‘Dear Santa’ Campaign Doubles Total Letters

Submitted by Circle K International at HPU Executive Board  

With the holiday season in full swing, Circle K International at Hawai‘i Pacific University (Circle K HPU), a Registered Student Organization (RSO), hosted its signature annual letter writing campaign during November and December. An initial goal of 6,000 letters was set, and Circle K HPU has collected 13,141 letters with more on the way. This annual campaign aims to help raise money for Make-A-Wish Hawaii, and for every letter, Macy’s will donate $1.

The 4^th Annual Campaign was led by event chairs Nohealani Benicarlo ’18 and Geraldine Ilan ’21, with the support of the Executive Board including Josh Koh ’18, Nicole Masulit ’21, and Christopher Bartolome ’21. Many of the letters were written by the HPU ‘ohana and friends in the community.

On December 8, Circle K HPU joined Make-A-Wish Hawaii at the Ala Moana Shopping Center Macy’s to present 13,141 letters written by the ‘ohana at HPU. It was also National Believe Day, which meant Macy’s doubled the donation to $2 per letter written. A total of $26,282 will be donated to Make-A-Wish Hawaii and will stay here in Hawaii.

Started in 2014 by HPU alumnus and former Circle K HPU President, Avery Fukeda ’15, the annual campaign at HPU has collected over 23,691 letters, raising approximately $47,382 for Make-A-Wish Hawaii.  Over the past 14 years, Circle K at HPU — one of the longest running special interest RSOs — has recorded a total of more than 11,000 hours of service in 600 projects with help from over 300 members. This campaign is by far Circle K HPU’s largest and longest running service project in the club’s 14-year history.  

For the upcoming 2018-2019 school year, Circle K HPU will celebrate its 15th year at Hawai‘i Pacific University. In conjunction with this anniversary, it will host the 5th Annual Believe Letter campaign, which will be chaired by Geraldine Ilan ’21, soon-to- be alumna Nohealani Benicarlo ’18, and alumnus Avery Fukeda ’15, as Honorary Chair. The goal has yet to be set, but it will definitely help power many more wishes.

For the past 35 years, Make-A-Wish Hawaii has granted over 1,200 wishes for the keiki in Hawaii and has welcomed over 10,000 wish kids who wished to come to Hawaii. The mission of the organization is to grant the wishes of children with life threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience through hope, strength and joy. At HPU, contact circlek.hpu@my.hpu.edu for more information on how to get involved in making a difference in our community one project at a time.

HPU & HCFL: Eleven-year Friendship Going Strong!

Submitted by Barbara Hannum, HPU Director of Intercultural Education Programs

Hawaiʻi Pacific University recently provided students from Hiroshima, Japan a special custom-designed study-tour experience, the eighth since our inaugural program in 2006. From November 13 to December 1, 2017, a group of 17 students from Hiroshima College of Foreign Languages (HCFL) enjoyed a challenging yet rewarding three-week intensive Hospitality and English Program prepared and coordinated by Intercultural Education Programs Director Barbara Hannum with support from the TESOL Programs and the Dept. of English and Applied Linguistics.

A successful balance of academic and experiential learning, the program featured “English for Interaction” classes designed to build fluency in speaking and listening, customized classes in hospitality, tourism, language, and culture, special topics lectures on hospitality marketing and business strategies in Hawai‘i and the U.S. by Hospitality & Tourism Management faculty Dr. Wendy Lam and Dr. Dae Woo Park, observational visits to HPU classes in business, marketing, and Japanese, cultural presentations by HCFL students to HPU students, fluency-building workshops, and conversation sessions with HPU students and Center for Academic Success tutors. A special cultural lesson and hula workshop was provided by Kumu Tracie Lopes, who taught the group a meaningful hula about Aloha Tower and how to make ti-leaf lei.

The HCFL students also enjoyed a guided tour of historic downtown Honolulu, a visit to the State Art Museum, and a “Waikiki scavenger hunt” to the Royal Hawaiian and Sheraton Moana hotels led by Dr. Lam. The two cohorts of students also shared a full day of experiential learning and site visits: one group, comprised of hospitality and tourism majors, received an extensive tour of the Four Seasons Resort, where they learned about strategic branding/target marketing and were also treated to a delicious lunch! From there they traveled to the airport for a guided tour and presentation by Hawaiian Airlines marketing and sales management staff. The other group, comprised of English majors, enjoyed a morning at Hawaiʻi Baptist Academy sharing cultural presentations with HBA Japanese classes and observing other special HBA classes as well. They, too, were treated to a very special lunch and cultural exchange session by HBA administrators, staff, and selected students.  

The HCFL students all stayed with local families through the Hawai‘i Homestay Program, so they spent evenings and weekends learning about and experiencing American and local culture, especially enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday. The program culminated in a memorable HPU Completion Ceremony and Aloha Luncheon on Friday, December 1. We look forward to welcoming the next group in 2019 for another memorable and meaningful educational exchange between two universities and long-time friends. 

