Scholarship

From Trauma to Transformation and Beyond

October 20, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

The road Kimmy Takata ’22 took to college wasn’t traditional—or easy.

But while she says much of her life has been defined by struggle, Takata is choosing to focus on everything she’s accomplished and all the people who have helped her along the way. “My journey has been one from trauma to transformation,” she said, on a recent afternoon. “It takes a village to save somebody and it took 10 villages to save me, including the village I found at Chaminade.”

Now the 53-year-old is setting her sights on new goals—from serving as a mentor to other women exiting prison to even going back to school to pursue a graduate degree. She said her story is an example of what’s possible when you work hard, dream big and get plenty of help along the way.

“People believed in me. That’s the key,” she said.

Takata wasn’t always confident in herself.

As a child growing up in an abusive household, she struggled with low self-esteem. She said she was constantly being called “dumb” and “stupid”—and often heard those words in her head when she was at school. Throughout her teens, Takata was in and out of youth lockup and struggled with drugs.

Eventually, she dropped out of school.

“I never even thought of myself going to college,” she said. “College wasn’t even in my vocabulary.”

In the years that followed, things got worse for Takata. And then, she hit rock bottom.

She was arrested and charged with 16 counts and sentenced to 40 years behind bars. Then in 2003, Takata escaped from Oahu Community Correctional Center and was gone for four days. When she was arrested again, she was transferred to a women’s prison and placed in lockdown “for a very long time.”

She thought that all was lost. But it was at that moment things started to turn around.

Takata was given the chance to enroll in classes and earned got her GED. She also participated in a program that allowed her to share her story through poems—pieces that she eventually shared with her children to help them understand her grief about how much of their lives she’d missed. And she was placed in a substance abuse program, where she was encouraged to continue her journey of self-reflection. “I really had to take a look at the damage I’d done to everyone,” she said.

After getting out of prison on parole, Takata knew she had to make the most of out of her new perspective. She got a job and paired up with the Pu’a Foundation, which helps incarcerated women transitioning back into the community. “I was locked up for 15 years. The transition wasn’t easy,” Takata said. But she eventually got her sea legs. And then, she started looking for opportunities.

Friends encouraged her to go back to school. And at first, she didn’t even entertain the idea. It was too far-fetched. “I’m not good enough for college,” she remembers thinking. “I’m not smart enough and I’m scared.” But her friends and mentors didn’t give up. And before long, she found herself enrolling.

With the help of the Pu’a Foundation, she first enrolled at Kapiolani Community College.

From there, she found her way to Chaminade University. Bro. Dennis Schmitz, of the Marianist Center of Hawaii, happened to work with the Pu’a Foundation and encouraged her to apply. Takata also clinched a Hooulu Scholarship, which covered her tuition and included robust career development and advising resources.

On her first day of classes at Chaminade, Takata couldn’t believe how far she’d come.

“It was like Disneyland to me,” she quipped. “I found myself smiling all day long.”

And while she had plenty of jitters about going back to class, she found no shortage of professors, counselors and peers ready to cheer her on—and give her the help she needed. As an Environmental Studies major, Takata formed a particularly strong bond with Dr. Gail Grabowsky, dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and director of the CIFAL Honolulu Center at Chaminade.

In fact, she still keeps in touch with Grabowsky.

“She is absolutely the best professor in the world,” Takata said. “Her classes were hard, but she’s understanding. She helped me realize going back to school was the best thing I ever could have done.”

After a lot of hard work, Takata made it to graduation day—and invited friends to cheer her on.

Now she’s working with women as they leave prison, using her own life as a case study of what’s possible. She’s also ready to jump into the next big challenge. She’s seriously considering the master’s program in Criminal Justice Studies at Chaminade and is also busy growing a cleaning business on the side.

“There’s just so many things I want to do,” she said. “And I’m ready for anything.”

Alumna’s Endowed Scholarship Creates Opportunities and a Better Future for Chaminade Students

October 6, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

Jan Seymour ‘76 is proud of the endowed scholarship she helped establish at Chaminade University.

Yet she is quick to deflect any suggestion that she is worthy of praise or high esteem.

“I’m not noble,” Seymour said, while chatting with Chaminade Magazine. “Don’t make me sound like a saint.” The scholarship, she said, is about putting her dollars to work for a better future—and that’s in everyone’s interest. “I wanted my money to go to something that was beneficial,” Seymour said.

