I LOVE BYU–HAWAII, a closed Facebook group, launched on April 11 and within one week gathered more than 11,000 members. The group seeks to unite alumni, students, and general fans of the university to “talk story” and express their love for BYUH, said organizers.
In the weeks since its creation, members from all stages of life have posted stories spanning decades of Culture Nights, meeting spouses, school dances, Hawaiian recipes, and gospel conversion stories. Incoming students have connected with alumni from the days of the Church College of Hawaii and everything in between. The group is unofficial, but the rapid outpouring of support has already exceeded the expectations of the group, according to alumnus and page administrator Richie Norton.
The idea to create this page came from Norton, the bestselling author of “Resumes are Dead and What to Do About It” and “The Power of Starting Something Stupid.”
As he stated in the opening post of the Facebook group, “I started this [Facebook] group called ‘I Love BYU–Hawaii’ at 2 a.m. while sitting on the beach in Arizona... dreaming of Hukilau. It’s just for fun, but I think it could help some people around the world in fulfilling their part of the BYUH mission.
“I want it to be an easy resource to connect my BYUH friends in a very organic and authentic way. A place where we can share openly with people who hold the same values (without worrying about making other people jealous because they don’t understand how awesome it is at BYUH).”
For this particular project, Norton teamed up with Bobby Akoi, director of Protocol and Community Relations at Polynesian Cultural Center, and Jan Lesuma, former BYUH Student Body President who now works at LDS Philanthropies.
“[We] thought it would be fun to connect some of our faculty, admin, students and alumni,” said Norton. “It was intended to be a small group of people who love BYUH so we could discuss (unofficially) how to do our small part to continue to support the mission. It’s intended to be a place where conversations happen naturally, authentically and meaningfully. Then, it blew up to over 10,000 raving fans of BYUH in less than four days. I talked with the people at the Alumni Association and Communications Department and they said they appreciate the support.”
Akoi, originally a double major in travel industry management and elementary education starting in 1972, said he came back to Laie to work at PCC while working on his master’s degree, but he never left PCC.
Having acted as president of the Alumni Association for several years, Akoi said, “Our job was to connect our alumni, and during those times in the ‘90s, we did it by newsletter,” he said. “But now, with technology like Facebook, it’s boom, boom, boom, boom. People are just chiming right in.
“There are just amazing, amazing testimonies, and experiences that all these students have,” Akoi continued. “Every student has their story. Now they have a platform where they can share it and everyone can relate to it, because everyone went through it.”
Besides reminiscing about the great glory days of BYUH, members have started to use the group as a networking tool to start new ideas and big projects. “It’s already happening naturally,” said Norton. “We are brainstorming big projects like breaking world records for ‘the world’s largest luau in the world’ and ‘the world’s largest lei in the world’ as either a fundraiser, community builder or awareness generator. We are talking about doing scholarships. We are talking about faculty that passed on.
“We are sharing memories and pictures and just having a blast. This group has no agenda. It’s spontaneous,” Norton continued. “It will only stay alive if it stays useful. I hope students will see needs, create small projects around their big ideas and reach out to their faculty, staff and admin for help. If the I LOVE BYU–HAWAII group proves to be helpful too, so be it. People will naturally go to what is working.”
When asked for his parting words to BYUH students and his advice on how they could use their networks, social media, and the rest of the resources at the school to further their dreams and ambitions, Norton said, “Don’t wait, start stuff. Wherever you are, with whatever you have. Don’t wait until you graduate to start a big idea with a small project.
“Leverage the amazing power of your faculty! You may never have such close interaction with these brilliant minds dedicated to your success again. If you start now and reach out to your teachers, you will go places you never even dreamed of going.”