Chaminade University of Honolulu

Historical and Political Studies

Student Finds Marketing Internships to Support Her Passion for Politics

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Halia Carlbom

If you want to follow Hali’a Carlbom ‘25 around for the day, you’d better put on your tennis shoes.

She is always on the run.

In addition to a full course load as a Historical and Political Studies major (with a minor in Political Science), Carlbom is in the Chaminade Experiential Honors Program and is also honing her social media marketing and communications skills with not one but two separate internships.

Did we mention she’s just about to start her sophomore year?

“I like to stay busy and get involved in the community,” Carlbom said, adding that she’s excited about voting for the first time in the upcoming election. “It’s so important to participate, to vote. I’m doing my research now—trying to read up on the candidates and attend their events. I’m doing my homework.”

Carlbom graduated from Kaiser High School and decided to follow in her sister Trinity’s footsteps to Chaminade. Hali’a Carlbom said she really wanted a university experience with small classes, where she could forge strong relationships with her professors and peers. “I really thrive on classroom discussions and I am absolutely hooked on studying history, looking into the past to understand today,” she said.

Just how much of a history buff is she?

Carlbom said she’s not ashamed to say she’s watched “Hamilton” at least four times.

Halia Carlbom '25 at first year retreat

At Chaminade, Carlbom said the Experiential Honors Program has helped her pursue her academic passions. The program connected her with a mentor and has allowed her to tackle service and research projects through the university’s United Nations-affiliated CIFAL Honolulu Center. “It’s been stressful but in a good way,” Carlbom said. “It’s all about thinking critically and really expanding your perspective.”

Carbom is also actively building her skills with two internships.

She said she found both through Chaminade internship fairs. The first is with Mana Up Hawaii, an initiative to support local entrepreneurs and products. The second is with the Future Collective, a youth culture creative marketing agency based in Tokyo, Japan. Carlbom said she has jumped into both head-first, creating marketing content for social media and helping to craft messaging across platforms.

“It’s about knowing the brand, the mission, what words to use, the design,” she said.

She added, “It’s not easy—but it’s a good challenge.”

Carlbom added she especially likes what Mana Up Hawaii represents and is proud to be supporting an organization that helps local and young business owners get their start. “I’m doing engagement on social media. I’m helping to promote events. I’m putting together posts. It’s really cool,” she said.

Despite her busy schedule, Carlbom is still finding time to remain active in the upcoming Hawaii elections. “Politics really interests me and today, social media is so important to campaigns to be able to speak directly to their audience,” she said. “I’m trying to learn as much as I can.”

And while Carlbom isn’t yet sure what her future career will be, she’s certain about one thing.

“I want to get involved,” she said, “and make a difference.”

Big Dreams to Achieve Big Things

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Meshelle Hirashima receiving her Chaminade diploma from Bro. Bernie Pleoger, SM

Meshelle Hirashima’s advice to young people is simple: you need big dreams to achieve big things.

She would know.

Hirashima, who graduated from Chaminade in 2017 with a degree in Historical and Political Studies and a Biochemistry minor, receives her Doctor of Medicine degree in May from Boston University School of Medicine. She is seeking to specialize in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and credits strong female role models—including the grandmother who raised her—for helping her believe in herself so she could reach her goals.

“I’ve had remarkable people in my life to be an example and help guide me to where I am today,” Hirashima said. “No one would think I would come this far knowing my history. I just feel so blessed.”

Hirashima was adopted as a toddler by her grandmother because her mother was struggling with substance abuse issues. Her mother has since turned her life around, Hirashima said, and the two share a special relationship. It’s because of her grandmother and her mother that she wants to be an OBGYN.

Hirashima is also the first person on her mother’s side to graduate from college.

And she’s the first person in her family to go to medical school.

In addition to her role models, she credits Chaminade with helping her get there. Hirashima was able to secure an early admission spot at Boston University’s School of Medicine thanks to Chaminade’s articulation agreement program with the institution—and the preparation she got along the way.

She also said immersive experiences at Chaminade helped her build her confidence.

Among them, in 2014, advisors at Chaminade encouraged Hirashima to apply for a six-week summer program at UCLA aimed at helping students from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds get a taste for what it feels like to be a medical student and understand the steps to become a doctor. She said the program put a big emphasis on health disparities and helped her see how she could serve others. 

“It gave me a taste for what I could expect, and I was hooked,” she said.

An early dream to help others

Hirashima was born and raised in Hawaii and attended Moanalua High School.

From a young age, she said, she dreamed of becoming a doctor. She wanted to help others like the people who had helped her grandmother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And as she got older, she realized that being a doctor didn’t just mean providing medical care but helping people through everyday struggles and “being with them through momentous points in their lives.”