“I want my money to create the greatest impact.”

She also wanted to help students who don’t always qualify for aid.

That’s why the Fumiko Kanazawa Endowed Scholarship, named after Seymour’s aunt, is open to students with a grade-point-average of 2.5 and above. “It’s for the B- or C-average students who probably need a little more help,” she said, adding that’s the category she fell into as an undergraduate.

Preference for the scholarship is also given to those who are of mixed Japanese descent.

“That’s because of me, too. I’m hapa,” she said.

Several of Seymour’s relatives have also contributed to the endowment fund. In addition to the scholarship, which was established in 2011, both Seymour and her mother have made estate planned giving pledges to Chaminade. For Seymour, it was an easy decision to make.

“The scholarship is essentially me. It’s about establishing an identity of oneself,” she said.

Seymour grew up in Southern California, and said she always wanted to come to the islands. She remembers pestering her mother relentlessly about it. And so after Seymour finished two years at a small Catholic university in Los Angeles, her mother suggested she go to Hawaii to attend Chaminade University.

“She said go to Hawaii and get it out of your system,” Seymour said.

She did but Hawaii always remains in her heart.

One of the first things Seymour noticed in Hawaii was the diversity. “Being in Hawaii and being at Chaminade, that was the first time it felt like I was really home,” she said. “Being half-Japanese, even in California, I still dealt with prejudice. But in Hawaii, I didn’t see that.

Nobody gave you a second look.”

She added, “It was nothing but people who looked like me.”

That’s another reason the scholarship gives preference to those of mixed Japanese descent. Seymour said she wanted to celebrate what she saw in Hawaii—a melting pot of people, from different ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds, who collectively embrace inclusivity and acceptance.

At Chaminade, Seymour lived in the residence halls and majored in International Studies.

Almost immediately, she struck up lasting friendships.

“There was a group of four of us. We were all the same age, but because of our different paths, we were all in different years. I still have precious memories of our time together,” she said, adding that one member of the group sadly passed away in the 1990s. “These were lifelong friendships.”

After graduating from Chaminade, Seymour went to graduate school in Arizona and pursued a successful career in banking. Eventually, her work included installing operating systems at credit unions around the country. Seymour said that she established the endowed scholarship at a time when she was incredibly busy with her career. “I was traveling so much I was visiting my house,” she quipped.

While now retired, Seymour said her calendar is still very full.

She makes time to visit Chaminade regularly to support the mission—and meet some of the students her family’s endowed scholarship has helped. Because of the pandemic, she hasn’t been able to make it to campus since 2019, but she’s looking forward to returning soon.

“I know this scholarship helps, especially those students who may not get help from elsewhere,” Seymour said. The minimum GPA requirement, she added, acknowledges that some students are juggling multiple obligations. “Holding down two jobs and trying to study, tell me when you’re going to have time to be an A-student,” she said. “This is about supporting education and opportunities.”

That is something Seymour thinks her aunt Fumiko Kanazawa, the scholarship’s namesake, would appreciate. Kanazawa was a high school history teacher in Los Angeles for many years. “This scholarship is just me. Not selfless, but just me,” she said. “It’s a commitment to help the future. That’s all.”

Alumna Creates Scholarship to Pay It Forward

August 16, 2021 by University Communications & Marketing

Caylee Orsinger '11 posing for the camera in her work uniform

Caylee Orsinger ’11 may live and work in Oklahoma, but her heart is still in the Islands. To prove that, you need look no further than the name she gave her medical distributorship company—Aloha Medical—or the slogan she puts on her business cards: “Where aloha meets medicine.”

It’s that passion for Hawai‘i and its people that drove her to think about ways to give back.

And after reaching out to a mentor at Chaminade, Biology Assistant Professor Dr. Jolene Cogbill, she made up her mind: she decided to establish a scholarship at Chaminade to help STEM-focused students achieve their dreams. The Caylee Orsinger Scholarship will help support 10 STEM students in Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. The funding is available to rising juniors or to incoming transfer students.

It’s not every day someone celebrating the 10-year reunion of her college graduation sets up a scholarship fund. But Orsinger said her upbringing in Hawai‘i and her time at Chaminade solidified her resolve to pay it forward. “It’s a full circle. We get out what we put in,” she said.

“I always wanted to donate to science technology and invest in other people.”

Just like people invested in her.

