KE ALAKA IVolume 110: Issue 13April 16, 2015

THE LEADER

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KE ALAKA‘I2

K E A L A K A IApril 16, 2015 • Volume 110: Issue 13

Homer WolmanRebecca Sabalones

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF ADVISORLeeann Lambert

Hector Per iquin

ART DIRECTOR

COPY EDITORSEmily HallsCamron Stockford

PHOTOGRAPHERSKelsie CarlsonMonica RubalcavaMilani Ho

ART & GRAPHICSLauren Steimle John DiazMonica RubalcavaJef f McLeod

MULTIMEDIAJOURNALISTSAlyssa WalhoodJessica EveretteMatthew RobertsTrenton McCulloughMorgynne ToraRachel Reed Mackenzie McLeodSiyang ChenAlyssa TroyanekAlizabeth ApgoodMax Betts

Samone IsomHector Per iquin

INTERNS

AD MANAGER

VIDEOGRAPHERSJef f Coll insVlad TropnikovJoshua MasonYan-Fu Chen

Joshua Mason

Share with us your photo of the week and we may feature it in our next issue. e-mail us at kealakai@byuh.edu

ON THE COVER: Terainui Johnston said service is what made her time at BYU-Hawaii great. She will graduate in social work. Photo by Hector Periquin

Photo of the week by Vlad Tropnikov

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Table of

CONTENTS

[7]

[8] Tupou Taufu‘i : Faith and TESOL

Qinghua Zhou Leon: Conversion changes l i fe

Peter Wasden: Graduation speaker

Tonga Sablan: #IWasHere[4-5] [6]

[9] Whitney Gustafson: Softball leader

[10-11] Legacies of graduating seniors

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

3APRIL 16, 2015

T erainui Johnston found her love of serving people and rekindled her dancing talent

in Hawaii. Johnston, a senior graduating with a degree in social work from Tahiti, said, “The more I learned about social work, the more I felt that this is for me because I love serving people. I just love it. It has kind of opened my vision and perception of my life.” Throughout the classes she has taken at BYU-Hawaii, the most influential ones for her have been all of her social work classes. She explained through experiencing them, “Life became larger. The fact that there are so many things that are given to us that we take for granted, and when I see people out there who don’t have what I have, I feel that I need to do something. It also helps me to be more grateful for what I have.” Her opportunities to do service at BYUH are among the highlights of her time here. Johnston shared, “A few of my favorite moments are probably the service projects that the school had or even New Student Orienta-tion (NSO) where we have to be there for the new students.”

After returning home from her mission on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, she said she was unsure about coming to BYUH in the beginning, aiming instead to go to Canada or New Zealand. “But for some rea-son, I had to come here, and I gave myself six months and if I don’t see why I am here, then I will just go home. But what truly helped me to find my place here is serving others.” Called as a Relief Society president, she said she would find someone to help in her free time because “I felt like I just needed to go do something for people. That stage of my life really helped me to be more humble and even though I don’t understand everything there is always something. I always tell myself, ‘You cannot do everything for everyone everywhere but you can do something for someone some-where.’” Johnston said even if it is the smallest way of serving, like just listening to someone, she will do it. Johnston started learning Tahitian dance when she was 4 years old. “My parents, for some reason, saw that I had an interest for dancing. They signed me up in a group, but I

had to stop because of health problems. I got back into it when I came here and it was hard.” Johnston has displayed her talent of Tahitian dancing at both the Polynesian Cultural Center and in BYUH’s Culture Night. Johnston said her heart is full of gratitude as she looks back on her years at BYUH. “What has truly made my college life the best and what has truly made me happy is service. I just want to encourage all of us to stop complaining. There’s always something to be grateful for, and one of them is the ability and opportunity to cheer someone up and make them smile.” Some of Johnston’s future plans are to volunteer at the Humanitarian Center in Asia and other non-profit organizations. She also hopes to work with a famous French baker in the next 10 to 15 years because she counts baking as one of her hobbies, along with pho-tography. Her advice to the future graduates is to “always be grateful, and if you makethe Lord your priority, he will make youHis priority.”

‘Life became larger’ with serviceBY ALYSSA TROYANEK

Legacies of graduating seniors

Terainui Johnston went from Tahiti to Hawaii and will graduate in social work. Photo by Hector Periquin

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i was hereTell the people about yourselfA. “I’m from Seattle, Washington. I have 10 siblings. I am a senior graduating with a bachelor’s in arts and sciences. I majored in International Cultural Studies, with an em-phasis in communications and peacebuilding. I came in with a business major, but when I got here, I felt like I needed to change. I don’t know why – just felt strongly.”

Q. What do you see as the most positive things about yourself?A. “Oh now, this is the ‘conceited’ one. My top five is that I care; sometimes I care more about others than I do myself. I’m caring, friendly, inviting, I love a lot of people, and the hmm, I don’t know, we’ll just do four.”

