Campus Event

People, Planet and Prosperity

June 21, 2023

Three-day conference sharply focused on issues of sustainability

We can no longer use the NIMBY (not in my backyard) argument when it comes to advancing future projects. We’ve arrived at a hinge moment when solving our biggest problems—from environmental to social—means we need to start saying YIMBY, yes to some things: from solar panels and wind turbines to battery production and lithium extraction to universal basic income and food security. These are challenges for sure, but left unaddressed, the consequences could spell disaster, as discussed during a three-day conference sponsored by Chaminade University’s CIFAL Center of Honolulu.

On the final day of the People, Planet and Prosperity for a Sustainable Future symposium, Dr. Gail Grabowsky addressed the United Nations Institute for Training and Research’s (UNITAR) Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its corresponding 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which cover a vast range of subjects that impact all of us.

“I’ve been steeped in environmental studies for more than 25 years,” said Grabowsky, Chaminade’s Dean of the School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics and Executive Director of CIFAL Honolulu during her keynote address to attendees. “And a year and a half into establishing CIFAL Honolulu, we’ve brought sustainability into people’s consciousness. And we’ve sponsored more than 50 events.”

The CIFAL Global Network is composed of 32 International Training Centers for Authorities and Leaders, all coordinated by UNITAR’s Social Development Program. The strategic locations of the 32 centers, which can be found across Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean, ensure a global outreach. Each CIFAL—a French acronym for Centre International de Formation des Autorités/Acteurs Locaux (International Training Centers for Local Authorities and Local Actors)—outpost provides innovative training and serves as a hub for the exchange of knowledge among government officials, the private sector and civil society.

Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington with Hawaii Gov. Joshua Greene during the People, Planet and Prosperity Conference. — Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green during the People, Planet and Prosperity Conference.

In his keynote address, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green pledged to generate billions of dollars from philanthropy and outside investment to make Hawaii the first state to become fully reliant on clean energy. It’s a familiar stance that Green has taken since he introduced a slew of major climate policy initiatives earlier this year, including a recommitment to the U.S. Climate Alliance and the establishment of a Climate Advisory Panel.

“We have so many people in this room, find a project that will help Hawaii, help us with health care, help us with the environment,” Green told attendees. “I will bring in investors from across the globe because they are interested in Hawaii, but we will still need to do the job. Be ready. It should be a dynamic few years.”

The presentations indeed reflected this dynamicism, featuring such diverse topics as “Teaching the Importance of the Ocean to Fight Climate Change,” “The First Statewide Initiative to Connect All Public Universities to Advance PK-12 Climate Literacy, Justice and Action,” “Innovation and Sustainability: The Negative Impact of the Protectionist Leadership Style” and “Food Insecurity.”

“Being part of the UN, we bring awareness to sustainable issues, and train people to get involved and to act on sustainability,” Grabowsky said. “We support economic sustainability in the context of still maintaining an aesthetic environment.”

As the only CIFAL Center in the Pacific, the Chaminade campus is part of a region that includes China, Korea, the Philippines and Australia. The CIFAL Network focuses on topics within four thematic axes: Urban Governance and Planning, Economic Development, Social Inclusion and Environmental Sustainability. Each center is locally managed by a host institution, with UNITAR providing academic content, technical support and quality assurance measures for their training activities. This allows each CIFAL to prioritize action in specific thematic axes, depending on local needs and priorities.

“The basic lesson of the Sustainable Development Goals is that human hopes, human aspirations, human fears are all interconnected,” said United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and executive director for UNITAR, Nikhil Seth, during last November’s “XIX Steering Committee Meeting of The CIFAL Global Network at Chaminade. “You can’t separate them and follow them in discreet ways. The SDGs are like an umbrella of issues and almost everything you can possibly think of are probably covered in the 17 SDGs.”

And that includes Grabowsky’s pet project, “Pono Popoki Project: Malama Management of Free-Roaming Felines.” “Cats can be good for people’s mental health, which is Goal 3 of the SDGs,” said Grabowsky, pointing to a colorful chart that depicts all the SDGs. “And it also teaches our students biology and wildlife conservation.”

