Chaminade University of Honolulu

Guest Speakers

Hogan Students Learn About the Art of Invention from Rob Yonover

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Dr. Rob Yonover and Lee Fujino
Dr. Rob Yonover (Founder & CEO of SEE/Rescue Corp.) and Lee Fujino (Hogan Entrepreneurs Program student)

It was a privilege to hear from Dr. Rob Yonover, founder and CEO of SEE/Rescue Corporation. He is a scientist and inventor of survival technologies used by the U.S. and foreign military. He is also a member of our Hogan Advisory Board and author of Hardcore Inventing: Invent, Protect, Promote, and Profit From Your Inventions and Brainstorm Islands: Invent to Survive.

Seeing the need for survival, Dr. Yonover came up with multiple inventions which include the RescueStreamer, LIFE/FLOAT technology, Emergency Supplemental Flotation System or PocketFloat, and the Emergency Pocket Water Desalinator. One of his upcoming inventions includes a water bicycle.

Dr. Yonover invents on simplicity, necessity, and survival. “The simpler the idea, the broader the patent.” His inventions will not only save lives but will also be protected by other companies that would try and copy his ideas. His main clienteles are the U.S. and foreign military, and one of his goals is to expand his inventions to civilians as Honecessary survival gears. The secret behind his success is his passion, and confidence in his products and brands.

Dr. Yonover also taught us to not be afraid to fail. As we embark on a journey and new ventures, we must keep in mind that great success comes with struggles and hardships.

Written by: Hogan Entrepreneurs Program student, Lee Fujino
Speaker Session with Robert Yonover 3/15/17

The Rules of Dating: A Conversation about Dating and the Hook-Up Culture

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It was late afternoon when Chaminade students gathered in the Vi and Paul Loo Student Center to listen to guest speaker Kerry Cronin speak on The Rules of Dating: A Conversation about Dating and Hook-Up Culture. The title was intriguing enough.  Cronin’s boisterous style – cheerful, friendly and nonjudgmental – made her easy to like. Her subject matter piqued their interest as she drew them into a conversation about dating and hooking up.

Bro. Ed Brink, Kerry Cornin, and Allison Jerome
Bro. Ed Brink, Kerry Cornin, and Allison Jerome

Cronin covered the basics of dating and the need for social courage. Statistically, students on college campuses may be having sex.  Some may need help with decisions about that, and some may not. However, the larger majority just needs help on basic social cues, which the culture does not give them.  When she described dating, Cronin intentionally downplayed the issue of sex and focused on the importance of relationships. In general, students seemed more concerned with how to actually ask someone out on a date.

According to Cronin, the purpose of dating is to determine if one wants to be in a relationship. This first level of dating is reconnaissance work. You have to be focused because you are trying to find out if you are really interested in and attracted to someone. Many students would prefer to find out about somebody in a group, but a group has its own dynamic.

Connecting with someone one-on-one is different in that your attention is on someone else, and you are allowing someone else’s attention to be on you.  This takes courage because you have intentionally placed yourself into a vulnerable position. She stressed that this kind of dating as being alcohol-free and lasting for at least an hour so that you can figure out the depth of your romantic and sexual interest.

These days, the hookup culture has become very appealing. The hookup scene is motivated largely by a desire for a connection, but it is a desire hampered by a lack of courage. The biggest difficulty is having the simple courage to ask somebody if he or she would want to sit down for an hour and talk.

Students appreciated her straightforwardness and honest approach to the discussion as she advised them on how to go about the business of dating.

“Being in a relationship for 10 years, I was not too familiar with the hooking up culture and what that meant. It was nice to be able to relate to other students who have been engaging in this type of activity,” said Sashalee Torres, a senior majoring in Forensic Sciences. “She was really funny and extremely relatable. I felt comfortable speaking with her after the talk. She was not speaking poorly of the hooking up culture but trying to get a better understanding of it.”

Toni Mitsumoto, also a senior majoring in Forensic Sciences decided to attend Cronin’s talk because she thought it would interesting to learn about the hookup culture, “Especially when you’re living in a generation where it’s so common to hookup, and you never really take a second to think about it and how it affects us,” she said.  “My favorite part of the talk was when she read some of her students’ reflections. Some were really sweet, and it was nice to hear their point of views on how dating is compared to just hooking up. It was very relatable and made the talk more engaging.”

Mitsumoto said that she would definitely take some time to reflect on how the hookup culture played a role in her own life. “And who knows, maybe I will participate in her assignment and ask someone on a date! That would be interesting!” she added.

Torres would even be interested in taking a class on the subject. “I think that maybe there should be a club or class that discusses relationships and how to date. This would be beneficial for students who are not familiar with that area of their lives.”

Cronin, who serves at Boston College as the associate director of the Lonergan Institute and the Faculty Fellow at the Center for Interdisciplinary Perspectives program, works extensively with undergraduates in retreat programs. She also teaches classes on dating, which include dating assignments and dating scripts, and is quite popular. A regular speaker on college campuses, she addresses topics of student culture and formation. Her talks on dating have a wide internet following. As part of its Health and Wellness program, the Office of the Dean of Students with the Office of the Rector sponsored Cronin’s special speaking engagement at Chaminade University.

