During this 2015-2016 BYU–Hawaii Winter Semester, holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving are enveloped in school reports, essays, and exams. Despite this, multiple students have said they are looking forward to the holidays because it is a chance to get away from school.
“I get to hang out with friends and go on vacation,” said Ka Kei Wan, a senior from Hong Kong studying finance. “Hopefully no working.”
With a break from school, most students are staying here for Thanksgiving, having dinners provided by their wards or at home.
Catherine Gentles, a senior from Canada studying psychology and recently married, said she was looking forward to cooking. “I love to cook, so I’m excited to cook and have people over,” said Gentles.
Single students can sign up for Thanksgiving dinner on the Food Services website to eat dinner with their wards. Director of Food and Retail Services David Keala said in previous years, up to 25 turkeys were cooked for the school-wide feast. “When I was a bishop, I enjoyed it. It gave a chance for my ward to come together and eat. Students would fall asleep, eat, and go home afterward.”
Rebekah McCarthy, a sophomore from California studying exercise and sports science and going to her ward dinner, said she is looking forward to the food. “Holiday food is the life.”
Students going home for Christmas are excited, saying it will give them a break they need. “It’s another time to be reflect on how it is like as a student, how we can do better at school spiritually,” said Lok Jing Yim, a sophomore studying communication from Hong Kong. “We need to stop and pay attention, and to reevaluate how we can do better and make plans and set goals.”
Studying may be unavoidable for many students since Christmas break is in the middle of the semester and midterms are the week after. “For students, they will spend a lot of time preparing for midterm,” said Him Woo, a freshman from Hong Kong studying exercise and sports science. “Some travel, but mostly study for the midterm.”
For Malia Scoville, a senior studying marine biology from Utah, this upcoming Christmas will be the first Christmas she will have with her family since before her mission. “I want to have a break,” said Scoville. “I like this time of year. It’s a fun time.”
Not all students are planning on going home for the holidays. The majority of IWORK students cannot afford to go home so they stay in Hawaii for the holidays. This is the case for Naite Kinikini, a junior studying international cultural studies from Tonga. “Christmas time is the time of the year that I miss my family the most,” said Kinikini.
“I wanna skip Christmas and New Years, or I would like a chance to go back home and see my family. I think if I stay and look at the real meaning of Christmas, I will be able to enjoy it more instead of thinking about what I’m missing.”
Many of the IWORK students stay and work throughout the holidays, though they have Christmas Day off. Ola Piukala, a freshman studying information technology from Tonga, said she was planning on going to Hukilau Beach with her friends. “It's the only day apart from Monday that I’m not going to work.”
Though far from their families, some students like Benjamin Yim, a freshman from Hong Kong studying graphic design said he is looking forward to Skyping his family. “I get to spend time with friends and Skype my family,” said Yim. “I might study and then go out to town.”
Students have family Christmas traditions they are looking forward to. Natalie Bangerter, an undeclared freshman from Idaho said she and her family will wear ugly Christmas sweaters and sing to people in the ward. “I’m looking forward to Christmas more” than Thanksgiving, Bangerter said.
Andy Lau, a freshman from Hong Kong studying exercise science, is going to Utah to visit his sister for Christmas. Lau said he probably would go “skiing, then some snow hiking.”
“I’m looking forward to having a break,” said Lainy Barrick, a sophomore studying social work from Kentucky.
Sarah Mitchell, an undeclared freshman from Alabama, said she was looking forward to the food, the people, and Santa. “I’m excited for Santa to come,” she said with a smile.