BYU–Hawaii professors, Rebekah Strain and Ann Springer, say nature provides for them a much-needed escape from life’s distractions. Reconnecting with nature and viewing the world from the top of a mountain, Strain said, helps her to see problems from a new perspective and has given her peace, solace and healing.

Just before the closing hymn at the April 2020 General Conference, which included a worldwide, multi-lingual choir singing “We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet,” President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced eight new temples. The temples announced included one in Dubai, United Arab Emirates– the Church’s first official temple in the Middle East, according to Church Newsroom.

One of the largest manhunts in California’s history ended Feb. 12 when Los Angeles ex-police officer Christopher Dorner’s body was identified among charred remains of a burned down cabin in Big Bear Lake, Calif. “Medical examiners have positively identified the body of the renegade former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner, the man authorities say killed four people and wounded three others in a vendetta against his old comrades,” Matt Smith of CNN wrote. Along with the nation, members of the BYU-Hawaii ohana were shocked by the police officer becoming a killer. “You can tell he wasn’t well to do what he did. Sometimes people go bad,” said Roy Yamamoto, director of BYUH’s Campus Safety and Security. “I don’t know all of the issues in his personal life, but there might be something that may have caused him to go bad. That’s why we need to be aware of everything, including in our own area, in our own families sometimes.” Yamamoto urged staff and students to report incidents to help prevent situations like this. “He definitely had issues but he was also hypocritical. He was against all these bad people but he himself was a bad person,” said Jordon Furtado, a sophomore majoring in social work from Oahu. “Personally, since my father is a police officer, that kind of hit home that some police officer would go rouge and would kill other police officers,” he added. According to CNN, Dorner was fired from the Los Angeles Police force in 2009 for falsely claiming that a training officer whom he worked with kicked a subdued suspect. Dorner appealed his discharge in court but was unsuccessful in doing so. As a result, he launched a killing spree against the LAPD, targeting officers and their families. He wrote a 23-page manifesto describing his contempt for the LAPD and the higher-ups in the police force saying nothing has changed since the 1990 scandals. The first of the killings happened on Feb. 3. Monica Quan, the daughter of Dorner’s police representative and her fiancé, Keith Lawrence, were killed by Dorner. Police said he then killed Michael Crain, an officer from Riverside and wounded Cain’s partner in their patrol car on Feb. 7 in an apparent ambush. “I know most of you who personally know me are in disbelief to hear from media reports that I am suspected of committing such horrendous murders and have taken drastic and shocking actions in the last couple of days,” Dorner wrote in his manifesto. “I’m not an aspiring rapper, I’m not a gang member... I am an American by choice, I am a son, I am a brother, I am a military service member, I am a man who has lost complete faith in the system, when the system betrayed, slandered, and libeled me,” Dorner’s manifesto says. Dorner barricaded himself in a cabin in Big Bear, standing off with police in a shootout that ended when tear gas launched into the cabin sparked a fire, burning Dorner and causing his death.

Mongolian students who were part of the SION choir band that reached the semifinal of “Mongolia’s Got Talent” said the experience helped them grow as individuals. Members of the choir said their time on the show provided a way to share the gospel through their music.

Students filled the Hale 2 lounge on Feb. 25 to hear advice about multicultural dating that included having open communication, acceptance, hard work, selflessness and faith. The event was hosted by Residential Life and Title IX. There were students and bishops from Tonga, Samoa, Japan, Philippines, and New Zealand who addressed students’ concerns on what makes a multicultural relationship work, and whether it’s worth getting into a multicultural relationship.

The Miss America 2020 competition aired last month on NBC and students may have seen the familiar face of BYU–Hawaii student and Miss Hawaii Nikki Holbrook. She is a business management junior who was born and raised in California but calls Hawaii her home.

Travelling more than 3,000 miles to show the culture of their island nation, performance group Cook Islands National Arts Theatre have made a temporary village at the Polynesian Cultural Center for a six-week run from July 17 to Aug. 24.

Six students from the Political Science Department attended the United Nations conference in New York to present their research papers on indigenous issues from April 24-28.

Lightning struck again as the University of Connecticut Huskies won both the 2014 men’s and women’s basketball National Championships. 10 years ago, UConn accomplished the same feat—The only school ever to do so.On Monday, April 6, an unlikely No. 7-seeded UConn men’s basketball team beat No. 8 seeded Kentucky in a tight championship game 60-54. The next night, the 1st seeded and undefeated UConn women’s team steam-rolled undefeated Notre Dame 79-58, marking another historic moment as the first time in NCAA women’s basketball history that two undefeated teams faced each other in the title game. “I think it was really impressive that both teams won and I think that it says a lot about the school and it’s coaches,” said freshman Denise Davis, and exercise science major from Cobleskill, New York, “Clearly, UConn knows what they are looking for in both coaches and players.”The Lady Huskies finished with an impressive 40-0 record and an even more impressive record of 13-0 in national title games. This is the fifth time Coach Geno Auriemma has led the women’s team to an unbeaten season and the ninth time that he has won the National Championship. A solid senior class, especially senior center Breanna Steward, who won the Associated Press Player of the Year award, led the women’s team to one of the best years in school history. “It means we’ve done something no one else has ever done,” said Coach Auriemma. “I’m flattered and grateful and all things that come with this kind of accomplishment.”Unlike the women’s team, the men’s run at the national title came as a complete surprise to college basketball. This years’ NCAA tournament was full of surprises and upsets that pitted No. 7 seed UConn against the No. 8-seeded Kentucky Wildcats. The Huskies were led all tournament by Senior Shabazz Napier, who had 22 points in the national championship game. “I see my guys enjoying it,” said Napier. “That’s the most special feeling ever.” With the win, UConn became the lowest seeded team to win the national championship since the 1985 Villanova squad.