At Moanalua, many of Hirashima’s friends were eyeing larger universities.

But she wanted something different—a place where she could try out different things and pursue disciplines that intrigued her. That’s why she found herself initially majoring in Environmental + Interior Design at Chaminade before switching to Historical Political Studies with a Biochemistry minor.

How did that fit into her path to medical school?

Hirashima said she wanted to broaden her horizons and take the opportunity to dive into a course of study that would help her better understand the world. To her, the study of history and political studies was the opportunity to figure out why people decide what they decide and why they act as they do.

That foundation of knowledge, she said, helped her become a more empathetic, well-rounded person.

‘I knew what I wanted’
Meshelle Hirashima wearing her white coat at Boston University

Along the way, by minoring in Biochemistry, Hirashima was able to secure the science and math prerequisites she would need to apply to medical school. And she got a unique taste for what her life as a medical student would entail with those immersive experiences, like the one at UCLA.

Chaminade’s articulation agreement with Boston University’s School of Medicine was key to her admission. The program, in which Chaminade partners with a host of highly-esteemed universities on the mainland, allows students to set an early course to advanced studies in healthcare careers—establishing a strong academic record and completing prerequisites while at Chaminade.

After completing the requirements of her Chaminade degree, Hirashima also spent a year at Boston University preparing for medical school, taking graduate courses and studying for the entrance exam. “It was like drinking from a fire hose. And unconventionally, I put all my eggs in the Boston basket,” she recalled. “I’d never even been to the East Coast, have no family there, but I knew what I wanted.”

And she got it.

She said she was at the pool with a friend when she learned she’d been admitted.

“I just started screaming and jumping up and down,” she said.

From there, there would be more grueling work and long hours ahead. The COVID pandemic sharply curtailed the number of in-person learning hours she got. But in her third year, she moved on to rotations—a chance for medical students to work hands-on in different medical specialties.

Internal medicine. Psychiatry. Pediatrics. Hirashima loved them all.

But the OBGYN rotation was special. “It was about building connections with women. Just kind of through reflection, I thought, ‘Where am I going to make the biggest impact with my career?’ I had such strong female role models growing up and I knew I wanted to help women like them,” she said.

‘I used to be in those shoes’
Meshelle Hirashima '17 on Match Day—she is paired with University of Hawaii

While one chapter of Hirashima’s journey ends in May, when she earns her medical degree, another begins as she continues on her path to residency.

Her dream of returning to Hawaii to serve the people and communities that helped her remains alive. On Match Day, she was paired with the University of Hawaii’s Obstetrics and Gynecology program.

She is excited to come home, continue her training and cross off another goal from her list. Along the way, she hopes to inspire other young people to think big. “I had lots of humbling experiences growing up, but that didn’t stop me,” she said. “Overcoming obstacles will never be easy. But with help, it’s not impossible.”

Hirashima’s biggest piece of advice to others is simple: take advantage of opportunities presented to you. “It can sometimes be scary to get outside of your comfort zone,” she said. “I’m so lucky to have had people around me, including at Chaminade, who really believed in me and who helped guide me.”

She added that her “humbling experiences” growing up helped her build understanding for others. “When I talk to a patient who is struggling, I know a little bit about what that feels like. I used to be in those shoes,” she said. Her big dream now: serve as a role model just as many did for her.

“I want young people to know there’s so much out there, and they just have to go out and get it.”

From Soldier to Teacher

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What do you do when a 20-year military career comes to an end?

For soon-to-be-retired soldier Kristopher Van Beveren ‘20, the answer is easy—you teach.

Kristopher Van Beveren '20 with his wife

For the first part of Van Beveren’s Army career, he served as a cavalry scout—the eyes and ears of the Army, gathering information on the enemy during battle. Over the course of his career he switched to corrections, working in the military prisons. But his real passion was always teaching.

When he first encountered Chaminade University at the on-base education center in 2005, he had just arrived at Schofield Barracks fresh off a deployment to Iraq. Van Beveren liked that Chaminade was a local school, and he could take classes on base in the evenings. With our presence on base, soldiers can take a combination of on-base and online classes to work toward a bachelor’s degree.

He enrolled as a secondary education major, but his time on-island was short-lived before deploying again to Iraq.

Fast forward to 2017. He returned to Hawai‘i, this time with a wife and young children to support. With his 20-year Army anniversary on the horizon and thoughts of retirement looming, he re-enrolled in Chaminade’s program.

He started again in the secondary education program, but soon he switched to a major in historical and political studies. He had his eye set on teaching high school—the time in his life when teachers were the most influential. Switching majors, he realized, would help him pass the single subject exam for social studies—or, depending on which state he and his family ended up in, would wipe out the extra requirement altogether.

