Ke Alaka'i Homepage

Paper cranes filled the Brigham Young University-Hawaii campus as part of a marketing campaign for the Ke Alaka’i. The cranes were scattered throughout campus on Friday, September 26th for students to collect.“We knew we wanted to do something that would draw attention to the magazine, but be mutually beneficial at the same time. That’s when we thought of the cranes. At first, we were only going to make a couple hundred, but 1000 just had a ring to it,” said Austin Meldrum, a senior majoring in international cultural studies from Colorado and creator of the 1000 Cranes Movement at BYUH explained.When opened, each crane featured a short biography of one of five leaders.Meldrum explained, “These fliers are one of five people. We chose people who inspired us in our own lives, common figures, people from different cultures, races, genders, different walks of life, that are pretty recognizable and people we can all learn a lesson from.”The five people featured were Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Frida Kahlo, Bob Marley, and Erik Weihenmayer.“The students open the crane, read a short message, and hopefully leave inspired,” Meldrum continued. “They each have a story to tell. They each overcame a struggle.”Meldrum and Astle decided on paper cranes because in many cultures, cranes are symbolic of hope and wishes.“I feel like this project will spark people to think more creatively,” James Astle, co-founder of the 1000 Cranes Movement, added, “It’s a simple thing, but if the students take a second to open one little crane and read the message, it could change their outlook on the day. The project was meant to inspire people, and that’s hopefully what it did.”Astle continued, “The project was a chance to give the Ke Alaka’i a pair of their very own wings so they could lift the students higher than they’ve ever been. Although it may have been a shock, it is the start of a new campaign for marketing.”For a behind the scenes look on the project, watch the video at the Ke Alakai news YouTube channel.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkVUcXMLk8g&list=UUDE6VSNHRODNyU-Snpj711w

It isn’t uncommon to end up in an unexpected career path. According to Forbes, it is projected millennials can have up to “15 to 20 jobs over the course of their working lives!” This doesn’t come as a shock to many of the BYU-Hawaii professors on campus whose own lives tended to hold a similar pattern. “It’s nice to set goals, but don’t be disappointed if you end up somewhere different than you planned.” This advice from entrepreneur advisor Alex Martinez echoed various professors at BYUH who expected to be pursuing a career after graduation that had little to do with what they did end up pursuing.Earl Wyman, a TESOL professor, wanted to be a public school teacher. After a couple of years in teaching he continued his education and went to get a master in geography. Part way through he had this realization: “ I [had] no idea what to do with geography.” He discontinued his geography study and moved to Japan where he taught English for two years. There he became inspired to go back to school once more and get a master in TESOL, which led him to be a TESOL professor at BYUH. His advice to students about to graduate from this university is: “Don’t be afraid to change directions.” Cynthia Compton, a history professor, said it took her a long time to find the path she felt was right to pursue. This was mainly because she was receiving pressure “to be practical” in her major and career choice, but within herself she felt her “calling was history.” Compton had to sit in various business classes and experiment with different majors to recognize the path for her was history, and luckily she found that path in college. Her main advice to the students of BYUH is to “choose a major that makes you think and analyze deeply, because to choose a major based off of a career is to have faith in something that is disappearing. It is not a guarantee to get a job in your directed path.” She urged the students to study what they are passionate about and she said if students would do that then, “they would be ready for whatever is to come.” Jeff Merril, an art professor, never expected to be teaching at a university. He was laid off from his illustration job and, for the next few years, he continued in freelance painting. To further his practice he made it back to school for a Masters of Fine Arts. Even then he did not expect to end up at a university teaching painting, but as the opportunity unfolded he accepted and has enjoyed working here. His advice to all students is to “keep doing your art and keep learning.”Alex Martinez, now a missionary in the entrepreneur department, expected to be working on Wall Street. He had studied electrical engineering, then went on to study in the electric power industry but quickly realized he was not enjoying the content of his studies. This realization led him to switch to pursuing an MBA where he felt a deep connection. He never finished his MBA but he understood the principles enough to lead him into the healthcare industry where he found most of his success. Though his career progression was far from his expectations he felt each step prepared him for the next opportunity. Pattie Sellers, editor of Fortune Magazine, coined the metaphor, “Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder.” Lori Goler, senior director of marketing at eBay added to this metaphor by saying, “Ladders are limiting— people can move up or down, on or off. Jungle gyms offer more creative exploration. There is only one way to get to the top of the ladder, but there are many ways to get to the top of a jungle gym.”