Commencement Address

May 15, 2023

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami ’01 delivers keynote speech

She had him at Chaminade. For many senior high-school students, trying to determine where to attend college depends on several factors: cost, location, size, personal interests, campus life, graduation rates and the potential return on investment. However, for Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami ’01, the primary reason he chose Chaminade University was simple—he met a girl.

“I know it sounds shallow, but it’s the truth,” said Kawakami, this year’s 65^th Commencement keynote speaker. “But knowing what I know now about Chaminade, I would have chosen it 1,000 times over any college in the country.”

The son of the late Charles and Arlene Kawakami, Mayor Kawakami is a third-generation Kaua‘i resident, and is now serving his second term as the Garden Isle’s chief executive officer. Having shepherded the island through a once-in-a-century pandemic and now through recovery, Kawakami does not shy away from the necessary hard work of what he calls, “the people’s business.” The physically fit 46-year-old is a no-nonsense-type of leader who likes to roll up his sleeves, get into his steel-toe-capped boots and don his hard hat at the drop of a dime.

During COVID, he was forced to make a series of difficult—and, at times, unpopular—decisions, including lockdowns, turning public camp sites into Safe Zones to prevent the spread of the virus, enforcing mandatory vaccine mandates and curfews, and instituting strict protocols and safety measures. Yet, through it all, he became widely known, erroneously by the way, as the TikTok mayor. A 30-second clip that he posted went viral on Instagram and not the aforementioned social media site. In the video, he performs an amusing dance and a card trick, then encourages people to wash their hands. It was all an effort, he said, to break the monotony of staying home.

With his wife Monica by his side, Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami was sworn in for his first term by Kaua‘i Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano. (Photos courtesy County of Kauai)

Mayor Kawakami welcomed 11 new firefighters with the Kauai Fire Department. (Courtesy of County of Kauai)

Mayor Kawakami enjoys meeting and greeting his constituents from across the island. (Photo courtesy of Friends of Derek Kawakami)

The Twitter video that went viral.

Mayor Kawakami knew from a young age that he wanted to serve the people of Kauai. (Photo courtesy of Amanda C. Gregg)

Members of Mayor Kawakami’s cabinet.

Mayor Derek Kawakami during a groundbreaking ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Friends of Derek Kawakami)

Monica and Derek Kawakami enjoy participating in community events, including the long-running Taste of Hawaii.

“I have to say my wife put me up to it and my daughter instigated it,” Kawakami chuckled. “We just wanted to help people get through some tough times, we wanted to do it together, and at the end of the day, we wanted people to feel like they mattered and that we cared about them.”

He attributes this empathy as one of the values he learned while completing his bachelor’s degree at Chaminade, where his now-wife, Monica nee DeBusca Lizama, also graduated with an undergraduate degree in 2001 and a master’s in education in 2003. A self-described average “C” student, Kawakami evoked the memory of several Chaminade professors, who made an impact in his life, during his commencement address.

One such individual was the late Marlene Baker, who enjoyed a 45-year career in the Students Success and Records office. Kawakami said he would bring Kauai cookies to her so that she would build him a favorable schedule, quipping that was probably his first sign of being a politician. Henry Gomes, or “Uncle Henry” as Kawakami affectionately refers to the late revered professor, would talk to him about “country-kine things,” and made him feel like it was perfectly OK to just be him. Then there was recently retired Yukio Ozaki, who opted not to cancel an art class, even though enrollment plummeted from 15-20 students to a lone Kawakami overnight.

“Now that I have 20/20 hindsight vision, what I’m about to say is the last thing my professors would want to hear,” Kawakami said. “As the sands of time have passed, some of the knowledge, some of the details of the countless hours of classroom lessons, lectures and knowledge have faded. But what has remained is how the power of the human element can change the trajectory of one person’s life. All it takes is just one person. One person that believes in someone and is willing to invest time, effort and kindness can uplift a community.”

It’s with this indomitable spirit that helps inform Kawakami’s leadership. He cited three principles that he follows: 1) Act in good faith, which helps build trust; 2) always act with the community’s best interest; and 3) establish a sound, prudent process of decision making.

