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E ola olelo Hawaii

The Hawaiian language continues to be revitalized through state initiatives and within BYUH
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My first camera

After getting her first camera, a BYUH student turns a long-time admiration for photography into a passion for storytelling and cultural preservation of her Samoan heritage
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The healing lens

Three BYUH students share photography serves as a therapeutic outlet for self-expression, emotional processing and personal growth
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When words fail and pictures fade

BYUH student writers and photographers ponder the limitations of literature and photography saying by combining them, they can tell compelling stories
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An authentic experience with film photography

Perfect imperfection, unique lighting and the suspense of waiting to see what gets developed, are why photographers say they use film
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Putting things into perspective

Framing an image and a narrative calls for a specific choice of perspective, say student photographers and writer
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The art of finding balance

Graduation speaker, Rosalind Pedron says her success is rooted in the balance she found between academics, faith, family, community and motherhood

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen retires

Gisele Bundchen made her final appearance on the catwalk in her home country of Brazil during the Sao Paulo Fashion Week for Colcci. Bundchen announced her retirement by posting on her Instagram account saying, “Today, after 20 years in the industry, it is a privilege to be doing my last fashion show by choice and yet still be working in other facets of the business. I am grateful that at 14, I was given the opportunity to start this journey.”Bundchen is the world’s highest paid model according to Forbes magazine. Her retirement is the conclusion of her infamous 20-year long career that included representing brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Chanel, Carolina Herrera and Pantene.Bundchen was born and raised in the southern Brazililan state of Rio Grande do Sul. She began her modeling when she was discovered by a modeling agency at age 14. During that time, she placed second in a U.S. nationwide contest and then moved to New York to immerse herself in the fashion industry on the runways there.After moving to New York, Bundchen became a fashion sensation by modeling for top name brands. Her appearance of her freckled face, dirty blonde hair, long-legged and curves made her the notorious face of the fashion industry and runways.Hannah Packard, a senior majoring in EXS from California said, “With Gisele leaving, now there is a place for me on the Victoria’s Secret team. I am happy that Gisele is taking the opportunity to retire to spend time with her family and take time for herself. She has probably made enough money to last seven supermodel lifetimes.”According to the Associated Press, Bundchen out-earned her NFL Quarterback husband Tom Brady in 2014 with netting an estimated amount of $47 million in contracts according to Forbes, thus, making her the highest-paid model in the industry.Bundchen’s retirement of the runway will not be the final contribution to the fashion industry. According to Buzzfeed, Bundchen still has her two fashion lines, one of which is for sandals and the other for lingerie. Alyssa Walhood, a senior majoring in English from Oregon said, “ Gisele leaving is the end of an era for the angels.”Uploaded May 21, 2015

Elder Groberg says sequel to “The Other Side of Heaven” will be continued tribute to President Monson’s vision of preserving Church history

The sequel to the 2001 film “The Other Side of Heaven” will be released on June 28. Chronicling the real-life missionary experiences of Elder John H. Groberg, “The Other Side of Heaven 2” is again directed by Mitch Davis, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Faculty, a student and Elder Groberg himself said the next part of the story is worth telling.

RadioShack bankruptcy not a shocker

BYU-Hawaii students and faculty were unfazed when news came that RadioShack would be closing their doors. The nearly hundred-year-old retail chain is gearing up to shut down shops after a bankruptcy deal that would leave about half of its stores in the hands of Sprint Corporation, and close the rest, according to Bloomberg Business. Sprint would operate the locations under their own name, leaving RadioShack obsolete and nonexistent.“This is well overdue,” said Alex Milne, a sophomore from California studying business. “RadioShack hasn’t really kept up with the pace of technology and that’s probably one of the biggest reasons why they’re in this situation.”In a recent news release, Sprint stated the agreement would allow them to expand by approximately 1,750 stores. Sprint also stated the stores will exclusively sell mobile devices across Sprint’s brand as well as RadioShack products, services and accessories. “I’m hoping that this will create a better service for Sprint customers,” said Ivy Wade, a sophomore from Indiana studying graphic design.RadioShack has recently been trying to move away from their static image as a go-to electronic parts retailer. However, despite rebranding and various marketing strategies, CNET Magazine, a leader in tech product reviews and news, reported the corporation had to close up to 1,100 of their stores in 2014 because of underperformance.“I’m not surprised that they’re closing, I’m actually surprised that they’ve lasted this long,” said Professor Joshua Smith, a computer and information services professor at BYUH. “Why go to a store 30 minutes away when I can get the same things online and for cheaper.”The deal will mark the final action for a corporation that has been around since 1921 when it began as a mail-order retailer for amateur ham-radio operators and maritime officers, Bloomberg reported. RadioShack will begin their final round of sales at their various 1,700 locations this weekend, according to Wall Street Journal.Uploaded Feb. 16

