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BYU-Hawaii student’s eyes are open to the power of social media in the wake of a massive fundraiser for New York schools by the creator of Humans of New York.Humans of New York photo-blogger Brandon Stanton raised over one million dollars in less than a week for underprivileged youth at Mott Hall Bridges Academy, a middle school in Brooklyn. Over 38,000 individuals helped to fund the project for youth in one of New York’s roughest neighborhoods, donating from $1 to $100, according to NBC News. Melinda Pike, a BYU-H alumnus, said, “With the click of a button, we can tell everyone we know about a friend who is in need of help. With the click of a button, they can donate or share their resources in order to help.”Stanton and Humans of New York broke the Indiegogo record for most funded project in the history of the site and they did it in record time. Yahoo News reports the money will be used to fund three different programs at the school for the next decade: a Harvard trip, a summer program, and an annual scholarship for one outstanding scholar.Yahoo News reported principal Nadia Lopez as saying, “This is a neighborhood that doesn’t necessarily expect much from our children, so at Mott Hall Bridges Academy we set our expectations very high. We don’t call the children ‘students,’ we call them ‘scholars.’”Stanton has been receiving a lot of publicity from supporters all around the nation; even President Obama has recognized the Humans of New York blog. He recognized the good the blog and its supporters has done for underprivileged New York Schools.Pres. Obama recently met with the Principal Lopez and Vidal Chastanet, a student from the school from whom the inspiration for the Indiegogo project came. According to Humans of New York, Pres. Obama was inspired by the work of Stanton and the positive outlook on life Lopez was instilling in the children. He invited Stanton, Lopez, and Chastanet to the Oval Office and offered some advice and words of encouragement: "Usually life is not a straight line. We don't do things alone. Nobody does things alone," Obama said. "Everybody always needs support. You'll have a lot of people supporting you out there. You just gotta make sure you seize those opportunities." Reif Tauati, a senior studying computer science from the Big Island said, “The internet was the most important invention in the last 200 years. Good people use this connectivity to bring like-minded people together in a way that was impossible in every other age since the beginning of time.”Pike added, “We saw with the A.L.S. challenge how powerful social media can be for good. It is when we hear empowering stories of social media being used as a tool for good around the world that we realize its true potential. It is important that media sources continue to share positive stories of social media successes.”Uploaded Feb.16, 2015

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

Dating isn’t always a fairytale, according to students at BYU-Hawaii who shared their dating horror stories. “My senior prom was a disaster. My date ended up ditching me,” said freshman Kamille Foster, majoring in political science. Plus, the date left her to hook up with one of her best friends. Students said dances were some of the most memorable parts of high school, and there are always great stories to go along with them. Freshman McKenna Brown said one of her worst date experiences happened as she went to a dance. While she and her date were on their way to the dance, there wasn’t much to talk about so she said they listened to the same song on repeat for the hour drive.Dating can be awkward, especially when you don’t know the person very well. First dates are spent trying to make good impressions and both people are hoping for a fun night where they can get to know each other better. Tanner Cheel, a sophomore majoring in marketing, said he had hopes for a great first date, but it didn’t quite end with a happily ever after. “The date started out great. I went with a girl I had been interested in and I was excited to get to know her. Turns out she had a serious dark side,” he said.A junior majoring in exercise science spilled her worst date story that was jaw-dropping. She said as a senior in high school, her boyfriend left on his mission and she was determined to wait for his return at home. During her first year in college, however, she met man and fell for him, leaving her with a decision to make. Deciding to pursue things with the new guy she had met at school, she wrote her missionary and explained she was going to date other boys for the remainder of his mission and maybe things could work out between them later in the future. “I went right up to the guy I was crushing on the next day in class and asked him out on a date. I was so nervous, but he wasn’t making the first move so I figured that I should,” she said. “While we were on the date, I was still feeling courageous so I told him how I felt. Well long story short, it turns out he wasn’t into girls.” Uploaded Feb. 13, 2015