“Not everyone will agree, but I can defend my position,” Kawakami asserted. “Compromise is an art, and by compromise, I don’t mean consensus, which, when I hear, often tells me that things are not going to move forward.”

Life for Kawakami has certainly had a forward momentum. When he graduated from Chaminade, his first job was a grocery clerk for Longs Drugs Kaimuki. The pay was $200 per week, and his duties included sweeping the floors, stocking the shelves and racks with those familiar yellow books, and whatever needed to be done.

“I had to put my business degree to work,” Kawakami said. “I started at the entry level, but that’s how I thought it would work. Just because I had a degree didn’t mean I was going to start at a higher level. My degree was supposed to give me the tools to get to that next level, and it did.”

One day, he received a call from his dad, asking him to come home to help out in their own grocery store. His dad told him If he could work at Longs, then certainly he can work at the family’s own enterprise. However, there was one problem: Monica was pursuing her master’s, and she wasn’t about to quit and return to Kauai. So, she proposed an ultimatum: He had to marry her.

“I went to Kahala Mall and applied for a loan, which was my first loan ever,” Kawakami recalled. “I qualified for $9,000—which was big bucks back then for me who was making $200 a week—and I went upstairs to a diamond specialist, and chose an engagement ring.”

Married now to Monica for 20 years, the couple has two children, Hailee and Christopher. A dedicated family man, Kawakami praises his family for their support throughout his two terms as Kauai’s Mayor, as well as his years of service on the State Legislature. He also credits his experience at Chaminade as helping shape his style of leadership.

“I have a lot of clear memories of my time at Chaminade, and the people who made an impact on my life; the faculty and staff truly cared for us,” Kawakami said. “I gained a worldly view of different cultures, and how to appreciate our differences.”

And despite all the pressures of governing, Kawakami said, from a pressure standpoint, being the Commencement keynote speaker was a big one.

“If I were to go back to my 20- or 21-year-old self, and be told that I was going to be the Commencement speaker at Chaminade one day, I would have said ‘Get out of here!’” Kawakami said. “I never imagined a picture in which I would be in a position speaking to the graduating class and their families. I’m grateful for this opportunity to come back around and to be part of this Commencement.”

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami ’01 shared his memories of Chaminade while a student majoring in business administration.

Congratulations to the Class of 2023

May 10, 2023

Inspiring words from Dr. Lynn Babington, Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami and Selected Student Speakers

In his opening remarks to graduating students, Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami ’01, reflected on his time on campus with his wife Monica and his own commencement. “As I look out into the sea of graduates, I see my own reflection in you,” said the 2001 Chaminade alumnus. “It makes me realize how quickly time goes by. But time is just a measurement, until it is filled with very special people who make tremendous impacts in our lives. And today, on this beautiful occasion, as you generously give me your time, each of you becomes a part of my life as well.”

The Commencement ceremony began with a special invocation from Fr. Martin Solma, Chaplain and Special Assistant to the President at Chaminade. President Dr. Lynn Babington then addressed graduates, acknowledging their accomplishments and sacrifices—especially in the face of global uncertainty.

Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington addresses graduates at Commencement.

“One of the distinguishing features of a Marianist education is a focus on adaptation and change—skills critically important in today’s challenging world,” Babington exhorted. “You have certainly become more comfortable with navigating the unknown. The ability to work with ambiguity means you’ll be able to face uncertainties, adapt to change and be flexible as the mysteries of life unfold.”

For many graduates, the ceremony is a time of reflection, pride and perseverance, especially with this particular graduating class, which endured a once-in-a-century pandemic, Covid protocols and restrictions, social distancing and a pivot to an online schedule before transitioning to a hybrid model.

“We’re all here today together, making it across that finish line,” said undergraduate speaker Eri Leong. “Through fears and failures, exams and assignments, break-ups and breakdowns, even through a global pandemic, no hurdle was high enough to keep us from walking this stage. Instead, we emerged triumphant over every adversity under the sun. And we’ll carry that unwavering resolve into the abundant opportunities that lie ahead.”

In Simon Bronner’s 1990 book “Piled Higher and Deeper: The Folklore of Student Life,” a chapter devoted to graduation explores how commencement has been celebrated across campuses and throughout the years.