At a Marianist Education Associates meeting earlier that day, Cronin explained to faculty and staff that there were two syllabuses in the formation of students as they go through college.  The first syllabus dealt with content, tests, and academics.  The second syllabus dealt with students endeavoring to find friends, resolving issues, practicing adulting, discovering joy, finding their gifts, and ridding themselves of baggage.  “Students want us to walk with them as they try to navigate through college life,” she said. “It’s part of educating the whole person.”

Forging Relationships with Mentors Makes Good Business Sense for Hogan Students

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The Hogan Entrepreneurs Program launched its first Hogan Mentors Night to rave reviews and a packed house. Held Feb. 22, the event introduced the Hogan mentorship offerings to its students and alumni in an innovative way. Divided into five per table, the students eagerly waited for the opportunity to ask their questions from the Hogan in-residence mentors, entrepreneurs, and leadership coach. The mentors switched tables every 10 minutes, speed-dating style.

“Everyone was engaged in the conversations–not one shy student in the room,” said Eloisa Rising, Hogan Entrepreneurs program specialist. “Students showed interest in each mentor. I overheard at one table success stories, at another table students sharing their future career plans, and at another table, a mentor was giving advice.”

Hogan student Lena Farden, who was on track for her MBA with a nonprofit focus by 2018, was grateful to meet the mentors. “As a grad student and driven professional, access to mentors is a key growth strategy for moving your ideas, your goals or your career onto a successful trajectory. With a mentor, you have someone who has been through the hard lessons to help guide you — someone who can believe in your project and, more importantly, in you.  After that, you have no excuse not to get started with building your success,” Farden shared.

Drumming up excitement at the event were the Mentors-in-Residence  Mike Herb, Rob Kay, John Gleeson, Rob Kinslow and Gen. Dwight Kealoha; Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Rechung Fujihira and Russel Cheng; and Leadership Coach-in-Residence Scott Simon. The in-house cadre of experienced business people has proven to be an invaluable resource for many a budding Hogan entrepreneur.  These outstanding business people give their time, energy and advice freely to those willing to take advantage of the venue.  Be it encouragement or cautionary flags, practical advice or strategizing on the big picture, they make it a point to serve the Hogan students one-on-one.

“Although entrepreneurs are known as independent workaholics, having a mentor is something that you will eventually need– someone to talk to when producing your upcoming product or service,” said Gabe Torno, a December 2016 MBA graduate from Chaminade and a Hogan alumni. “I learned that as an entrepreneur, it is very helpful to have a few mentors — not just one — to keep in your circle of networks.  As an entrepreneur, you can’t do everything by yourself.”

The interactive event forged new relationships between students and mentors. Rising noted that after the event, students contacted her to set up one-on-one meetings with the mentors. “The event was very effective, and we will definitely do this again next year,” said Rising.

The Hogan Entrepreneurs Program is open to all Chaminade undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of their majors. This one- or two-year certificate program provides students with the tools, skills, business connections and motivation to succeed in entrepreneurial ventures. 

Panelists Offer Solutions for ‘Housing the Houseless’

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Faith-motivated responses to Hawaii’s homelessness epidemic was the topic of “Housing the Houseless,” a well-attended panel discussion at Chaminade University. Moderated by Hawaii News Now TV reporter and weather anchor Ben Gutierrez, the March 12 event was part of the Mackey Marianist Lecture Series: Catholicism in Prophetic Dialogue.

Panelist Peter Savio, a real estate broker/developer and social worker, characterized homelessness as a symptom of a greater problem – that being the high cost of housing in the Aloha State. As a result, many renters are just one paycheck away from losing their homes.

Savio called for the construction of affordable housing units financed by low-interest government loans. He also favors expansion of home ownership through equity-building rent-to-own projects that create “hope and opportunity” for lower-income families and individuals.

Panelist Terry Walsh (Behavioral Science ’93.), the new president and CEO of Catholic Charities Hawaii, believes in a “housing first” approach to getting people off the streets. First, provide shelter and meals for these needy individuals, Walsh said. Then tackle more deep-seated challenges such as alcohol abuse, drug addiction and mental illness.

“It takes a community to address this problem,” Walsh emphasized. “All of us together.”

Rounding out the panel were Dave and Bernie Reeves, retired teachers from Chaminade College Preparatory School in West Hills, California, and chairs of the Homelessness and Affordable Housing Committee at St. Ann’s Parish in Kaneohe.

Bernie Reeves, who volunteers for the state’s annual point-in-time homeless count, said the crisis is worse than the numbers indicate. That’s because many street people decline to provide information about themselves to outreach workers.

According to the statewide count from a single night in 2016, there were 7,921 homeless in Hawaii, up 4 percent from the previous year. More than half those counted lacked shelter of any kind.