BYUH alumni say Jeff Collins’ ability to connect emotionally through films makes them impactful

Jeff Collins said he has always had a passion for video making, but considered it a hobby until he entered the 2020 Faith Counts video competition. After receiving an honorable mention in the highly competitive contest, he credited his success to his time at Ke Alaka‘i for allowing him to develop his creativity and talent.

Las Vegas shooting leaves BYUH students grateful for work of first responders

The Las Vegas shooting massacre on Oct. 1 left 58 people dead and over 500 left injured, according to ABC News, making it the deadliest single day shooting in American history. BYU-Hawaii students with ties to Vegas are shocked after the shooting but amazed by the bravery exemplified by first respondents.

New Zealand Student Association gives students a peek into their culture during Maori cultural activity

During a Maori cultural activity hosted by the New Zealand Student Association, members who were non-natives said they enjoyed learning Maori traditions, while natives said they felt closer to home.

Thanksgiving in Hawaii

Hawaii has only been part of the United States of America since 1959, and Hawaiian traditions are still deeply embedded into the modern Hawaiian-American culture, including Thanksgiving. Before Hawaii adopted the traditional American Thanksgiving, they had Thanksgiving traditions of their own.Makahiki lasted four months, November through February, and was known as a season of thanksgiving for the harvest. Members from each district would offer fish, pigs, and vegetables at an altar, “which sat on the boundary of each ahupua‘a (land-division). The warlord of each district would pass through, collect the goods, and sponsor a huge feast,” according hawaiimagazine.com.Makahiki was a time when rival tribes were not allowed to fight. The rainy winter weather often prevented the people from working, so they spent their time having surfing competitions, boxing and wrestling matches, and eating, as said in hawaiimagazine.comThen, in 1849, King Kamehameha III declared December 31st a national holiday of Thanksgiving in hopes of strengthening the relations between Hawaii and the United States, Hawaii Magazine reported. This was 14 years before United States President Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday of November to be a national holiday of Thanksgiving.Napualani Watson, a student from Hawaii, said of Thanksgiving, “It’s more of an American thing. It’s not really traditional for us to celebrate it, so we just celebrate it like Americans do.”Other students at BYU-Hawaii are embracing their Hawaiian heritage and are finding ways to incorporate Hawaiian traditions with American traditions during the season of Thanksgiving.“Every day is a day of thanks for any Hawaiian. Thanksgiving is an American holiday,” said Alena Nu’uhiwa Pule, a student from Hawaii.Keli’i Mawae, a junior studying business finance from Hawaii, said, “I come from a fishing family, so most of the time we always had fish alongside our turkey or sometimes no turkey at all. Actually, it was very seldom that we had turkey, mostly all types of seafood instead.”“The bowl of poi that we made would be huge, and we all shared the same bowl to signify the joining and unity of the family,” Mawae added

Catch a glimpse of Oahu’s rich history by learning about its sacred locations

From a sacred cliff where hundreds of soldiers lost their lives fighting for unity in the Hawaiian Islands to a haunted cave thought to be the home of a shark god that kills visitors, and from a palace that hosted a luau of more than 10,000 people to a healing temple that now connects volunteers to the ‘aina, Oahu is full of sacred places.

Fidelish Metta shares her experience on PNG singing contest

Fidelish Metta, commonly known as Filly, a junior from Papua New Guinea studying Pacific Island Studies and social work, shared her journey to BYU-Hawaii after placing 2nd at a major talent competition back in her home country.