According to the book, some colleges host 100-day countdowns to commencement, with a number of graduation-themed activities. At other schools, graduating seniors leave wills to underclassmen. Some institutions celebrate graduation with a balloon launch to symbolize students moving upward, while others have held ceremonial bonfires where seniors burn course materials or early drafts of their senior theses.

However, even with variation from campus to campus, the commencement ceremony itself remains very much a traditional event, a punctuation point to the collegiate experience with many customs deeply rooted in history, including the caps and gowns, university mace, and guest and student speakers.

“Commencements are a time to join as a community to celebrate the work of our faculty and staff who have supported you throughout your years of study with us, and we celebrate new beginnings,” Babington said in in her address to students. “You are leaving Chaminade University to go out and engage in the world as professionals, as neighbors, as citizens.”

Graduating with a Master of Arts in Teaching, Todd Sibley was selected by his peers to be the evening’s graduate speaker. Immediately preceding the pandemic, the native Californian worked as a social worker for a Hawaii nonprofit organization. When COVID spread across the islands, Sibley lost his job, and he decided to pursue his master’s in teaching social studies in secondary schools.

“Graduates, we have proven ourselves to be resilient, resourceful and resistant to giving up,” Sibley asserted. “The global pandemic would have been an easy excuse to have quit on ourselves and our dreams, but we didn’t. We persevered no matter the obstacle because that’s what we faced—obstacles not barriers.”

As Kauai Mayor during the pandemic, Kawakami confronted his own difficult decisions, turning camp grounds into Safe Zones, ordering shut downs and unpopular vaccine mandates. And through it all, he thought only of his constituents, responding to their needs in the most dire of times.

“What I got most out of my time at Chaminade wasn’t the correct way to structure a sentence or what I gained out of my statistics class; it wasn’t what I gained out of a book,” Kawakami said. “It was the importance of the human element, and the power that simple random acts of kindness can shape the future of one person’s life. That although certain things will fade overtime, the people who cared, the ones that shared, the ones that believed, and made you believe in yourself, will remain with you.

“I feel incredibly grateful to witness this commencement of your next step,” he concluded. “Fair winds and following seas, always be caring and always be trustworthy. Congratulations to this beautiful graduating class of Chaminade University!”

Dr. Lynn Babington presents diploma to graduating student

Student Athlete

Graduating Students

Father Chaminade

Sarah Robertson is all smiles, even with crutches

Janine Abad posed with her family and friends.

MBA graduate Jeremiah Bautista poses with family and friends.

Provost Dr. Lance Askildson

Keynote speaker Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami

Graduate speaker Todd Sibley

Undergraduate student speaker Eri Leong

A promising message on a mortarboard

Emcee Kaipo Leopoldino

All smiles and laughs

BSN graduates with Student Athlete

Graduates’ family and friends attended the Chaminade Commencement at the Waikiki Shell on May 6.

Designing Women

May 5, 2023

E+ID students present their works at the Senior Showcase Exhibit

After all the late nights, tears and sweat, 2023 graduating seniors, Montserrat Lanfranco, Laura Flor, Maria Bernaldez, Angela Huber and Sarah Robertson had one last hurdle before Commencement: the Environmental + Interior Design’s Senior Showcase Exhibit. Presenting their projects to industry designers, family and friends on a Thursday night, the five seniors were eager to share a compilation of their works over the course of their undergraduate studies.

“There will be no more crying in the studio and calling security late at night to open the doors,” Flor laughed. “It’s exciting to be done, but it feels surreal because we’re all still busy.”

During her freshman year, Lanfranco built a “light box,” as required in her EID 205 Color for Interiors class, which focused extensively on the use and application of color in interior environments, including color notations, the Psychology of color and human response and application of color.

Using a flashlight utility on an iPhone, Lanfranco pointed a beam inside the box—which had several round cutouts, each covered with a different patch of color cellophane—and explained the effects that color has on people’s moods.

“Imagine this is a building and the sun is moving through it, casting different colors and lighting,” said Lanfranco, shining a beam across her light box. “Color and lighting can certainly impact a person’s behavior and mental state.”