The time of year has come around for chocolates, candlelit dinners, late night walks on the beach, and listening to love songs. Students around BYU-Hawaii shared their favorite love songs they listen to. “Love You Like a Love Song” by Selena Gomez is Ese Tualetonu's from American Samoa, a sophomore in Social Work and a minor in TESOL, favorite love song. Cole Madsen, a freshman in Biology from Washington, says that his favorite love song is “Lips are Movin’” by Meghan Trainor. “It doesn’t just apply romantically, but also to relationships with friends, so it doesn’t have to be romantic if you don’t want it to be.”Sara Soakai, a graduate from BYUH and now an orbit and regional planner, says that her favorite song is “At Last” by Etta James, “because it is a classic and was sung at my wedding.”“Fields of Gold,” the Celtic Women version, is Ryan Mok's, a junior majoring in English from Hong Kong’s love song of choice. “I can picture myself into the song somehow. Someday I will find that perfect lady and walk along those fields with her someday when we are old and we will have gone through our lives together. We can sit back one day and see how far we’ve gone.”Lauren Ockey, a senior majoring in peacebuilding from Utah, said that her favorite song is “Love, Love, Love” by Avalanche City. She added, “It always makes me happy. I love to listen to it. It reminds me of good times and makes me want to be in love.”Since he loves the movie Tarzan, Zachary Edwards, a senior in business management and finance from Texas, said his favorite love song is “Strangers like Me” by Phil Collins. “She’s Everything” by Brad Paisley is Simi Napa’a, a freshman majoring in math from Tonga, favorite love song. “It describes girls. I really like the lyrics.”Country love ballads are also a favorite for Lindsey Ferrin, a junior in psychology from Oklahoma. “Time is Love” by Josh Turner is her love song pick. “I like it because he has the best voice, and it’s so real when you spend time with that person, because every minute matters.”Ping Liu, a freshman majoring in TESOL from China, says “Close Your Eyes” by Michael Buble is her favorite love ballad. “I like the lyrics. The singer’s voice is so comfortable and I love to listen to him.”“I love island music,” Whitley Haimin, a senior in exercise and sports science from Utah said. “Don’t Let Go” by Spawnbreezie is her pick. “It’s my favorite song by him.”Andrew Lang, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry from Oregon, said that “Babe” by Styx and “When You Kiss Me” by Shania Twain are his favorite love songs.Savvy Jensen, a sophomore in hospitality and tourism management from Washington said, “Doin’ What She Likes” by Blake Shelton is her favorite song because “my best friend sang it to me.”“(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You” by ‘N Sync is Josh Wallace, a sophomore in music percussion from California’s favorite, because “I wanna say that about my wife.”Kea Sprout, a freshman in vocal performance from Hawaii, said “You and I” by Michael Buble is the best. “Its how love should be." Jacqueline Rasmussen, a senior and majoring in chemistry education from Nevada, said “Better Together” by Jack Johnson is her favorite. “I like Jack Johnson. I like his guitar playing and he lives in Hawaii.”Uploaded Feb. 13, 2015

Every February brings a holiday identified by giant teddy bears, heart shaped boxes, red roses, candy hearts, make-out sessions at each corner, and the enormous social pressure to be one of those couples called Valentine’s Day rolls around. Students at BYUH have diverse feelings about Valentine’s Day. For some, it is just another day to express love to their family, others feel like the holiday is pointless and some feel like it is another reminder of their failure in the search for “the one.” Rachel Lastoria, a junior studying English from Missouri, called the holiday a “hallmark holiday,” saying it makes her sick. “Honestly, it makes me want to throw up. I feel like it is for couples who want to put on Facebook how happy they are,” Lastoria continued, “It’s not even a real holiday. The decorations and stuff like that are irritating. There is no point to this holiday. The purpose is purely for couples to have another excuse to go on an expensive date.” Not every single student finds the holiday revolting, however. Zachary Giles, a junior from England studying Anthropology, feels like this holiday is more of “a celebration about human affection.” “I think it’s a cute holiday,” Giles admitted, “If you have a special someone then you can go and do something with them, but for me it’s just more about celebrating love. It doesn’t have to be about romantic couples. My family Valentine’s Day is an opportunity not just to show romantic love, but familial love.”Ofa Fetuli, a sophomore from Tonga majoring in accounting, agrees with Giles. Fetuli said her family is what she thinks about on Valentine’s Day. “The most important thing for me is family, because I’m in Hawaii and my family is back home I always think about them. We always do fun activities together, like making hearts and sharing with each other how we love each other.” Fetuli hopes to be able to continue that tradition here with her boyfriend. There are students, though, who have a significant other, who have strong feelings towards Valentine’s Day. Makenzie Hill, a freshman from Kansas studying psychology, has a boyfriend and thinks of Valentine’s Day as a reminder of one’s individual single status. “The problem is that it’s that holiday that comes around and reminds everybody that they’re single.” Hill said that this year will be different because she is possibly going to have plans with her boyfriend. “It finally won’t come around and be like #foreveralone. I’m excited for Valentine’s Day for the first time in forever because I actually have a boyfriend,” Hill said excitedly with a big smile on her face. Whether the holiday is about pleasing a significant other, exchanging love with family or another step in pursuing “the one,” Valentine’s Day will have many different critics on campus. Uploaded Feb. 13, 2015.