Caylee Orsinger '11 scrapbook page of her graduation from Chaminade

Orsinger said the scholarships she was awarded at Chaminade made a significant difference, and sometimes all the difference, in helping her accomplish her goals. “I worked my way through college and tried to make my way through school,” she said. “Scholarships were huge. They helped me a lot.”

Orsinger grew up on Maui and graduated from King Kekaulike High School in Pukalani.

She knew she wanted to pursue the sciences, but didn’t see herself flourishing in lecture halls with hundreds of students. That’s when she learned about Chaminade and jumped at the chance to pursue a degree in Biology at a campus with smaller class sizes and a strong public service mission.

And once enrolled, she learned about the University’s leading Forensic Sciences program.

She ended up double majoring, with an eye toward eventually becoming a doctor.

After graduation, she moved to Oklahoma to begin preparing to apply for medical school. But while there, her life took another path. She was bartending when she ran into someone who owned a medical distributorship company. She ended up getting a job there to gain valuable experience.

“I fell in love with it,” she said.

Orsinger’s work takes her into operating rooms, where she ensures surgeons and other healthcare professionals have the tools and equipment they need for complicated procedures. She is also proud to serve the community of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capital of two Cherokee tribes.

And she’s excited about continuing to grow her company.

She said she’s hopeful her trajectory since graduation—from her small Maui upbringing to a rising entrepreneur—offers inspiration to Chaminade students just beginning on their path to a profession.

She has some advice for them, too: remember all the support and encouragement you got as you sought to accomplish your goals so you can do the same for someone else one day. Facing a group of young people seeking degrees in STEM, she would tell them to “never get discouraged.” She would also leave them with some food for thought: “how are you going to give back later?”

New Data Science Scholarships

September 3, 2020 by University Communications & Marketing

Chaminade University recently received a $1M grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide 20 scholarships for new first-year and transfer students who are majoring in data science.

Data science is one of the most in-demand and fastest growing careers in the Pacific region. As industries collect more data, they need more people who can analyze and interpret those data. This new program is part of a larger initiative to build a cohort of data science professionals in the Pacific to help support decision-making across Hawaii’s economic sectors.

“This program is all about access to high-paying in-demand jobs,” says Dr. Alexander Stokes, assistant professor at Chaminade University. “Every business sector in Hawaii, from healthcare to finance to energy and nonprofits, needs professionals in data analytics to provide decision support.”

Data science students at Chaminade participate in hands-on, project-based courses and internships that use real data provided by local businesses, agencies and community organizations. In addition to learning the necessary technical skills like coding and data visualization, students also learn about decision-making, data ethics and how to communicate complex datasets in a clear and concise way, ensuring they are well-versed in all aspects of the career.

“This project will empower students from across the region to find data-driven solutions to challenges in Hawaii and the Pacific region,” says Dr. Helen Turner, vice president for Strategy and Innovation at Chaminade University. “The Pacific faces unique challenges, and we need local students who can use local data to help us understand and address those challenges.”

The grant is part of NSF’s Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. The scholarships will be available for new students who are majoring in data science, and preference will be given to students from Hawaii and the Pacific region who meet academic and financial requirements.

The new project aims to accomplish three things: 1) Mitigate the financial and academic barriers for low-income students from the Pacific; 2) acknowledge and address the cultural and non-academic barriers these students face when pursuing an education in STEM; and 3) develop new ways of teaching and supporting student needs, strengths and cultural expectations.

“There is a national need for well-educated STEM professionals from diverse backgrounds and experiences,” says Dr. Lynn Babington, president of Chaminade University. “The support from NSF will help strengthen the career pathway for low-income students and will ensure these future STEM workers receive a high-quality, values-driven education.”

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of Chaminade faculty members and students who are selected to participate in the program will receive a $10,000 per year scholarship. Program participants will also have access to academic navigators, cultural programming, life coaching, professional tutoring, paid internships, retreats and careers preparation.

/Honolulu Star-Advertiser article (9/28/20) >>

Chaminade University Receives $100,000 Grant

July 29, 2020 by University Communications & Marketing

Chaminade University of Honolulu recently received a $100,000 grant from the Mamoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation for student scholarships. The grant will be split to fund Chaminade’s Legacy Scholarship and the STEM and Nursing Scholarship for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.

The Legacy Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students who demonstrate a commitment to community service and are in financial need. The STEM and Nursing Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students studying any Bachelor of Science or Nursing degrees. Both scholarships are given to full-time undergraduate students who are residents of Hawaii and demonstrate leadership qualities and innovative skills.

The Mamoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation has provided funding for student scholarships to Chaminade University since 2014. The Foundation was established in 1993 by entrepreneurs Mamoru and Aiko Takitani, founders of Hawaiian Host, to assist the youth of Hawaii with their goals. Since its establishment, the Foundation has donated 2.3 million dollars in scholarships and provided educational opportunities to students in Hawaii.

For more on scholarships and financial aid, visit chaminade.edu/financial-aid.

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Chaminade University of Honolulu provides a collaborative and innovative learning environment that prepares graduate and undergraduate students for life, service and successful careers. Established in 1955, the university is guided by its Catholic, Marianist and liberal arts educational traditions, which include a commitment to serving the Native Hawaiian population. Chaminade offers an inclusive setting where students, faculty and staff collectively pursue a more just and peaceful society. For more information, visit chaminade.edu.

Mahalo Scholarship Luncheon 2020

May 1, 2020 by University Communications & Marketing

One of the most rewarding parts about donating is seeing your donation in action. As more than 70 donors witnessed on February 20, a donation to Chaminade has tangible benefits and changes the lives of our students.

Each year, the Mahalo Scholarship Luncheon brings together donors who have supported our scholarship fund with students who have received a scholarship. It’s an opportunity for the students to thank their scholarship donors personally, and let them know just how much their support has made a difference in their educational journey.

“Our students really understand and appreciate the choice every one of our donors made to invest in them,” says Dawn Johnson, scholarship manager at Chaminade and organizer of the luncheon. “Most of them have shared that they intend to one day ‘pay forward’ the gift of scholarship they received while at Chaminade.”

The event started with an oli from the students to the donors. Following, the students draped lei on the donors in gratitude, and then sought out the individuals who created the scholarship they received to join them for lunch.

Leslie Blount attends the event each year representing the Richard T. and Leslie N. Blount Scholarship for military students and dependents. The scholarship was established by her late husband, Richard, right before he fell ill. “This event is one of my major highlights,” says Leslie. “I just love interacting with the students. They never seize to impress me with all of their accomplishments and I’m just so grateful that they are living my husband’s dream. It gives me such joy to know that his wish to help students connected to the military is being fulfilled.”

Chaminade University has more than 100 scholarships that have been generously established by individual donors and foundations. Many of them are endowed, and several are renewable investments that are replenished each year. This year alone, our students received nearly $2.3 million in donor-funded scholarships.

Ke‘alohi Canady '20 speaks at the Mahalo Scholarship Luncheon 2020

Ke‘alohi Canady, a fourth-year business administration major and first-generation college student from Honolulu, spoke first-hand about how much her scholarship has impacted her time as a student.

“I am beyond grateful and so fortunate to have been awarded a scholarship,” said Ke‘alohi. “I’m really lucky that I don’t have to struggle or work crazy hours just to finance my education. It allows me to have a sustainable work-study life balance, meaning that I can devote my time to soaking up all the information in my studies. I was able to have this opportunity because of you all.”

Edward Adachi, a third-year environmental science major, spoke to the individual transformation he has undertaken while at Chaminade. He was raised on the island of Oahu by his maternal grandmother, and he has always sought to become a person that would make her proud.

Edward Adachi '20 speaks at the Mahalo Scholarship Luncheon 2020

“I came to college thinking I had life all figured out,” he began his address to the room. “I had made a list in high school of what college I wanted to go to, what degree I wanted to pursue, how I would obtain my career and what I would do in retirement—at the age of 18, I had 50 years planned out. My friend once told me, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. Well, God must have been rolling on the floor when he heard mine.”

Edward entered Chaminade as a business administration major. Within the first year and a half, after rethinking that decision several times, he finally landed on environmental science. He’s now planning a graduate degree in public health, and looks forward to a career educating communities across the pacific on how to be healthy.

His time at Chaminade has introduced him to a world full of possibilities and opportunities. He has met friends from all over the world, from all walks of life, and he’s traveled to the mainland and throughout the Pacific. He also discovered his faith at Chaminade, and now identifies proudly as a Roman Catholic.

“To be at a school that is so dynamic motivates me to be just as dynamic,” said Edward. “To live, is to change. Thank you for changing my life, and the lives of all of our students.”

To learn more about how you can support a student at Chaminade, contact Dawn Johnson at [email protected].