For her senior Capstone project, Bernaldez presented a re-design proposal to members of the Kahuku Medical Center Kupuna Caregivers. She also participated in a pitch to Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center in East Oahu.

“I also had an internship with RMA Architects,” Bernaldez said. “And I just received an email about a full-time junior interior designer job offer from my supervisor at RMA, so I’m absolutely thrilled.”

The mission of Chaminade University’s Environmental + Interior Design Program is to educate, engage and empower students to optimize design of the built environment as it relates to our global, multi-cultural, multi-generational living and working communities. Graduates, like Bernaldez, are prepared to make the transition to entry-level professional practice, and to collaborate with architects and related industry professionals.

“The scope of design has expanded and much broader now,” explained E + ID program coordinator Matthew Higgins. “Here at Chaminade, the program added ‘Environmental’ to the curriculum in attempt to breakdown barriers, and to think beyond windows and doors.”

This was precisely the approach that Fuentes took when she worked on her Art Museum project. “I wanted to see how someone diagnosed with autism—which includes such a broad spectrum—would experience an art exhibit,” Fuentes said. “So, I set out to create more of an interactive exhibit.”

Nursing Scholarship

May 4, 2023

Hawaii Central Federal Credit Union Announces New Scholarship Fund

During a check presentation to Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington, Hawaii Central Federal Credit Union’s Board Chairman, Neil Shimogawa, said this would be the first of hopefully many to follow in the years to come.

“We couldn’t do this without our community partners like yourselves,” said Dr. Babington to Shimogawa and fellow board members Ariel Chun, Director, and Alan Yasuda, Secretary. “Scholarships are often the optimal form of financial aid since, unlike student loans, scholarships do not need to be repaid.”

According to U.S. News & World Report, the average college student graduates with about $30,000 in student loans. That’s nearly a 25 percent increase from a decade ago. Many of these student loans carry high interest rates, and create a severe financial burden for young professionals. In contrast, scholarship programs can help students afford college without strings attached. As a result, scholarship recipients can pay off loans more quickly and use their extra income to start saving for the future.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many colleges and universities experienced significant budget cuts. And while public schools experienced a squeeze in funding, passing these costs along to students, Chaminade did the opposite. Instead of increasing its tuition, the university introduced its Hawaii Guarantee pilot program, which ensures all graduates of Hawaii high schools entering as first-time freshmen pay the exact same tuition rate as the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s annual resident undergraduate tuition, and an achievable path to graduate in four years.

These days, many scholarship opportunities target communities that haven’t historically had access to higher education. These include students from communities with lower household incomes and who also represent the first generation of their families to attend a four-year university.

While many scholarships are need-based, or select winners based on academic achievement, others prioritize community service. The latter is one of the reasons that spurred board members of the Hawaii Central Federal Credit Union to establish its scholarship at Chaminade.

“Chaminade has one of the best nursing programs in Hawaii, and it was a perfect fit for what we wanted to do for the community,” says Shimogawa, with Chun and Yasuda nodding in agreement. “Our scholarship fund is targeted at nursing students, who are entering a field that the community really needs.”

Chaminade’s student-centric focus also appealed to the three Board Members. “This is all for the students,” Babington said. “I was reading the remarks of our student speakers at Commencement this year and it was inspiring to hear, and it’s why I come to work every day.”

Na Liko Naʻauao

April 28, 2023

Students present their thought-provoking research findings

She suspected that she couldn’t be the only one feeling isolated and alone. With COVID cases spiking during her freshman year, Iris Hirata sheltered in place in her dorm room with her family support 5,000 miles away.

“I usually like being alone, but that was too much—even for me,” Hirata recalls. “It was depressing and I felt I had no one to talk to.”

As pandemic numbers started to decrease, and a semblance of normalcy emerged, Hirata never forgot those earlier times. “Biologically, I knew about COVID’s impact on the lungs,” Hirata says. “But I told Dr. Darren Iwamoto, we didn’t know the impact that COVID had on the mental health of individuals.”

It turned out to be a lot.

In an earlier research project she worked on with psychology professor Tracy Trevorrow, Ph.D., Hirata studied the effects of COVID on sleep quality. They learned that during the nascent stages of the pandemic, people tended to be more on their phones, which would disturb their sleep patterns and quality of sleep.

