poster Competition.

Wera Panow-Loui and Dr. Eddie Merc were mentors to students, from left, Ross Reeves, Alexander Hernandez, Liz Devine and Kelsey Sablan.

Dr. Eddie Merc gives two thumbs up after winning the Peregrine Best Practices Poster Competition. Students, from left, Kelsey Sablan, Liz Devine, Alexander Hernandez and Ross Reeves congratulated their professor.

Chaminade School of Business and Communication faculty members, from left, Asoke Datta, Richard Kido, Wera Panow-Loui and Interim Dean Annette Santos attended the IACBE Annual Conference and Meeting Assembly with students, from left, Ross Reeves, Alexander Hernandez, Liz Devine and Kelsey Sablan.

Students, from left, Alex Hernandez, Liz Devine, Ross Reeves and Kelsey Sablan rehearse their presentation in their hotel room.

“Chaminade finished in third place, but I think our students had the most comprehensive business analysis of the company,” Merc said. “The synergy of the team was excellent, and they were proud of their research and their presentation delivery.”

The IACBE accredits business programs—including Chaminade’s—that lead to degrees at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels in institutions of higher education nationwide and around the world. Specialized programmatic accreditation by the IACBE is a means by which students, parents, the business community and other stakeholders of the institution can be assured that the academic business unit complies with high principles of excellence and follows best practice in business education.

“The number one priority for attending the IACBE Competition and Conference is to stay in touch with students,” Merc said. “It allows me to gauge what our students excel in and the areas where we may have gaps in our curricula.

“It’s a great conference to determine if our program is up to date,” Merc added. “It’s also a good thermometer of current trends at business schools around the world and U.S.”

For the second consecutive year, Merc walked away with the top prize. And for the second year in a row, he hasn’t kept the winnings, instead donating the prize money to two local nonprofit organizations.

Merc’s first-place finishing poster competition at the IACBE’s ACAM looked at “The Role of Social Integration and Sense of Connectedness in Online Courses, and Their Influence on Learning and Academic Performance Among Military Students.”

“I wanted to focus on non-traditional students who were serving in the military and pursuing their degrees,” said Merc, who serves in the Hawai’i Air National Guard during weekends. “I myself was a non-traditional student when I was obtaining my doctorate in education, so I can definitely relate.”

Entrepreneurial Endeavor

February 15, 2024

Recent graduate looks to open future businesses

Peterson Boyer’s decision to flee his home country of Haiti wasn’t based on a singular event but a confluence of factors: Political instability and civil unrest. Cratering economy and infrastructure recovery from a devastating earthquake that struck in 2010. Arriving on the shores of southern Florida, the then-25-year-old new emigree enlisted in the Army, eventually rising to the ranks as a logistics specialist and team leader.

“My military experience instilled in me a deep sense of discipline, resilience and commitment to excellence,” says Boyer ’23, during an interview from his Colorado residence. “I used the very same traits to achieve my bachelor’s degree with honors finishing with a 3.71 GPA.”

Ambitious and a fearless leader, Boyer established Enterprise Collision & Auto-body Repair LLC during his senior year at Chaminade and it continues to thrive. Crediting his parents for his business instincts, the 32-year-old entrepreneur also holds a marketing interest in the Rocky Mountain Region, though he was coy to reveal any details.

“When I was a student, I did this incredible marketing internship with Makana (Craig, Director of Chaminade University Online),” Boyer says. “I learned so much. I helped boost brand awareness by developing creative marketing strategies and campaigns. And I helped military personnel understand Chaminade’s online Flex program.”

Boyer’s interest in business stems from his parents’ own experience as retail shop owners in Port-au-Prince, where his mom and dad still maintain their business interest amid the turmoil and gang violence. After seeing his parents struggle with accounting principles and marketing strategies, Boyer decided that in order for him to succeed in establishing his own business, he needed to get his business degree.

After hearing praises about Chaminade from his Sergeant, Boyer decided to look into the University, unsure about the flexibility of the hybrid online classes necessary to obtain a degree in business administration.

“My professors challenged me and I think they prepared me well for the business world,” Boyer says. “(Richard) Kido had a great way of teaching accounting that helped students understand the concepts.”

By developing and improving his skills and having a better grasp of the market, Boyer says he has become a better, more effective leader. “Chaminade is a very good school compared to some of the other programs I looked into,” he adds. “The courses were super intense, but we got some good supporting materials that really helped in my understanding of what it’s like to run your own business.”

Like most non-traditional undergraduate students, Boyer juggled between his responsibility to the Army and his full-time job with an electrical engineer company, Prime Power, in Schofield. And, of course, he needed to dedicate time to attend his online classes, which required at times for him to come to campus for in-person learning. Despite these challenges, Boyer brought his valuable life experiences, maturity and motivation to his studies.

