To kick off the 2019 Asia Pacific Career Conference, BYU–Hawaii President John S. Tanner and Vice President John Bell spoke to the 100 visiting employers. These employers came from all over Asia and the Pacific to search for potential employees and to provide more information for students.
With a theme of “We Belong Together,” speakers helped the employers to understand better what makes BYUH students different and why they should belong together.
“Aloha is more than a word,” said Tanner. “It is a way of saying love and communicating worth and spirit. We want you to feel something when you come to this campus. For us, it is the spirit of love and the gospel of Jesus Christ so many of us are committed to here.”
He added students and employers alike both come from a wide variety of backgrounds. “BYU–Hawaii is where people from various countries can learn mutual respect. That is needed in today’s world.”
Tanner then explained the flag circle that sits in front of the school symbolizes intercultural living, which he said makes the school unlike any other institution.
“When I think of the flag circle, I think of intercultural and international learning bound together by mutual respect, common values and common language. Each flag in the flag circle is equal distance from the center and none of them are higher than another. I like the symbolism of that circle. It says all the nations we represented are around a common purpose.”
According to Tanner, the APCC is an opportunity for people to come together, form new relationships and bring about brighter futures for students and employers alike.
Bell echoed the words of Tanner and discussed how BYUH’s educational program is set up so students after graduating are ready to enter the workforce.
“We see you as our partner, and we ask you to help us, to take them on. These [students] are people who are filled with integrity, who work hard, and who can be what the world needs today.”
Employers made their way around the Cannon Activities Center, visiting booths ran by students from different majors throughout campus. At the Natural Sciences booth, Emri Trainor, a junior from Colorado majoring in biology, said she wanted employers to realize the Natural Science program is not limited to doctors.
She also said employers were interested in the students within the Natural Sciences. “We have already had someone give us their business card because they are hiring science teachers at their school.
Trainor added she liked this concept where employers came to students instead of the usual career fairs structure.
Alalaini Naqol, a representative of Fiji based company Digicel, mention this was her first time visiting BYUH.
“It is a privilege to be invited as one of the partners. The main focus I have is to gauge potential students either on internships or full time. The more top students, the better.”
Writer: Alyssa Odom and Noah Shoaf
