Chaminade University of Honolulu

Center for Teaching and Learning

Faculty Recognized for Scholarship, Excellence

Three faculty members were honored this week for their outstanding contributions to the University and community.

The awards were presented at Chaminade’s Faculty Institute in preparation for the new academic year.

Jennifer Nafarrete, Ed.D., an assistant professor of nursing, was honored with Chaminade’s Excellence in Teaching Award. An award presentation announcement said Nafarrete not only incorporates innovation in the classroom, she provides transformative mentorship to each of her students and engages them through “real-world learning” and clinical opportunities.

“As faculty advisor for the Hawaiʻi Student Nurses Association, she has guided students to multiple awards while building a strong community of future nurses.” the announcement said.

“Her influence extends far beyond graduation, as former students continue to seek her guidance and share milestones. Dr. Nafarrete’s dedication embodies the spirit of excellence at Chaminade.”

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Kelly Treece, Ph.D., who is director of the Criminology and Criminal Justice program at Chaminade, was honored with the Fr. John F. Bolin Excellence in Scholarship Award.

In announcing the honor, presenters noted Treece’s work in organizing the “Waves of Justice: Human Trafficking Awareness & Strategy Summit,” a three-day event held in Spring 2025. The summit convened experts, advocates and students to address human trafficking in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.


Treece’s work serves to “exemplify impactful, community-engaged scholarship that bridges academic rigor with real-world application,” an award announcement said.

“Her commitment to involving students in meaningful professional experiences and sustaining partnerships with local organizations reflects her dedication to justice-oriented education and student success.”

The final honoree announced was Darren H. Iwamoto, Ed.D., associate dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, who was named recipient of the Dr. Joseph Allen Collegiality Award. The honor celebrates Iwamoto’s commitment to teamwork and collaboration.

An announcement detailing the award noted Iwamoto’s work to build “partnerships with community organizations” and his “dedication to program excellence.” Iwamoto was also praised for his work to strengthen Chaminade’s interdisciplinary partnerships, including with the Hawaiʻi Association of School Psychologists and state Department of Education.

Faculty Embrace Learning Opportunities

Learning isn’t just for students.

In fact, James Heller Sutton’s primary mission as Chaminade’s assistant provost for Faculty Development is helping faculty members learn how to take their teaching skills to the next level.

And Faculty Learning Communities at the University are designed to make that happen, offering collaborative environments for faculty members to engage with one another around teaching and learning.

The faculty learning communities program was launched at Chaminade in Fall 2022 and has matured and grown since then, offering faculty members outlets to learn about everything from advances in educational technology to yoga to Hawai’i history (complete with walking tours). One of the newest FLCs will tackle generative AI.

Groups are typically kept small—with 12 faculty members or less—and together they tackle semester- or year-long projects together.

“These communities are structured to promote active participation and the exchange of ideas among faculty,” Sutton explained.

FLCs focus on four primary categories: Teaching, scholarship, service and social activities or wellness. Each group of faculty members gather for a variety of activities aimed at fostering collaboration, professional development and community-building, Sutton said.

“It gives those faculty who really want to explore a topic deeply the opportunity to do that,” Sutton said.

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Koreen Nakahodo, Ph.D., who teaches English at Chaminade, led a faculty learning community whose members read and analyzed Laudato Si, an encyclical from Pope Francis focused on caring for the environment.

She has also participated in several more FLCs, from a Catholic intellectual tradition reading group to a hands-on learning effort to create an aquaponic pond on campus.

Hiking has been one of the wellness activities undertaken by FLCs. Here, Chaminade faculty members pose during a break on a hike.

“The FLCs allow me to connect with other colleagues through common interests or academic pursuits,” Nakahodo said. “We are all so busy that it is an opportunity for us to take some time to learn from each other or serve the community. The FLCs allow us to break those silos.”

That’s music to Sutton’s ears.

He said the end goal of the effort is to create a “stronger, more connected faculty community, drive innovation in teaching and learning practices, and support the personal and professional development of faculty members”—and to have some fun along the way.

Sutton added that each FLC has a liaison from Chaminade’s Center for Teaching and Learning, ensuring not only that the group has the resources they need but also that they’re able to make key professional development connections aimed at elevating their practice.

“The activities within the FLCs support faculty in becoming better teachers and mentors by providing a structured, supportive space for reflection, collaboration, and feedback,” Sutton said, noting FLCs are also interdisciplinary so faculty members from across campus build relationships.

“By engaging in discussions with colleagues from diverse disciplines and perspectives, faculty expand their professional networks, learn from each other’s experiences, and gain fresh insights into teaching and mentoring. This cross-disciplinary collaboration ultimately enriches their own practices, making them more adaptable and innovative educators.”

Online Education

Angie Cabreira enrolls in Flex to become an ECE teacher

As a 17-year-old senior in high school, Angela “Angie” Cabreira ’16 started to panic whenever she was asked about her college plans. Admittedly, she didn’t have any. So rather than attend university, she decided instead to move from Idaho to Molokai to be with her sister, the late Julie Marie Pierson Place.

“Two years later, in 1988, I relocated to Hilo on the Big Island where I have lived ever since,” said Cabreira during a phone interview. “All I wanted at that time was to get married, have 12 kids, bake, garden and take care of all the neighbors’ kids.”  