“You have to organize individuals to solve problems,” Dave Reeves urged. Homeless people can help themselves to an extent, he said, “but they cannot do it alone.”

The Mackey Marianist Lecture Series has been sponsored for 20 years by Chaminade, Saint Louis School and the Marianist Center of Hawaii. The twice-annual lectures are dedicated to the memory of Chaminade’s first president, Father Robert R. Mackey, SM.

Hogan Students Learn about “Taking the Road Less Traveled” from Chaminade Alums

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Chaminade alumni Adam Hoffman and Juno Chung have “taken the road less traveled” and it was an honor to hear their road to success during our Hogan Wednesday Speaker Session.

Adam works for Hangar Technology, a software technology company focused on harnessing the opportunity presented by the mass-adoption of drone hardware and the market demand for the data these drones can provide. Adam began his presentation with our Hogan motto: “Doing business things that make social sense and doing social things that make business sense,” and explained how important this is in our everyday lives. He encouraged us to use vision boards, write down our goals to help the process of manifestation, have a clear mindset, never settle, embrace our fear of failure, find our passion, get outside our comfort zone, never lose confidence, act like we are the CEO, and to always focus on the next assignment. Adam shared with us his daily morning affirmation, which is “I am in alignment with my mind and heart and I will think about things that I want, not what I don’t want.” I was surprised that Adam, just like me, believes in the law of attraction; it is rare to know someone who believes in this. It was also interesting to learn that Adam meditates daily and writes down daily gratifications and affirmations as well. In addition, he shared with us his “feedback loop” which consisted of the many different things that he does to stay focused and keep his mind clear of distractions.

Juno Chung is the owner of Koa Pancake House, Koa Cafe, My Outlet Clothing and co-owner of JCBL Products. It was amazing to hear his story and experiences that led him to where he is now. Juno is an inspiration to many people who are going through or have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Juno compared his life to the Matrix because he feels that he is “the chosen one” from the family to run the Koa Pancake business. In addition, he was offered pills to help him overcome his depression and anxiety, and he also joked about getting into a lot of fights similar to the main character, Neo, in the Matrix. During the process of Juno finding his outlet to life, he was given great advice by his psychologist. His psychologist told him that when making decisions change the “or” to an “and” because anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it. Don’t limit yourself. One of my favorite quotes from Juno’s presentation was “as an entrepreneur, you always have the freedom to do what makes you happy.”

“Never be afraid to set higher goals and reach for the moon, because if you miss you’ll land amongst the stars” – Adam Hoffman and Juno Chung.

Written by: Hogan Entrepreneurs Program student, Kristle Henry
Speaker Session with Adam Hoffman & Juno Chung: 3/8/17

Hogan Students Learn About Social Entrepreneurship from Chris Marvin

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It was a privilege to hear from Mr. Chris Marvin, principal for Marvin Strategies, a strategy and communications consulting practice that specializes in social innovation, civic engagement, defense policy, and the veteran narrative. He is also the founder and former Executive Director of Got Your 6, a nonprofit campaign that advocated for accurate portrayals of veterans in film, television, and popular media. He served for seven years as a US Army officer and Black Hawk helicopter pilot and is a combat wounded veteran of the war in Afghanistan.

Chris Marvin and Desiree Depondicchello
Chris Marvin (principal at Marvin Strategies) and Desiree Depondicchello (Hogan Entrepreneurs Program student)

Mr. Marvin took us through his journey of being a veteran of the U.S Army. While serving in Afghanistan as a platoon leader, at the age of 25, he came upon a difficult situation. He was involved in an aircraft accident which left him with two broken legs and a broken arm. Many people thought negatively of the situation, but Mr. Marvin’s mentality showed otherwise. He stated, “It was the best thing that happened to me.” Overcoming a difficult situation, creating a positive outcome of obtaining his MBA and working with non-profit organizations are amongst the accomplishments achieved by Mr. Marvin.

His mission is to change how the public portrays veterans. Veterans, as shown in various movies, are portrayed as heroes or victims. He made it questionable as to why we have these stereotypes of veterans and why we only thank them but not bother to learn more about their life. Mr. Marvin is motivated to help the public understand that veterans are a part of the community, a group that should not be segmented out. His mission inspired him to become a social entrepreneur through Got Your 6. Through this organization, he collaborated with Hollywood by networking with TV shows and movies to assist in how military characters should be portrayed. He continues his mission on working with the veteran community as well as integrating his leadership skills and entrepreneur-ism to create social change and shift cultural perceptions.

Mr. Marvin revealed that one of his biggest challenges is being labeled only as a veteran and not who he truly is as a person. Through his inspirational speech, he provided us with advice on positive impact. His speech took us on an educational journey, learning not only about veterans but also about ourselves. Mr. Marvin left us with this message: “Find projects that you are interested in and involve those you enjoy working it.”

Written by: Hogan Entrepreneurs Program student, Desiree Depondicchello
Speaker Session with Chris Marvin: 3/1/17