“I was [Ke Alaka’i’s] biggest fan for the longest time … It would be a dream to work for Ke Alaka’i,” revealed Elle Larson, a sophomore studying business management and finance from Oregon.
In fact, she said before arriving to campus in Spring 2021, she had already watched all of the Ke Alaka’i YouTube videos, listened to the podcasts and read some of the articles produced by the Campus News department.
When the pandemic started, Larson explained although she couldn’t be at school in person, she still wanted to know what it was like to be in Hawaii. She said she discovered Ke Alaka’i because she used all the resources available online to learn more about BYU–Hawaii’s campus, such as what it was like living in the community and the cultures of the people who reside there.
Larson, who now works at Ke Alaka’i as a multimedia journalist, offered advice to students who want to be journalists. “I wasn’t a huge writer before I started. I just wanted to meet people and tell their stories. By practicing, [one] becomes a better writer and gets faster at it. Don’t be scared of writing, because you can do it.”
Ke Alaka’i’s employees said they enjoy working at Campus News because the co-workers are supportive, their advisor has experience and knowledge in the industry and it’s a safe place where the environment allows their imaginations to be unrestrained.
Multimedia journalist
Larson explained when she is at work, she spends most of her time writing. Part of her assignment, she said, is coming up with story ideas she can write about. Sometimes, team members give the journalists suggestions for stories they can cover, she added.
“We interview at least three people per story. We do feature stories or we cover events. Once a month, we’re supposed to do a multimedia project, which can be graphic design or helping with a video or podcast. It’s for us to grow our resume and our skill set,” she shared.
Part of her role is to “inform people about things they are curious about,” Larson explained. If she hears a lot of people discussing a specific topic, she said it is her job to learn more about it. For example, she heard people chatting about the University’s clock tower ringing pattern, so she decided to research and write about it.
Larson added it is the best job she’s ever had. “I love this job! I love meeting new people.” She added it was previously difficult for her to approach people because she didn’t know how to initiate conversation. However, she said her job as a journalist has helped her with her communication skills.
“I have an excuse to go up and talk to people,” she laughed. “I can nail them with good questions, and they’ll give me good answers. I get really good discussions going with new people I wouldn’t ever talk to [otherwise.]”
Graphic designer
Marlee Palmer, a junior from Utah majoring in graphic design, said, “My sister’s a graphic designer. I loved watching her do it, so I tried it out and I loved it. It doesn’t feel like school, it’s just a hobby and it’s super fun.”
She said she started school with plans to become a pharmacist but hated taking chemistry and biology. “I switched it up and I decided I would try designing. I really loved all the classes.”
Palmer, who works as a graphic designer at Ke Alaka’i, said the role of the writers, photographers and copy editors is to submit stories and photos. Her role is to put their work together to make it look more visually appealing.
“We create graphics and illustrations to put onto the pages. We [also] add in color and nice titles so it all looks aesthetically pleasing,” she explained. “We have to read [the article] and understand it in order to make the graphics and illustrations match the story.”
Palmer shared she has learned the value of making conversation with everyone. “I have learned from reading all the stories the writers have written that everybody has a story. You can learn something from everyone,” she said.
“You can grab something and learn a lesson from each person you talk to, but it’s up to you if you want to listen to them.”
Videographer
Uurtsaikh Nyamdeleg, a junior studying hospitality and tourism management from Mongolia, said her and her husband “do adventure vlogs for memory purposes. It’s just for fun.” She shared how she never took any video editing classes but learned how to make videos by practicing for over a year editing with her husband.
Besides improving her skills as a videographer, she said her whole purpose of working at Ke Alaka’i is to meet different people from around the world. “As students, we are very busy and we don’t have enough time to hang out with other people,” she explained. “Through our work, one can meet many people and get to know them. That is a unique experience.”
She said she has met fire knife dancers from the community. “Getting to know them [also includes] getting to know their culture. We never had any fire knife dancers back in Mongolia, so that was a new thing [for me.]”
Nyamdeleg said part of her job is to sometimes attend interviews and “make a video feature.” She said she covers different events on campus by filming activities and sharing them on social media. Recently, she filmed the Shaka Steel Band musical event and the bridal fashion show.
She said she creates a variety of videos, such as hiking tips and informational videos.
Photographer
Mark Daeson Tabbilos, a senior from the Philippines majoring in TESOL education, is one of Ke Alaka’i’s photographers. He said he takes photographs for the journalists’ stories, whether it’s a photo of a person, place, University VIP or community event. “I love photography a lot. So, when I heard they are hiring photographers, I decided to apply for the job,” he said.
Tabbilos said the recent events he photographed were the Fire Knife Competition, 2021 Culture Night and the COVID-19 vaccination event.
In terms of taking photos of University VIPs, he said he has photographed Napua Kalama Baker, the first female Church Educational System vice president, and Theresa Meyers Ducret, the former president of the Laie Community Association. Tabbilos said he has also photographed former Academic Vice President John Bell and University President John Kauwe.
Tabbilos said he gets photo ideas by imagining what is happening in the written articles. “I often ask our writers what the story is about so I can visualize what shots I need to do because the shots I take need to be connected to the story,” he said. “I also ask for ideas from my co-workers.”
Favorite projects
Larson said her favorite project was working with Elder and Sister Tam. “They were a missionary couple in my ward. They told me their story of immigrating to the United States from Vietnam during the Vietnam War. From that, I grew this great relationship with this cute couple.”
Palmer said she enjoys making layouts because “every single one is different.” Her favorite project was making a map of Oahu, which included a bucket list of places students can visit, such as the Makapu’u Lighthouse and the Dole Plantation.
Nyamdeleg said her favorite project was creating a video detailing the digitization of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price in the Hawaiian language for the Church’s Gospel Library app. She said it was an inspiring and spiritual experience for her.
Tabbilos said it has always been his dream to take photos of Culture Night. Working for Ke Alaka’i has fulfilled that dream. “I was able to take [the Culture Night] photos I’ve been dreaming of. It was a big thing,” he shared. “It was published together with the articles. It was posted on the Facebook and Instagram pages.”
Advisor and colleagues
The Ke Alaka’i advisor, LeeAnn Lambert, is “a wealth of wisdom,” shared Larson. “If you don’t know who to interview [for your story,] she’ll know somebody or she’ll know somebody who knows somebody who you can interview.”
She continued, “[Lambert] really understands the students [because] she’s been here forever, and she gets the college mindset. She’s funny and she’s fun to hang out with.”
Tabbilos said he loves Lambert’s story telling time, where she shares stories about her experiences as a journalist in the field. “If [students] want a job working with other people, then this is the job for them.”
Larson said Ke Alaka’i has a great team because it’s a professional but relaxed environment. Palmer said she would recommend students work at Ke Alaka’i because it is an environment where people help each other and it is “a very safe place to let one’s creativity flow.”
Nyamdeleg shared, “Ke Alaka’i has the best team you can work with. … It will give you more opportunities to learn from others, and also learn on your own. I think that’s the best thing [the job] can offer for you.” •