Dreams of obtaining a bachelor’s degree quickly faded, and Cabreira became more impassioned about motherhood, eventually having three of her own kids and raising a hānai daughter, now between ages 22 and 38. She deliberately chose to be a stay-at-home mom “for a long time,” raising her keiki and establishing a childcare service for local families.

“I love being around kids,” Cabreira said. “So I got a job at Waiakea Elementary School, where I worked for 13 years, mostly as a student activity coordinator and for a few years I was with the Parent-Community Networking Center.”

Cabreira, though, wanted more. She began taking early childhood education (ECE) classes at Hawaii Community College while serving as a teaching assistant with Keiki Steps. She then started a new full-time position with Tūtū and Me, and continued to take ECE classes at Hawaii Community College while now also taking online courses at Chaminade University to obtain her Associate in Science (AS) degree in ECE.

“When I began working full time for Kamehameha Preschools in 2015, I transferred to Chaminade’s online program so that I would have the ability to work full time and still go to school,” Cabreira recalled. “This was not an option at Hawaii Community College since they didn’t offer evening classes nor online classes for the degree I was seeking. Chaminade was ideal because I didn’t have to be in a classroom at a certain time and that was what I needed.”

Angie and Albert Cabreira pose for a selfie.
Angie and Albert Cabreira pose for a selfie.
Laura is one of two Cabreira daughters.
A hānai daughter, Laura Tanaka is the eldest of Angie Cabreira’s kids.
Dustin is one of three kids.
Dustin Toma is 32 years old.
Nichelle is the youngest Cabreira daughter.
Nichelle Toma is Angie Cabreira’s youngest birth daughter.
Trevor is the youngest Cabreira son.
Trevor is the youngest Toma son.

When Cabreira entered college in 2011, online courses and degrees were just beginning to gain popularity and become viable options for working adults. Today, advancements in technology, course design and high-speed internet availability are moving online learning forward.  

Chaminade’s 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 love the Flex program because there are no deadlines,” Cabreira said. “It’s the reason I decided to pursue my bachelor’s degree at Chaminade.”  

In fall 2022, Cabreira enrolled in the University’s early Early Childhood Education bachelor’s program, which is aligned with state requirements and National Association for the Education of Young Children standards, and was ranked by Best Colleges as #8 Best Online Early Childhood Education Programs of 2023.  

“I want to be a positive voice for kids and parents,” Cabreira said. “I thought I was satisfied supporting teachers and families. But if I could be a lead kumu, I could make more of an impact.”  

As she started the program, her sister, Julie, was diagnosed with a blockage in an artery that supplied blood and oxygen to her intestines. Treatment included 11 surgeries, but it was too late. Her intestines had shut down.

“When she passed, I was sad, depressed and unmotivated to do my homework,” Cabreira said. “During this time, Bro. Allen Pacquing encouraged me to keep going, and gave me time to grieve. All my other professors didn’t give up on me, either, and I knew that my sister would not have wanted me to quit.”  

This past September, Cabreira took a single course. In October, she enrolled in four courses. And in February 2024, she will take another four classes. By July, she hopes to be doing her practicum. However, because of her age, she can’t simply skim readings like her younger peers, and she has to watch every assigned video.  

“It takes me longer,” admitted Cabreira, 57. “I want to pass with all As, but my daughter—who earned a BA in Psychology from UC Irvine—reminds me that Bs also get degrees.”  

Cabreira may not have been able to birth 12 kids, but now she has 20—in her classroom.  

“I can’t be a lead kumu without my bachelors degree, and that’s the goal,” Cabreira said. “The plan is to graduate in January 2025. Yes, it will take a very long time, but I’m determined.”        

ALOHA E Institute for Professional Development

Incorporating “active learning” into classrooms.

Taking online learning to the next level.

And embracing place-based education.

Those were some of the central themes tackled in a recent week-long professional development workshop for faculty and staff members from Chaminade University and Kapiolani Community College (KCC).

Chaminade’s Center for Teaching and Learning hosted the ALOHA E Institute from August 9 to 13 as part of their ongoing efforts to help faculty members reflect on their own practice, advance engaging pedagogy and instructional design and bolster engagement to enhance student success.

The inaugural ALOHA E Institute included 60 participants—30 each from Chaminade and KCC. The workshop’s sessions were delivered online, in both synchronous and asynchronous formats. And Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, who has helped launch peace education initiatives in the islands and is an adviser to the Obama Foundation, delivered a talk at the institute on the critical importance of inspiring students.

ALOHA E Institute enrollees selected from one of three possible tracks:

  • Active learning, which focused on how faculty members can “intentionally design” course materials and activities to improve student engagement. Participants brought current syllabi so they could redesign their courses to incorporate key elements of what they learned.
  • Online hui, which sought to help faculty members transition from “surviving” in an online classroom format to thriving in one. Participants created classroom-ready materials designed to maintain the instructor presence and cultivate a warm, welcoming learning environment.
  • And aina-based education, which offered participants opportunities for employing a culturally responsive approach, enabling them to ground their course content in Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge with strategies for activities, assignments and assessment.

The ALOHA E Institute was made possible in part to a federal Title III grant. The funding helps cover programs for strengthening peer mentorship and experiential learning opportunities and includes a focus on faculty professional development. The Center for Teaching and Learning plans to coordinate future institutes for Chaminade and KCC faculty and staff members.