Employees of BYUH come together in celebration of their time and service at the university
Buffet tables enticed guests with a wide selection of cheesecakes, green salad topped with lilikoi dressing, roasted pork, mashed potatoes and gravy as a disco ball whirled overhead, sprinkling light fragments over the Cannon Activities Center on Feb. 15. The Ho'omaika'i Employee Appreciation Night was prepared to recognize BYU–Hawaii employees who have served BYUH for anywhere between five and 50 years. At the center of the stage stood Sammy Johnson, a native Australian singer who serenaded the crowd with melodies that filled the air.
Keni Reid, the emcee of the night, an alumnus of BYUH and the chief of staff in the Office of the President, emphasized the significance of the event to both him and the BYUH President’s Council. He stressed that the event serves as a crucial opportunity to annually honor BYUH’s employee.
Reid highlighted the primary goal of the occasion, which is to ensure that every faculty member and staff at BYUH feels valued and cherished for their contributions to campus life. “Being in the President’s Office and working closely with the President’s Council, we know that we provide leadership and guidance, but it’s ultimately at the ground level that actually gets work done.” Reid said it is always a great feeling seeing employees come with their families, interact with each other and have a great time.
Celebrating more than 15 years of service, President Galea’i, the executive chef of Food Services from Laie, shared his deep gratitude, “It is a tremendous blessing for me to return and be part of BYUH’s family.” He further expressed his love for the spirit of the university, which he said imbues it with a sense of home. Galea’i emphasized the numerous opportunities he has had to serve the students and highlighted the importance of showcasing Food Service for its meaningful contribution to the event. In his concluding remarks, Galea’i offered advice to all BYUH students who might read his message, urging them to be fearless and steadfast in their pursuit of truth and righteousness as they embark on their future careers.
Charlene Feinga-Latu, a Financial Aid counselor and supervisor from Laie, celebrated 15 years of service at BYUH alongside her husband, Alipate Latu. She expressed her excitement for the event, stating, “It’s wonderful to sit with friends from other departments and witness professors coming together to express appreciation for each other, which is something we don't often have the opportunity to do as professors and employees.” She continued, “The entertainment was delightful and the dinner was delicious, which made the evening even more enjoyable for my family and me.”
Sione Feinga Award
Jill Nakachi, the office manager for the Faculty of Sciences, was awarded the Sione Feinga Award. This award is given to employees who show dedication, leadership and service and is given in honor of Sione Feinga, one of the Church’s labor missionaries who dedicated most of his life to service, according to a previous Ke Alaka’i article.
Nakachi said it was an honor to receive this award. She added, “Although I have never met Sione Feinga, he is remembered as a loving father who gave many years of service, which showed his dedication to God.”
Nakachi said she had seen many great examples of service throughout her life. “I try to follow Christ's teachings by extending love to others,” she said. She said having a friendly smile and saying kind words is something everyone can use during their day.
Being genuinely interested in the lives of students and getting to know them is something she truly enjoys, said Nakachi. Building relationships allows people to be “kind and spontaneously extend ourselves to someone in need while following the guidance of the Spirit,” she shared.
V. Napua Baker Award
Rachel Kekaula, the Counseling Services director at Counseling Services, was given the V. Napua Baker Award. According to the Human Resources website, this award is given to employees who demonstrate commitment to the mission and vision of the university and show excellent leadership and ethical behaviors.
Kekaula said she does not like being in the spotlight but felt blessed to be awarded. “I try to stay away from recognition and attention. But yet again, I feel so honored and blessed because it is such a prestigious award to be recognized,” she continued.
Kekaula said she has been working at BYU–Hawaii for five years. She said she was a special instructor for the first two years and then has spent the last three years in Counseling Services up to this present time. “Even though I received the award, I think it is a bigger reflection of the work that our team in Counseling Services is doing to raise awareness and decrease the stigma about mental health,” she said.
President’s Appreciation Awards
Rainn Takashima, the training manager in Human Resources, received the President’s Appreciation Award. She said, “Service is about going above and beyond to help and support others.” Life can be difficult and overwhelming, she said, but every time she has the opportunity to carry other people’s burdens, “I feel accomplished.”
Even if it is just helping someone out with their login on Workday or facilitating training for students, “Being able to make a positive impact is incredibly rewarding,” Takashima shared.
She said many employees around campus exhibit great dedication and hard work in what they do. “I feel honored that I was chosen to receive this award,” she added.
Maelani Valentine, the front office supervisor and medical transcriptionist at Health Services, also received the President’s Appreciation Award. Her nominator said, “She goes above and beyond to help our health center team work efficiently.”
Valentine said she feels honored to be recognized with the award. BYUH has been a part of her life since birth, she said. Growing up, Valentine shared she was exposed to many activities on campus and it has been a big part of her family.
Valentine said assisting students with getting the requirements they need to enroll in classes, helping them stay healthy or assisting them in getting back into shape after getting injured might have contributed to her receiving the award. When students visit the Health Center, Valentine said she tries to picture her kids when they went away for college. She said besides not feeling well, students also feel homesickness. “I try to make them feel welcome and make them feel that we care for them,” she said.
“Some students may come for something else, but you can see that they are having a hard day,” said Valentine. She said they write small notes on their chart so the doctors or nurses can spend a bit more time to check if there was anything bothering them. “It’s good to be perceptive and take notes on not only what they say but how they act or react,” she shared.
