After more than 25 years of time working at BYU–Hawaii, Theone Taala will be retiring at the end of the year. Although born in Hawaii where her parents met while her dad was serving in the Navy, Taala mostly grew up in San Diego, Calif. Following high school, Taala said she wanted to return to Hawaii.
“I wanted to come to Hawaii to get to know my mother’s family, and I had a sister who was attending Church College of Hawaii and had a desire to attend this school because of her,” Taala said. She explained she worked on campus while her husband Hans, who she met during their first semester at BYUH in 1970, finished his degree.
Her first full-time position at BYUH was as a secretary in the Admissions and Registrar’s Office where she worked from 1973 to 1978. “After my husband graduated, we traveled and lived in various places while he was serving in the U.S. Army. We returned to Hawaii in 1989 after he got out of the Army.”
Upon returning to Hawaii, Taala worked as the office manager in the Student Development Center from 1989 to 1991. During her time as the executive secretary for the BYUH administration from 1991 to 1997, Taala finished her bachelor’s of science in family and home development in 1993. After her time in the university administration office, she worked as an administrative assistant for the College of Arts and Sciences from 1997 to 2008, and finally as the program manager in Alumni and Career Services where she has worked since 2008.
With the free time retirement offers, Taala said she hopes to travel and spend time with family. “My husband and I are planning to do some traveling. ... We are looking to travel to New Zealand and Australia to visit family during the holiday season.” Taala said she wants to spend time with her three sons and daughter, and her 11 grandchildren.
She also added she hoped to spend time serving as well. “We were recently called to serve in the Laie Family History Center so this will keep us busy for a while. We are considering a possible church mission, but nothing finalized.”
As she begins her next adventure in life, Taala said she will take with her the lessons her time working at BYUH taught her. When asked what were some of the most important lessons she learned while working at the university, she said developing and strengthening her testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was one invaluable principle that has been strengthened for her.
“During one challenging time I experienced on this campus, a former employee shared with me that as long as I have a testimony of the gospel nothing else mattered, and my testimony will help me through my trials. I so much appreciated this advice and found it to be wise counsel,” said Taala.
Another lesson Taala said she learned was the importance of being her personal and professional best at all times. She said, “The work you do is a reflection of who you are.” Lastly, Taala said, “Never take anything for granted, most of all your job. Nothing is guaranteed in this life, so make the most of what you have and always be grateful.”
Although Taala has a lot to look forward to, she said there are things she will miss once she retires. “I will definitely miss associations with my colleagues and friends that I have been so blessed to work with on this great campus. I will also miss interacting and getting to know the students.”
As she prepares for retirement, Taala offered advice to students who attend the university. “BYU-Hawaii is a unique campus because of the diverse student population. Take advantage to learn as much as you can about other cultures and traditions to gain a better understanding of people globally.”