Chaminade University of Honolulu

Guest Speakers

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

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

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

Maya Rogers Motivates and Inspires Hogan Student

Maya Rogers and Krys Romanczak
Maya Rogers (President and CEO of Blue Planet Software) and Krys Romanczak (Hogan Entrepreneurs Program student)

It was a privilege to hear from Ms. Maya Rogers, President and CEO of Blue Planet Software, where she has led the worldwide business initiatives of the Tetris® brand since 2007. Her expertise encompasses game development, global licensing, brand management, merchandising, and IP enforcement. Prior to heading Tetris, she steered cross-culturalization and development efforts for Tetris Online China, Sony Computer Entertainment America, and American Honda. In addition, she co-founded Blue Startups in 2012 and serves as Partner. She was named Pacific Business News Women to Watch Honoree in 2016 and was selected as one of Hawaii Business Magazine’s 20 for the Next 20 in 2015.

Ms. Rogers provided Hogan students with motivation and inspiration. Through the use of her own daunting journeys and struggles, Ms. Rogers sheds light by revealing her inspirations within each journey. Her speech provided us with valuable lessons and advice to be used in both the business world and in life. She spoke of how a company can be successful with careful thought and consideration to the current market conditions. She shared with us stories about her non-traditional upbringing of being half Japanese in Japan yet still being considered an outsider to most. During her educational journey here in the United States, she was able to rediscover her roots and passion—automotive and gaming industries. Her focus, attention to detail, and inspirational messages left us awake, alert, and wanting more. She left us with this inspirational message: “Be yourself, and remember where you came from.”

Written by: Hogan Entrepreneurs Program student, Krys Romanczak
Speaker Session with Maya Rogers 2/15/17

Chris Eldridge Teaches Hogan Students that Failing is Part of Success

Chris Eldridge and Jordan Caputy
Chris Eldridge (Koa Capital Partners) and Jordan Caputy (Hogan Entrepreneurs Program student)

It was a privilege to hear from Mr. Chris Eldridge, co-founder and Managing Operator of Koa Capital Partners, LLC. Koa Capital Partners invests in Hawaii companies with great potential and strives to create long-term value for shareholders, managers, employees and customers. Their goal with each investment is to help management grow revenue and earnings by expanding sales channels, improving operations, identifying and recruiting talent and providing hands-on, real-world strategic insights along with capital for add-on investments.

Mr. Eldridge is also an entrepreneur and has experience in start-up and management experience in Hawaii having founded and sold companies including America’s Mattress Hawaii, PortaBox Storage and FileMinders.

His story began in a souvenir company in Anchorage, Alaska where he discovered his love of selling and people. One striking similarity I found is Mr. Eldridge’s similar outlook on life as Sylvester Stallone’s character of Rocky Balboa: “if you get knocked down you get back up and you keep on going.”

Mr. Eldridge advised us to be careful of the naysayers and always surround ourselves with positive people who want us to succeed. He also stressed that it is okay to fail because it is a learning opportunity. Learn from your mistakes and do better the next time around. Lastly, he stressed the power of perseverance: as long as you persist, you will be successful.

“If you have the energy and the drive, you can make your mark” – Chris Eldridge.

Written by: Hogan Entrepreneurs Program student, Jordan Caputy
Speaker Session with Chris Eldridge 2/1/17

Marshallese Poet and Activist Inspires Chaminade Students

Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner, poet and activist

More than 125 students, faculty and staff packed the Clarence T. C. Ching Center in Eiben Hall to hear the Marshallese poet and activist Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner read poetry from her book Iep Jāltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter. Published this month by The University of Arizona Press, Iep Jāltok made history as the first published book of poetry written by a Marshallese author.

Considered an important new voice for justice, Jetñil-Kijiner connected the Chaminade community to Marshallese daily life and tradition through the weaving of her impassioned words and rhythmic descriptions. She shared her background and the role of women in the matriarchal Marshallese culture and highlighted in her poems the traumas of colonialism, racism, forced migration, American nuclear testing and the threats of climate change.  However, she ended with a vision of hope in her deeply moving rendition of  “Dear Matafele Peinam,” performed originally at the 2014 Opening Ceremony of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Climate Summit. It received international acclaim.

Students from environmental studies and student members from the Micronesian Club and other Pacific Island clubs were especially moved by the activist poet. One Chaminade student was invited to read with Jetñil-Kijiner.  He read in Marshallese, and she read in English. Students were visibly moved.

Iep Jaltok, Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner's book

Jetñil-Kijiner’s writing and performances have been featured on CNN, Democracy Now, Mother Jones, the Huffington Post, NBC News, National Geographic, Vogue, Nobel Women’s Initiative and more. She co-founded the nonprofit Jo-Jikum, dedicated to empowering Marshallese youth to seek solutions to climate change and other environmental impacts threatening their home island. Jetñil-Kijiner has been selected as one of 13 Climate Warriors by Vogue in 2015 and the Impact Hero of the Year by Earth Company in 2016. She received her Master’s in Pacific Island Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

The division of Humanities and Fine Arts hosted the February 17 event, which was coordinated by the English department and spearheaded by English professor Koreen Nakahodo.

Guest Speaker Touts Hawaii as Leader in Eldercare Solutions

Hawaii “has a unique and critical role to play” in achieving a comprehensive solution to America’s “elder boom,” according to Ai-Jen Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-director of the Caring Across Generations Campaign.

The social activist, named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” in 2012, spoke on campus Feb. 15 at a public policy forum presented by Chaminade University’s Hogan Entrepreneurs Program.

Every eight seconds, someone living in the United States turns 65, Poo pointed out. And this phenomenon is particularly striking in the rapidly graying Aloha State, where residents enjoy the longest lifespans in America.

Poo emphasized that this demographic trend is a blessing because seniors have more time to spend with their friends and loved ones. But the massive number of retiring Baby Boomers also poses a significant challenge, she cautioned, because America’s eldercare infrastructure is woefully inadequate.

Eldercare professionals typically earn just $13,000 annually, Poo said, thus forcing many to seek other employment. And because about 75 percent of American workers make less than $50,000 per year, they often struggle with the steep cost of caring for aging relatives.

Representing a bold step forward, according to Poo, are the “Kupuna Care” bills (SB534 and HB607) under consideration by the Hawaii State Legislature. These measures would provide up to $70 a day for the respite that family caregivers need to stay fully active in the workforce while caring for their kupuna at home.

If passed by the legislature and signed into law by the governor, the Kupuna Care Program could help pay for homemaking services, adult day care, transportation to doctor appointments, etc. This would allow seniors to continue “aging in place” at home, while postponing or avoiding the transition to far more expensive institutional settings.

Caring for one’s elders is “part of the DNA of this state and this culture,” Poo concluded. And that means Hawaii could serve as an outstanding model for the rest of the nation.

Additional information on the Kupuna Care Program is available at care4kupuna.com.