The new year brought tragedy to the surfing community when 24-year-old professional surfer, Ricardo dos Santos, was allegedly shot by an off-duty police officer in front of his family home in the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina. CNN affiliate Record News reported the officer and dos Santos were arguing, and the altercation ended in the off-duty officer shooting three bullets in dos Santos’ chest. Though doctors performed four surgeries on dos Santos but were unable to stop the bleeding. He passed away on Jan. 20. Luke Shum, a sophomore majoring in accounting and an avid North Shore surfer from California, said, “He was a role model for me because he was the anomaly. No one expected him to succeed because of where he came from, and then out of the wood works comes Ricardo, consistently riding the craziest tube.”According to witness reports, the off-duty officer was identified as Luis Paulo Mota Brentano. Brentano has been arrested but claims he shot dos Santos in self-defense, according to Record News.“He represented all of us very well and was very well recognized for his hard work and also was a very good person,” said Gabriel Medina, Brazil’s first surfing world champion. “There are certain things that we do not understand.”Surfer Magazine praised dos Santos as “a fearless, world-class tuberider” who “captured the surf world’s attention” at the 2012 Billabong Pro event in Tahiti, for which he took home the Andy Irons Forever Inspiration Award. Dos Santos also broke Kelly Slater’s 11-time winning streak when he won world champion in 2012. In addition, dos Santos won the Surfline Wave of the Winter for riding an “incredibly deep, blue, massive pipeline tube.” Slater and other surfers in Hawaii paddled out to form a circle in tribute of the late dos Santos this past week. Slater later wrote on his Instagram, “Condolences to Ricardo’s friends and family around the world. Our small community has lost another way too soon.”Though there have been conflicting reports about the intention of the police officer in the altercation and whether or not dos Santos wielded a weapon, the surf champion will be missed. When it comes to mourning the loss of such great talent, Paul Kiering, a junior majoring in psychology from the Big Island of Hawaii, said it best: “The surf community shares a bond to each other as strong as the bond we feel to every wave we ride. I never knew Ricardo dos Santos personally, but I know that his legacy will carry on.”Uploaded Jan. 29 2015

Critics of Black Friday shopping speculate pushing stores to open the morning of Thanksgiving will ruin the spirit of the holiday. Shopping centers all across Oahu are pairing up with local news sources to announce even earlier store openings than last year.Jaime Apiatu, a junior from Washington D.C., said, “I’m not an avid shopper, but I know people who are, and when Black Friday hits, they are completely different people.” Apiatu explained his love from Thanksgiving came from large family gatherings every year and “feeling the love” from all around. “Capitalism and our incessant need for the ‘next big thing’ is threatening this feeling,” Apiatu said.According to media analyst, Megan Marsden Christensen, shoppers can already preview “Black Friday” deals and some won’t even have to leave their homes to shop. “On Thanksgiving morning, Walmart customers will be able to purchase select items without leaving their house,” Christensen reported.It’s not just this year that attention is being given to the increasing in material consumption. Last year, UPS reports asking major online retail companies like Amazon, Ebay, etc. to “not make the mistake of offering free overnight shipping as late as Dec. 23rd.” Though this promise increased sales, “carriers just cannot deliver every late and procrastinated purchase,” explained the UPS official report.Time Magazine explains it’s not the corporation’s fault Thanksgiving is being ruined by Christmas shopping, “our shop-anytime-anywhere culture demands it.” Big department stores have no option but to open earlier to combat the competition. Masses of otherwise avid Black Friday Shoppers denounced earlier store openings despite the fact it is what they demanded themselves.Staying open for 24 hours straight also calls into question the ethics of Black Friday. Last holiday season, word leaked that Macy’s issued a poll amongst employees to see if they would be willing to work starting at 7:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, while also implicitly stating they might be called in to work whether they put down yes or no on their poll.This Black Friday brings to light the backdoor happenings of the corporation-stricken population in America today. Rachel Leota, a freshman majoring in English, said, “Whether or not I wait in line the night before or early in the morning on Friday, Thanksgiving still warmed me up better than a hot deal at a department store.”