She said one of the most extensive services they did in the Health Center was during the pandemic. When everyone was not allowed to go out because of the restrictions, Valentine said Health Center employees still had to report to work.
Valentine said she enjoys working with her co-workers. “They are like family,” she said. When she is having a hard time with her job and needs extra hands, she said her colleagues are always willing to help her.
Faculty Award for Scholarship
American folklorist and anthropologist Philip McArthur said it was an honor and privilege to be receive an award from his peers and faculty members for his scholarly work this year.
McArthur, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts, said he’s been teaching at BYUH for 29 years. He said he has taught a series of programs, like anthropology, cultural sustainability, integrated humanities and history classes about the Pacific. In his years of teaching at the university, he said he has seen a big shift from writing boards and chalk to the availability of technologies in every classroom.
McArthur said his passion and desire for scholarly endeavors started when he was young. He loves understanding and learning diverse ideas coming from people across the earth, he said. Growing up and studying other people’s worldviews, perspectives and philosophies helped him to be where he is now, he said.
“I liked the heaviness of theory and thinking about arguments through putting materials together. I also liked helping people through my projects and empowering them in some way,” he added.
McArthur said his research predominantly focuses on the Pacific Islands, specifically on the Marshall Islands where he served his mission more than 40 years ago. He said his projects and research were motivated by how the church members of the Marshall Islands live their lives.
Aside from teaching, he said he has dedicated his free time to do his scholarly work. He explained that every learning and experience shared during his class is meant to help students be invigorated and explore their interests.
McArthur said his future aspirations are to continue his scholarly endeavors. He has gathered materials from his research and projects that are still eligible for publication, he said, and he is also publishing a book this year about his research on the Pacific Islands.
McArthur shared that his hard work throughout the years while balancing teaching and his personal endeavors has helped him to become a better teacher and incorporate real-life lessons in his classes.
Faculty Award for Citizenship
Jeff Christensen’s passion for helping students become marketable in the career field paved the way for him to receive the Faculty Award for Citizenship.
Christensen, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Business & Government and the director of Center for Hospitality and Tourism at BYUH, said he has been teaching on campus for five years and has helped countless students network with the right people for their careers. He said his goal in coming to the university was for the students to recognize their divine potential before graduation.
“Our focus in HTM is on experiential learning. Hands-on learning is crucial to us. Rather than just learning theories in a book, we have to have a practical application to those theories,” he said.
Christensen said he felt a host of emotions while being awarded the Faculty Award for Citizenship. He said he felt humbled and blessed to receive the award from outside their department and have the university recognize his efforts. He said he keeps BYUH President John S. K. Kauwe III updated with the progress the department is making in certain countries in terms of tourism and other school-related projects involving students. The award only gave him the fire to keep going and keep inspiring young minds for excellence in their chosen fields, he shared.
“I did not realize that other faculty members noticed my efforts in helping students. Achieving this award meant a lot as a professor and a mentor at this university,” he said.
Christensen said throughout his five years of teaching, he worked closely with students, building up their confidence and skills in dealing with real-life experiences through travel groups. He said his recent trip to Arizona with selected students from the HTM department sparked ideas and interests among the students who are looking for ways to help their home country.
Envisioning the future, Christensen said they have been working more on student outreach programs. He said he is helping both domestic and international students to be ready to compete in the HTM global competition. Christensen is looking forward to doing mentoring programs that allow students to excel in their proposed projects or research for their career paths he shared.
Christensen said he is amazed to see students grasp the vision and the possibility of what they can achieve in their lives. He said he sees miracles happen to students as he watches how God fills in ideas and inspirations for what they can do as leaders in their home countries.
Adjunct Award
Caryn Houghton, an adjunct faculty member in the Faculty of Arts & Letters, said her love for art history started when she visited Rome, Italy. She said this passion grew when she started to consider the artistry of the pieces she looked at and the context behind them. She said the Adjunct Award meant a lot to her because producing art is something she enjoys and is passionate about.
She said the school has countless devoted adjunct professors who help contribute to its mission and vision. Receiving the award made her feel appreciative and humbled, she shared.
Houghton said as she worked for more than 15 years as an adjunct faculty member and uses a new class curriculum every semester. She shared she is always changing her teaching with something new and interesting. The opportunity to teach diverse students on campus made Houghton appreciate different human expressions in art and their ability to learn new materials in class, she said.
Houghton said she was hired as an adjunct faculty member at BYUH during Fall 2009. When she first started teaching, she said the visual arts classes varied in topic from Eurocentric art to global art history. A lecture that Houghton attended encouraged her to push the teaching of global art history rather than focusing on the Western side of the world, she shared.
Over time, she said her class discussions focused more on what it means to be a human. Houghton said she now discusses in her classes how the emotional state of a person can affect the way they create art and how it shapes perception among her students. She added that seeing her students go beyond their way of thinking about art helps her love what love what she is doing.
Houghton said she is grateful for the Edward D. Smith Center for Learning and Teaching, where she has learned teaching styles and how to make learning materials engaging and interesting. She said the Center’s help enabled her to be confident in her teaching.
Scheduling her time consistently has helped Houghton balance between her responsibilities as an adjunct faculty member and her personal commitments outside of her job. “Being dedicated and passionate about your interests will help you balance your time,” she said.
Looking ahead, Houghton said she will continue to teach and publish articles.