University recognizes Dr. Victor Kaufusi at the 2023 annual employee appreciation dinner
The love of teaching and the love he has for his students has led Victor Kaufusi to become the chosen professor for the Award of Teaching in Ho’omaika’i employee appreciation night.
Victor Kaufusi is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work and the director of Field Education who received the award during the annual event held this year on Feb. 16 in the Cannon Activities Center. He said his main goal and focus as a professor at BYU–Hawaii is to inspire his students to go home and have a desire to make a difference in the world, which reflect the value and what they learn from BYUH.
“I love students. Everything I do is for the students, and I want them to know that they can feel it. When I teach, they can feel I’m there. I’m passionate,” said Kaufusi. He explained his accomplishment of teaching comes from the love he has for his students, and they motivate him to be a good teacher.
Kaufusi said one of the inspirations he wants to inspire students is through his own story of becoming a professor at BYUH. He said it is the greatest career accomplishment for him as a pacific islander student who wouldn’t have much opportunity to receive higher education.
Before becoming a professor, he said he began his journey as a normal student at BYUH as every student here. He said he has gone through exactly the same as what most students are going through, so it makes him able to understand and be sympathetic for his students.
“I represent everything you guys are [including] struggle, pain, hardships, probably families and working hard for you to be here. I represent you. I’m also represented indicative of we can overcome, and we can become. We can start to assure this new generation of learners because of our accomplishments,” said Kaufusi.
He continued, “I just recognize you, the students. I can feel. I can sense what you guys go through, and that literally pushes me everyday to come to work to be my best, so I want to thanks the students for just being you. I just want to thank the students for giving me this platform and this opportunity to be here [at this] university.
Kaufusi added everything he does here as a teacher is because it is his passion to teach and to love the people and students. He said he wants to be a good influence and inspiration as well as being inspired by his students.