Like most active-duty students, his time at Chaminade was a combination of online and on-base classes. In the beginning, he took classes on base in the evening. The timing provided the flexibility he needed to work full time, and it was easier for him to learn in person.

“I would recommend the evening classes to any of my fellow soldier counterparts,” says Van Beveren. “The professors are really accommodating because they have jobs as well. They don’t severely overload you, but they get enough in to make it challenging.”

Kristopher Van Beveren '20 with his children

Toward the end, evening classes became difficult while raising his family, so he switched to online classes.

“You definitely have to be more disciplined to get it all done online,” confesses Van Beveren. “But I’ve had a really good experience. If you’re self-motivated, online is a great avenue because you can do it all at your own pace. Sometimes the professors will post the whole course online upfront, so if you wanted, you could knock it out in three weeks instead of ten.”

It helped having supportive professors who were adept at teaching online. Dr. Mitch Yamasaki, a history professor, was one who particularly stood out. “I have to say that he is one of the best online professors I have had,” says Van Beveren, commenting on the amount of thought and detail that goes into Yamasaki’s lectures and study guides. “His courses are very thorough and very well put together. I have retained a lot of knowledge by the way the information is presented.”

It’s an emotional time for Van Beveren. He graduates next month, something he’s wanted for a long time.

“I put it off for years because of deployments and training and Army life,” he reminisces. “It was a challenge being a full-time student while having a full-time job, and a family with two young kids, but it was doable. And it feels great to be finishing.”

He’s also retiring from his 20-year Army career and getting ready to leave the island. And as if preparing to finish his degree and transitioning to civilian life wasn’t enough, there’s a global pandemic. One that sent his wife and children to their new home in Florida early, before the widespread lockdowns, and one that means he won’t be able to attend his newly rescheduled graduation ceremony in December. But he knows the move and the transition are the right thing to do.

“Twenty years is a long time,” says Van Beveren about his decision to retire. “But I’m still relatively young and my kids are still small right now. I’m excited to focus on them more.”

Not one to sit idle, Van Beveren already has his next step lined up. He starts a Master’s program at the University of North Florida the day his online classes end next month. He’s joining their Teacher Residency program, where he’ll work in the classroom at a high-needs school and earn his Master of Arts in Teaching at the same time.

He has his eye on the prize—not only will he have a new, rewarding career, but in a few years, he’ll have his summers off. His wife, also a teacher, will too. And for Van Beveren, the thing that matters most is getting to spend more time with his family and being there for his children.

Growing as a Writer and Learner

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Sami Eastwood published her first book at 17, when she was a freshman at Chaminade.

Three years later, she’s completing final edits on a sequel and has already started working on a third novel in her science fiction series. She’s also the co-founder of a boutique publishing house, helps her parents grow their business in her spare time and is a year away from finishing her bachelor’s degree.

If that’s not impressive enough, Eastwood decided to double major in English and History.

Sami Eastwood, an online undergraduate student who lives in Oregon

Eastwood is an online undergraduate student at Chaminade, taking classes, completing assignments and communicating with professors and her peers remotely. While she lives in Oregon, she said she counts her professors as close and valuable mentors who have helped her grow as a writer and a learner.

“Every term I’m learning new things that contribute to sparking my creativity,” Eastwood said.

She said she decided to pursue her degree at Chaminade after taking a few classes at a large public university that she said wasn’t a right fit. Chaminade’s Marianist tradition of helping others and building a better world was an especially important element to her and her family, Eastwood said.

“I decided on an English major because I want to write books for a living and it’s good to know the rules of any trade you go into and how to analyze other works of fiction and nonfiction,” Eastwood said. “I chose history as well because I’ve always been fascinated by it, especially American history.”

In fact, Eastwood said she’s also interested in pursuing a future career in museums.

Her first love, though, is writing. And she has no plans to give that up. “My goal is to stay as closely connected to both worlds as possible,” Eastwood said. “The literary world of writing books along with the historical world, and I’m hoping my degrees can help me with that process.”

To publish her first book, Eastwood worked closely with another online undergraduate student at Chaminade–English major Jodi Clark. The two are good friends (and Oregon residents) and have found the university’s online program has allowed them to pursue their passions.

Clark even served as Eastwood’s editor for her first book, “Blackstone Asylum.”

The book is set 100 years in the future in a world in which superpowers are common and misunderstood. The novel’s heroine, Andrea Rosales, was born with the ability to heal. It’s that power that makes her a target for a villain who kidnaps paranormal children to turn them into weapons.