“Everyone here is so supportive,” Boyer says. “I owe Chaminade because the University empowered me with the spirt of leadership and service. And the way I want to pay Chaminade back is with my success.”

While the odds of succeeding as an entrepreneur can be daunting, many successful entrepreneurs have faced setbacks and failures before achieving success. Learning from mistakes, seeking mentorship and guidance, and being willing to adapt and innovate are essential for increasing the chances of success in the entrepreneurial journey.

“I absolutely think that Chaminade is one of the best schools I could have ever attended,” Boyer says. “I am a better person for it and I am super grateful to be part of the Chaminade family.”

Budget Analyst

December 19, 2023

Carol An Nacario ’23 to start new position with the Legislature

He had her at pizza. While walking past a classroom at Kieffer Hall, Carol An Nacario was swayed by School of Business and Communication assistant dean, Asoke Datta, Ed.D., to come in for some lunch. Not one to turn down free food — what college student does — Nacario willingly ambled through the door. Only then did she realize that she had just been recruited to enter the Silversword Business Competition.

“I only came in for the pizza,” laughs Nacario ’23, a business administration major. “I knew about the competition, but I had no intention of entering.”

Not only did she enter the competition, but on Nov. 16, she and her team members, Kelsey Sablan ’23, Epifania “Epi” Petelo ’23 and Elizabeth “Liz” Devine ’23, walked away with the grand prize of $1,500 for their “Re-Thread” entrepreneurial concept, which “sews new life into unused fabrics and transforms them into stylish and sustainable pouches.”

“Carol has been a highly driven student who values self-learning and entrepreneurial opportunities for growth in the world of business,” says Assistant Professor and MBA Director Eddie Merc. “This business plan competition event was an ideal opportunity to showcase her passion for teamwork and giving back to the community through service and sustainability efforts. I’m very proud of Carol and her team to represent School of Business and Communication so well at this important entrepreneurial venue.”

Re-Thread members (Elizabeth “Liz” Devine ’23 is missing) from left, Carol An Nacario, Kelsey Sablan and Epifania ‘Epi’ Petelo, won the $1,500 grand prize. The competition’s judges included, from left, David Oyadomari, Dr. Gail Grabowsky, Eric Fujimoto, Sharon Weiner and Hogan program director Dr. Roy Panzarella.

This was just the first victory for Nacario, who will end her collegiate experience on a winning streak. The second has even greater consequences. After seeing a flyer advertising that “The Hawaii State Senate is HIRING,” the Guam native decided to apply for one of the openings.

“I got a call asking me to choose an interview date,” Nacario says. “I chose Nov. 2 and a couple of weeks later, I found out I was hired, and I received an offer letter signed by Hawaii State Senator Donovan Dela Cruz, the Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.”

Starting in January, Nacario will be a budget analyst with the powerful Senate Committee on Ways and Means (WAM), which oversees programs relating to overall state financing policies, including revenue enhancement, taxation, other revenues, and cash and debt management; statewide implementation of planning, programming, budgeting and evaluation; and government structure and finance.

“The day before the interview, I approached Dr. Merc for some advice about what to expect,” Nacario recounts. “He told me to relax, and to be prepared to be asked about my strengths and weaknesses.”

Nacario also summoned the STAR method—a lesson that she had learned from visiting assistant professor, Pamela Estell, Ph.D.—which is an interview technique that gives interviewees a straightforward format they can use to tell a story by laying out the Situation, Task, Action and Result.

“I was very nervous at first,” Nacario says. “They asked me a lot of questions about budgets and if I had ever worked on government budgeting. I had mentioned VLOOKUP, which is an Excel function that I learned from Shari Young (Director of Finance & Operations for Make-A-Wish Hawaii) during my internship, and they were impressed.”

For the 21-year-old Chamorro, the opportunities afforded to her by Chaminade almost never happened. She was initially enrolled to attend the University of Guam until a close friend convinced her to apply to Chaminade. Two weeks before the start of classes in Guam, Nacario finally received an acceptance letter from Chaminade University.

“For some reason, the letter was delayed and it was never delivered when it should have been,” Nacario recalls. “It was the year of COVID and I had to quickly make a decision.”

She made the right one. As she finishes her final exams and celebrates her 22nd birthday on Dec. 16, Nacario reflects back on her four years at Chaminade with a wide smile on her face.

“When I came to Hawaii, I had never been to any other mainland state,” Nacario says. “I don’t think I would have grown in Guam, like I have here. I was an introvert and intimidated with titles, but now I am able to work in a professional environment, like the State Legislature.”