Iris Hirata stands in front of her presentation about COVID-19 and mental health.

“I was really big on healthcare at the time, which is what led me to do a research project on the impact of COVID on mental health,” says the biology major, who presented her findings during the 21st annual Na Liko Na’auao Symposium on April 14.

Pointing to a chart with spikes of blue and red lines, Hirata explains that the graph indicates the “bounce back” or the resiliency rate of the 200 students surveyed during her research.

“The epidemic has had a significant impact on university students’ mental health, including things like stress, anxiety, depression, and a lack of behavioral and emotional control,” Hirata concludes in her findings. “The findings support the literature that resilience is a key factor in influencing mental health and overall wellness.”

According to Amber Noguchi, Ph.D., Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Programs director, undergraduate and graduate research experience can look like a number of things. It can range from formal and clinical studies to data analysis, and creative works and beyond. On the occasion of this year’s Na Liko Na’auao Symposium, 25 student presenters covered a broad spectrum of issues and questions, from Hirata’s “How does COVID-19 Impact the Mental Health of Individuals?” to “Eat Healthy, Live Strong: Understanding Eating Behaviors of NHPI on Oahu” and “Sports Analytics: What Factors Determine a Winning Team?” and “Decolonizing Hawaii’s Diet.”

“All of these presentations stem from research projects that have been collaborations between the student researchers and their faculty mentors,” Noguchi explains. “This undergraduate conference celebrates student scholars from across all academic disciplines.”

In her research project with Dr. Guanlin Gao, “Eat Healthy, Live Strong: Understanding Eating Behaviors of NHPI on Oahu,” Autumn Fairall, ’23, examined the barriers to eating a healthy diet. “I started working with Dr. Gao as a research assistant in the Spring of 2022,” says Fairall, who will earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in May. “Initially, the project we worked on focused on the landscape of economic and personal finance in Hawaii. However, after talking with Dr. Gao and discussing personal interests in wellness and past, informal research connected to diet, the research focus altered.”

Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington presents Dr. Rylan Chong and Kawailani Luat with their respective awards.

During the conclusion of the Symposium, President Dr. Lynn Babington, defined a scholar as “A person with a desire to pursue and learn new things; a person on a quest for knowledge and a dedication to learning.” By not focusing on one academic discipline, Na Liko Na’auao gives all student scholars an opportunity to present their work in a formal setting, and receive feedback from both faculty and other scholars within their field.

Every year, after all the student scholars have presented their work, the Symposium concludes with a presentation of two special awards. Given annually, The President Sue Wesselkamper Award acknowledges a student who has demonstrated extensive community and university service. In order to qualify for the prize, a student must have a minimum 3.5 GPA, show scholarship beyond classroom requirements by undertaking their own independent research or study, and must have presented their work both on and off campus.

Kawailani Luat is this year’s recipient of the President Sue Wesselkamper Award. A senior, majoring in Data Science, Analytics and Visualization and minoring in Forensic Science, Luat consistently excels in her coursework and has taken on leadership roles through her extracurricular and volunteer services.

“To be recognized with this award validates all the hard work I’ve done to get here,” Luat said. “I finish my senior year with this last achievement, so I am beyond ecstatic.”

“Kawailani is very active within our Chaminade community, including the Animal Advocacy Club, I am a Scientist, and has helped at every Preview and Admitted Students Day,” Babington says. “She also served as a student panelist for the Women in Data Science Hawaiʻi program and volunteers at Palama Settlement, a non-profit community-based social service agency working in the Kalihi and Palama neighborhoods.”

Honoring the close student-faculty relationships formed at Chaminade, the President Mackey Award is presented to an outstanding faculty mentor, nominated by a student participating at the conference. This year’s recipient is Dr. Rylan Chong, nominated by LaVelle White.

“He personally helps students step outside themselves to try things that were not thought possible,” wrote White in his nomination letter. “He encourages and pushes students to go for internships and research programs like SPICE. He stays after class to help students answer questions, and he has a way of speaking that demystifies the whole process, giving students the confidence to essentially go for the gold.”