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Serena Dugar Ioane
Senior missionaries Scott and Jackie Slivka; Lyn and Keith Johnson; Susan and Gregg Lockhart; and Mark and Alonna Randall left Laie in March 2020, when the Church released them due to COVID-19. They shared hard it was for them to leave their missions, their hope to return soon, and what they learned from this experience by expressed their trust in the Lord.
Since the Laie Hawaii Temple partially opened on June 15, students once again can be married in the temple and said they learned to appreciate the real meaning behind a temple sealing.
Since classes became remote, BYU–Hawaii professors said their workload has increased, and they miss seeing their students in person. However, they said they are thankful to have their jobs, and they enjoy learning new technology platforms like Zoom and Proctorio.
The coronavirus has negatively impacted students and their aspirations to complete internships, they said, border closures in countries also prevented them from returning home once their internships were completed. BYU–Hawaii professors suggested online internships as possible alternatives.
The global pandemic affected missionary work immensely, and missionaries returned home, finished their missions early or were reassigned to different missions. BYU–Hawaii students serving as missionaries during this time shared what they have learned from their disrupted missions amid a global pandemic.
BYU–Hawaii students said pandemic-related changes were challenging, but helped them grow in different ways, including learning new skills, improving existing skills, and strengthening their testimonies in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
BYU–Hawaii students shared their expectations about going to college and how the reality of BYUH exceeded them in many aspects. They highlighted learning about new cultures was unexpected, yet they said it was the best part of studying at BYUH. They also said BYUH is a rigorously academic and spiritually nurturing environment.
Nicknamed "the happy people," Samoans at BYU–Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center shared how their culture, religion and family played into their joyful lifestyle.
"Avatar: The Last Airbender," an American animated television series created in 2005, recently had a comeback after it was added to Netflix on May 15. The series became one of the service's most-watched shows, according to the site's top 10 list. BYU-Hawaii student fans of the show shared how the animated series carries universal themes and a great sense of adventure, years after its premiere.
Katy Ayers, who made a canoe out of mushrooms in Nebraska, said it is doable in Hawaii and invited BYU-Hawaii students to try using it for their projects. Leslie Harper, the BYUH Sustainability Center manager, said he is willing to help BYUH students work on similar projects.
Odgerel Ganbaatar said he found his passion for fire knife dancing while studying at BYU– Hawaii. He shared how he worked hard to become a fire knife dancer at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC). After his graduation, he returned home and later created his own crew that has performed in different events, including the Mongolian National Holiday Parade.
Hei Long “Oscar” Ip and Tsui Lum Ka’imilani Ho “Milani” Ip, both from Hong Kong, reflected on their studies at BYU–Hawaii as they prepare to graduate and shared how the university taught them the importance of working with different people and scenarios. They also learned how to depend on each other as they faced the rigors of college and married life.
Aiming to become his best self by using a positive attitude, Tuvshinjargal Lkhagvadorj, a senior from Mongolia majoring in information technology, shared he did not run from his obstacles. Instead, he decided to face and master them, applying this principle in his academic and spiritual life, along with his marriage and career.
Otgonchimeg Chimedregzen, from Mongolia majoring in social work, said she managed to successfully graduate while struggling with the loss of her father, being a new mother, a full-time student, and working part-time as a manager of the Give and Take. Despite her challenges, which she said felt overwhelming at times, she believes it was all worth it.
During the COVID-19 quarantine, the BYU–Hawaii Sustainability Center conducted projects to benefit the BYUH ohana, including creating sanitizers, giving away food and travel commodities and supplying materials to make face masks.