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Seventeen students from BYU-Hawaii in majors such as ICS, graphic design, business, finance, and marketing, visited Hong Kong in mid April through Career Connect for a jumpstart to their establishing their own professional network with over 14 different companies. Students were given the chance to meet with company official representatives including Deliotte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd., Intel, Hong Kong Sky City Marriott Hotel, Vans, and Nu Skin. After the trip, seven job offers were reported. Kay Au-Young, an account and finance senior from Hong Kong, got an offer for a job in finance. Au-Young shared his tip for impressing employers and said, “Pay attention to the employers. Share and ask meaningful questions. Questions need to be specific. I asked Nu Skin about their product’s research development strategy, and the average life of the product. The employers recognized I did research before the visit.” Another student, who also got an offer was Ellen Lo, an accounting senior from Hong Kong. She said aside from an actual job offer, she learned a meaningful lesson in optimism. Lo suggested students “to use their time wisely on the trip. You have such a short time to build your network and learn from the company officials.” She quoted the CEO of Vans and said, “You might not find your dream job at once. But when you are on the right track, the skills you’ve developed and the experiences you’ve had will bring you to your dream job.” Leading the trip to Hong Kong was Jodi Chowen, director of Career Services. She commented about the experience saying, “There is a big variety this year. Besides accounting and business firms, we also visited companies that have graphic design and communication departments, like Price Water House Coopers and Hong Kong Design Center.” Chowen explained what employers are looking for in employees. “We hear it again and again from big companies. The director of Finance from Marriott Hotel and Deliotte Regional manager director of Tax and Legal both mentioned it: The concept is that they want to hire the right people with a good fit. Academics are important, but more than important is your character,” she said. Chowen said besides being proficient in English, employers are looking for those with people skills, which refers to good communication, critical thinking, and problem solving. “Students should get out of the mentality that ‘because I am this major, I can only do this job.’ Your major doesn’t guarantee a job, not even for a business or accounting major. The goal of Career Connect is to help students find a job or internship, but if we can expand student’s visions about the market, I consider it a success,” she said. Chowen invited students from a variety of majors to participant in the upcoming Career Connect trips. “Career Connect is for any major. It is an opportunity to learn what is ready in the market. We connect companies according to the students who sign up. It is based on student’s interest. The goal is to match students with good fit employers.” Brandon T. Truscott, assistant professor of Art & Design who also accompanied the trip to Hong Kong, said he discovered the art side within the accounting firm. “At Price Water House Coopers, students who are majoring in graphic design and marketing met with the in-house design and marketing team and they showed us the type of print and publication work they do. We also toured to the Hong Kong Design Institute, White Cube Gallery exhibition, and the contemporary art galleries.”

The popular snack-food brand, Cheetos, is hosting a 10-week contest in which it will give 10 lucky winners a $10,000 cash prize, out of whom a grand champion will be chosen and awarded an additional $50,000. To earn all that cheddar, participants need to be on the lookout for shapes in their Cheetos the same way a child would look for shapes in the clouds. When one finds a noteworthy Cheeto, they are to upload a photo of it to www.cheetosmuseum.com where it will showcased in the community Cheetos gallery. According to www.simplemost.com, contestants can upload a maximum of 50 entries per day where they will be presented to a panel of judges and potentially be selected for to be a $10,000 recipient, and entered as a finalist for the $50,000 winner. $10,000 winners will be selected every Monday up until Aug. 15 when the company will announce the grand prize winner, according to www.simplemost.com The entries will be judged based on three categories, according to www.simplemost.com:1. Visual interest: “How unique is your Cheetos snack and how well does it match your description?”2. Buzz worthiness: “How buzz-worthy is your Cheetos snack, title and description?”3. Creativity: “How creative is your title and description of the snack?”The first $10,000 winner was announced June 30 on the Cheetos Facebook page via video, where one family can be seen brandishing a Cheeto which they say resembles the Statue of Liberty. Some other popular posts on the Cheetos museum website include animals, a human heart, and a half-foot long Cheetos twist which the uploader claims, “has been in our kitchen drawer for approximately 10 years.”Jordan Haider, a recent computer science graduate from Utah, recalled a Cheeto he felt would have been worthy of winning the competition, “I found a Cheeto in the summer of '09 that was a spitting image of a trumpet. It brought tears to my eyes when the time came to eat it. Having the knowledge I have now, I wish I could go back in time and vacuum seal said Cheeto, making me 10k.”When asked if knowledge of the contest would change his Cheeto consumption, Haider said, he would be “bathing in Cheetos from now until the end of the competition.”Cody Bench, a sophomore from Texas studying international cultural studies, offered this advice for fortune seekers: “Think in the perspective of a judge. They want to see something they haven’t seen before; don’t be a cheeseball about it.”Cheetos is also hosting a second competition at the same time, reminiscent to Willy Wonka and his golden tickets. Www.simplemost.com reported that Cheetos has placed ten different game pieces into bags of Cheetos, which Frito Lay said in a press release, “Represent specific Cheetos Museum shapes, hidden inside specially marked bags.” In that same release, the company announced, “The 10 lucky fans to uncover these pieces of art will win an ultimate family vacation worth $10,000 to one of the cities represented by the game pieces.”

Opposite to the Honolulu traffic and congestion, Haleiwa Town on the North Shore of Oahu provides a relaxed country ambiance to residents, tourists and students of BYU Hawaii. Although it has grown since it’s beginning, it still has the country feel that many imagine when picturing Hawaii life. First settled by Hawaiians in 1100 and then by westerner Benjamin J. Dillingham in 1898, the area has always been fertile for agriculture, especially sugar plantations. Because of this, jobs were created for people all over the world. As hawaiistateinfo.com states, “The diverse ancestry of [Haleiwa’s] cultural heritage is the result of the people from foreign land swarming the island’s shores because of the promise of good jobs at plantations and refineries.” A hotel was soon built after Dillingham’s arrival called Haleiwa, eventually becoming the town’s name. The website gonorthshore.org says, “At the turn of the century, a round-trip, two-day excursion by train from Honolulu to Haleiwa costs $10. It included an overnight stay at the Hale’iwa Hotel and a trip through Waialua sugar mill.” Although the hotel is not present anymore, the town has plenty to offer. Boutiques, restaurants, and art galleries entice visitors and residents alike to enjoy a night of art, culture, and a good time. New establishments are being built and renovations are currently underway. BYUH alumna, Keryna Monson, said, “There always seems to be construction in Haleiwa which is a good sign to me because it means they keep improving it.” Even in the short two years she has been on the island she has seen advancements, said Monson. “A lot of the eateries and shops now have wifi and take debit and credit cards which make things a lot easier for me. I don’t have to worry about getting cash out or paying someone back,” she said. Local residents and community members love the town but are concerned with how much the town is growing. Born and raised Haleiwa resident and Matsumoto employee Kilen Iona said, “It hasn’t always been this crowded. When I was younger and in high school, my friends and I would go to the park on Friday nights and then come and walk around town. Now there are a lot more tourists around. But it’s okay, it keeps me busy at work.” Even after continued expansion, Haleiwa is firmly grounded in its history and is looking towards a bright future.