Eastwood said all she’s learned at Chaminade has given her a multitude of new story ideas and techniques for tackling them. “I learn endless amounts of information from both my English and history classes,” she said. “Even the smallest fact can blossom into (yet another) story idea.”

There are No Boundaries When Pursuing Your Passion

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Jodi Clark knew by the time she was 10 that she wanted to be a writer.

“I wrote a 400-page manuscript that has never seen the light of day,” said the English major, who’s minoring in History and Political Studies. “I fell in love with writing dialogue and complex characters.”

Jodi Clark, online undergraduate student

Fast forward a decade and change and Clark is still as inspired by words as she was back then. The difference? They’re central to her job now, and not just a hobby. In addition to seeking her undergraduate degree at Chaminade online, Clark is a content editor for a small publishing house and social media manager.

She says that being able to attend class remotely — she lives in Oregon — has allowed her to feel connected to her Chaminade professors and to the university while completing her coursework on her own schedule. “The online program at Chaminade is fantastic because despite weekly deadlines, there are no strict requirements for when and where you have to ‘show up’ for class,” Clark said.

She added the flexibility allows her to arrange her schedule in a way that makes sense for her.

Clark enrolled at Chaminade in winter 2018, after doing research about universities nationwide. She knew that she wanted to opt for an online program because she wanted to remain near her family. She was also looking for an institution that honored her religious values and belief in giving back to others.

“After much thought, we decided on Chaminade because of its religious values and because of its location since the Hawaiian Islands are very dear to my family and me,” Clark said, adding that what’s surprised her the most is how warm and welcoming the university community is — even from afar.

“Even from a distance, the family spirit of the school puts me at ease,” she said, adding that she’s planning to spend her senior year on campus. “My time at Chaminade feels so well spent and I am looking forward to the day I can visit … the people who have helped me pursue my education.”

People like Dr. Brooke Carlson, one of her English professors, who has helped Clark learn the “technicalities of writing” and challenged her to think more critically. Professor Justin Wyble, who encouraged Clark to take more risks in her writing. And Professor Karla Brundage, who worked with Clark on poetry.

Clark has also brought her own contributions to courses as a “beta reader.” She works for MaileKai Publishing, where she’s helped fellow Chaminade student Sami Eastwood publish her debut young adult novel “Blackstone Asylum” on Amazon and is in the revisions process for a sequel.

“Sami Eastwood came to me with the idea for ‘Blackstone Asylum’ as she wrote it,” Clark said. “I provided ideas and advice when and if she needed them. I started providing content editing for the book in about 2018, and by 2019, I helped plot and point out issues in large-scale revisions.”

She said working as a content editor, she enjoys “untangling knots in stories in their earliest stages.”

And her time at Chaminade has helped her become even more adept at that untangling, providing inspiration and feeding her creativity to as she works to develop her confidence in editing and writing. “When I was younger, my work ended up being either very formulaic or very scattered,” Clark said. “Thanks to my time in Chaminade’s online program, I feel that I have the tools … to take creative risks and see them through. My degree will be helpful for pursuing a variety of jobs in the writing world.”

Chaminade Professor Connects Education to the Greek Polis

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The Faculty Center featured Chaminade professor of Historical and Political Studies Lilia Castle, Ph.D. as its guest presenter for its Vita in Verbo – Life in the Word series. In her presentation on Monday, Feb. 27, Dr. Castle explored the importance of paideia or education in ancient Greek philosophy.  She discussed the importance of education in relationship to the identity of the Greek polis by building on the writings of Plato and Aristotle. Polis, which literally means ‘city’ in Greek, can also mean a body of citizens.

“Paideia in ancient Greece referred to education (nurturing, training, cultivating, refinement). An idea of paideia covered the same semantic field today as the culture discerned as natural and cultural. Education was seen as the cultivation and development of the natural abilities of a man who will then participate in governing of his own state,” noted Dr. Castle. “Greeks saw education to be essential for those who prefer freedom and democracy. But if other states do not see the value of education for their citizens and do not invest in education, it simply means that such a state does not want to give it citizens either freedom or democracy.”

Dr. Castle argued that in the end “the divisions created by the city-states have become global, and it is our education in the divine that ultimately unifies humanity,” said Brian Richardson, Ph.D., Chaminade’s director of the Center for Teaching and Learning (a.k.a. the Faculty Center). “Education should focus on the spirit, establishing a local identification with the polis’ ancestors and a vertical identification the gods, and in this way it can promote political involvement and the cultivation of a rational soul.”

The presentation was thought-provoking. Free and open to faculty and staff, the Faculty Center regularly holds the Vita in Verbo — Life in the Word series as opportunities for collegiate sharing of scholarship between the disciplines.