Announcing the Tuition Exchange Scholarship Recipients

By Bernard K Nunies, Director of Human Resources

In our inaugural year of the Tuition Exchange Program, Hawai‘i Pacific University has joined with more than 600 colleges and universities across the nation in offering reciprocal scholarships to qualifying dependents of our eligible faculty and staff.  This scholarship covers 4-years of tuition up to $35,000 each year.

In October HPU held a lottery for the 3 scholarships that would be awarded.  Participants received up to 4 lottery entries based on years of service.  In total we had 21 participants with 64 entries.

We are pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s awards.

·         Annmarie Manzulli, Career Instructional Faculty of Communication

·         Mark Tjarks, Professor of English

·         Michael Erickson, Associate Professor of Psychology

Please join me in congratulating the three recipients and wishing their dependents much success in their undergraduate studies for the 2018-19 academic year.

For information on future participation or for a copy of the program guidelines, please visit the HR tab of Pipeline.

HPU United Nations Club Attends National Model United Nations Conference in Canada

On Friday, Nov. 17 through Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, HPU United Nations (UN) Club members participated in the 2017 National Model United Nations (NMUN) Conference in Banff, Canada. Eleven HPU students (pictured above from left to right): Essi Korhonen, Isabelle Klewstigh, Hunter Burrows, Gabriela (Victoria) Ristikangas, Kristine Kivle, Sharon MacAllan, Ashley Ubben, Lesly Valdez, Emily Macri, Cherie Soria and Nicole Masulit, along with the UN Club faculty advisor, Serge Marek, Ph.D., participated in the conference. 

At the NMUN Conference, university students from around the world represented various countries in committees to discuss international issues relevant today. The HPU delegation represented two countries in various committees. The Uruguay team consisted of six HPU students in the General Assembly (GA), Security Council (SC) and UN Environment Assembly (UNEA). The Vietnam team consisted of five students in the GA, UNEA and Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) committees. The Uruguay UNEA team won the award for Outstanding Position Paper, making this the first HPU delegation to win the position paper award. HPU was also recognized as an Honorable Mention during the closing ceremony. 

The NMUN Canada Conference was a success, as each student did their utmost to represent HPU, the UN Club and their respective countries in the best way possible.

Applications are currently available for the next Model United Nations Conference, to be held in New York in March 2018. For more information on the HPU UN Club, please contact the Secretary General/Club President, Haven McKay, at hmckay@my.hpu.edu or the UN Club faculty advisor Serge Marek, at smarek@hpu.edu.

Conference Team:

Hunter Burrows, Freshman, Marine Biology major from New Jersey
Kristine Kivle, Head Delegate/Secretary General, Senior, Diplomacy and Military Studies major from Norway

Essi Korhonen, Senior, International Studies major from Finland

Isabelle Klewstigh, Junior, International Studies major from Sweden
Sharon MacAllan, Junior, Marine Biology major from Germany/U.S.A.
Emily Macri, pursuing a master's in Global Leadership and Sustainable Development, from New York
Nicole Masulit, Sophomore, International Business major from Kauai
Lesly Pamatz, International Business major from California

Viktoria Ristikangas, Junior, International Studies major from Finland

Cherie Soria, Sophomore, Nursing major from Oahu
Ashley Ubben, Freshman, International Studies major from Texas  

News submitted by Nicole Masulit, UN Club PR Officer

Alumni Perspective: College to Career Transition

Jose Dominguez (MBA ’17) is a General Building Manger, overseeing 423 residential units in a Kakaako complex. His management responsibility is for maintenance, security, and financial matters. Dominguez works directly with the owners’ association on a variety of issues affecting residents, maintaining open communication with all parties involved.    

In this Q&A with HPU Senior Career Development Advisor, Ryan Tin Loy, M.A., CWDP, Dominguez shares his experiences.  

How did your HPU education prepare you for the workforce?

I graduated with a MBA in Management. The education I received from HPU prepared me by exposing me to coursework in statistics, finance, and accounting. I also took advantage of a well-rounded education through the sciences and writing.

How did the Career Development Center prepare you for this transition?

The Career Development Center assisted me through effective resume building techniques and I took advantage of all the workshops and seminars they offered. Ryan Tin Loy in the Career Development Center maintained consistent contact with me throughout my time at HPU to ensure my educational needs and goals were being met.

What advice would you give other students as they prepare for the college to career transition?

My advice is to expect the unexpected. Prepare for the many bumps on road. There will be times you may feel like quitting but keep moving forward in life.

HPU students and alumni, check out what the university’s Career Development Center has to offer: Career Advising, Using internships and co-ops for class credit, Resume and cover letter assistance, Mock interviews, Job search assistance, Interest assessments (MBTI and Strong), Professional development events and workshops, Career Fairs, Employer information sessions and tables, HPU Connect online job board.