Yin and Yang

October 23, 2023

Thirty years later, two middle school besties will graduate in ’24

The last time they graduated was in 1994 from Mililani High School. And when May 2024 comes around, Rita Aponte ’24 and KerryLynn Vea ’24 will again don their caps and gowns, as they prepare to cross the stage of the Waikiki Shell to receive their bachelor’s degrees.

BFFs since high school, Aponte and Vea were able to pursue their university degrees, thanks to Bank of Hawaii’s College Assistance Program (CAP), which allows its employees to get back on the path to obtaining their first four-year undergraduate degree with tuition reimbursement.

Draped with lei, Rita Aponte, left, and KerryLynn Vea posed for their graduation photo from Mililani High School in 1994.

“The Bank started this program in 2016, and I started the following year,” says Aponte, Manager of Loan Operations with Bank of Hawaii. “And my bestie, KerryLynn, is also on this journey with me since we both always wanted to get our degrees.”

Both Aponte and Vea chose to start their families at a young age, hindering them from attending college. The two friends since middle school always had plans to return to university, but family obligations and full-time jobs prevented them from entering the college system.

“I get emotional when I talk about CAP,” says Vea, who was in the credit union industry for 20 years before joining Bank of Hawaii in 2016 and is now its Assistant Vice President-Mortgage Compliance Analyst. “Before CAP, I was resigned not to get my college degree, rationalizing to myself, ‘Oh well, I don’t need a degree since I already have a career.’”

The American Council of Education estimates that approximately 20 percent of graduate students and six percent of the much larger number of undergraduates receive some financial assistance from their employers to attend school. As many as a third of undergraduates in fields like business and engineering also receive tuition aid, which, on average, covers about one-third of the annual cost paid by post-secondary students.

Initially, when Aponte and Vea enrolled in Bank of Hawaii’s CAP initiative, they were limited to four specific start times a year (January, April, July and October). Today, new applicants have the flexibility to enroll for courses on a monthly basis throughout the year, which is consistent with Chaminade’s online Flex program.

“I’ve worked at credit unions where tuition assistance was always included in the employee manual book, but I never once saw it used,” Vea says. “Bank of Hawaii, on the other hand, vigorously promotes CAP and they champion it, putting funding behind it with no strings attached. The program is a 100 percent benefit to all employees.”

Bank of Hawaii’s executives said they needed a partner that understood the Bank’s vision of what they wanted to achieve with its CAP program. However, they also wanted to make sure that the online learning experience was customized to the specific needs of the Bank’s employees since they wanted CAP to be “a real pillar and cornerstone of what Bank of Hawaii is all about.”

“We thought it was not only important to train our employees in specific banking-related issues, but also to help them expand their overall educational base,” says Peter Ho, Bank of Hawaii’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, in a video release. “From an education standpoint, the important thing is to really help shape the individual’s mind and spirit—and that’s what education is all about; that’s what college is all about.”

Although, Aponte and Vea didn’t experience the traditional campus setting, they were able to take their classes online, via Chaminade’s Flex program model, allowing students to take one or two courses at a time—or more if they choose—as they work toward their degree. And the pace of coursework rests with them. They can complete online courses in as few as six weeks. Or, they can take their time, wrapping up a course in six months. Flex students are also able to complete courses wherever they are, even on the go.

“It was a real struggle during the holiday season,” Aponte recalls. “Even when we went on vacation to Disney World, algebra came along with me.”

KerryLynn Vea takes a break from her studies with her new son. — KerryLynn Vea takes a break from her studies with her six-week old granddaughter Ellie in 2018.

The Flex Online Undergraduate program is WSCUC-accredited (WASC Senior College and University Commission) and has a broad range of study disciplines, including business administration, criminology and criminal justice, historical and political studies, education and psychology. It is designed with working adults in mind, distancing itself from rigid term schedules and due dates to give students the flexibility they need to achieve a work-life-school balance and make progress toward reaching their goals.

“I started at Leeward Community College for a semester and a half, but scheduling was really difficult,” Vea says. “I just couldn’t do it all with a full-time job, a family and attending classes; it was a lot.”

Nor could Aponte.

“I didn’t think a college degree was in the books for me,” Aponte asserts. “It was always nagging at me to get my bachelor’s, but I used time and cost as excuses not to pursue it. And now I’m motivated to finish this and I can’t wait.”

Thirty years will have elapsed by the time Aponte and Vea attain their bachelor’s degree, and through the three decades, they’ve raised families, enjoyed successful careers and supported each other through both good times and bad.

“Getting the bachelor’s degree with Rita couldn’t get any better,” Vea says. “I always say I’m the Yin because I’m more subdued and quieter, and she’s the Yang because she’s more outgoing and vocal. We might be opposites, but through this college process, we’ve depended on each other and have been each other’s greatest cheerleader.”