Q. What do you plan On doing after you graduate? A. “I’m not done with my education, that’s for sure. I will be here on campus till July then I am going to China to teach English till the end of the year. Then off to BYU Provo for my master’s in business, right back where I started.”

Q. How has your journey been here at BYU-Hawaii , especially with the ICS major?A. “It’s taught me a lot about interpersonal communications, how to better interact with people. I feel like the peacebuilding focus has taught me how to view others as people not objects. It’s sneaky. I’ve done it before. Even treating people like they don’t

matter in my life. Every person is just like me. We all have feelings and inherent value. It’s an ongoing process.”

I agree. Growing is definitely a process of unlearning and checking yourself. A. “Definitely. It’s an ongoing processof relearning, and reinventing,reiterating, reliving.”

Not forgetting the things we reinforce should be positive habits... A. “Yeah it’s easy to get comfortable be-cause the campus is so small. We shouldn’t get too comfortable to the point where we are missing all the opportunities our

BY MORGYNNE TORA

Tonga Sablan discusses the BYUh chapter of his life's journey

5APRIL 16, 2015

surroundings have to offer. Again, it’s redoing, reliving, re… cycle, reuse, GO GREEN!”

Q. What has been the highlight of your time at BYUH?A. “Definitely Culture Night. I had the amazing opportunity to host last year’s event and really became aware of the importance of your audience. You have no idea who they are, and yet you have to make them your main focus and make it alive. I met most of my friends at Culture Night. It’s such a big event for our campus and our commu-nity, and that’s a big thing with Envision La‘ie and all these things. It was great to be a part of that unifying event.”

Q. What is your aspiration?A. “That’s a big question, and it’s always a process of rethinking – here we are back at the ‘re’ process. You have to become comfortable with yourself and say, ‘I accept the things that are going on around me, why I’m here, and what am I doing.’ Taking into consideration of where I come from and where I am now, I think I’m just going to say, my aspiration in life is to be happy.”

Definitely.A. “Once you do that, once you are happy, you are happy for no reason but yourself. You are doing things for yourself. It’s not selfish or conceited though. It’s allowing yourself to be proud of where you have come from and where you are now and where you can go in the future, and recognizing the power you have to make things hap-pen for yourself. No one’s going to do it for you. People think that if you’re proud of yourself and accepting of yourself, they look at it like you’re being conceited. No, that’s allowing yourself to be proud of the work you are doing for yourself. The main thing you need to worry about is your family and those close to you. You’re always going to have haters.”

Q. When you leave BYUH, what do you want to leave behind?A. “My motto right now is #IWasHere. Let people know that you were here. People that I’m close with know they can call me at any time and I will come through for them no matter what.”

Q. Do you have any shoutouts?A. “Well, shoutout to my friends, you, and all my home dawgs. It’s been great fun. I don’t know where I would be without my academic advisor, Rowena Reid. We need more people like her. Tammy Fonoi-moana. All the people who helped me get to this point. Shoutout to all of you.”

Q. Last question: How do you, Tonga, deal with the haters?A. “I don’t.”

From SMITH LIBRARY databases  

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!  April  13,  1743  was  Thomas  Jefferson’s  birthday.  Why  is  Thomas  Jefferson  significant  to  you  during  finals  week?  If  you  ever  felt  like  a  struggling  writer,  take  inspiration  from  the  author  of  America’s  Declaration  of  Independence  and  America’s  3rd  President:    “Somehow,  at  33  years  old,  here  he  was,  ah,  and  he  could  write  the  Declaration,  and  they  knew  it,  they  somehow  knew,  that  here  was  a  person,  who  didn't  speak  very  well,  but  they  knew  he  could  write,  and  they  assigned  him  that  task,  and  he  accepted.  He's  the  man  who  found  the  language  to  express  the  greatest  aspirations  that  humanity  has.”    James  Cox  1  

 Thomas  Jefferson  would  definitely  own  a  Kindle  if  he  were  alive  today.  He  sold  his  personal  library  of  6,500  books  to  the  Library  of  Congress  to  re-­‐establish  the  Library  after  it  was  destroyed  by  the  War  of  1812,  but  when  he  got  the  payment,  he  started  buying  more  books!  He’s  also  credited  with  penning  almost  19,000  personal  letters  during  his  life,  so  he  would  have  been  all  over  email  -­‐TJPrezzie3@gmail.com  maybe?  Many  of  his  books  and  personal  papers  have  been  digitized.  Visit  them  yourself  at  the  American  Memory  Project  http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/  He  was  the  first  president  to  introduce  the  custom  of  shaking  hands  to  greet  his  guests  rather  than  bowing  (Cricket  Media).  

 As  America  struggles  to  protect  religious  freedom  today,  read  his  words  in  a  letter2:  Believing  with  you  that  religion  is  a  matter  which  lies  solely  between  man  and  his  God;  that  he  owes  account  to  none  other  for  his  faith  or  his  worship;  that  the  legislative  powers  of  the  government  reach  actions  only,  and  not  opinions,  I  contemplate  with  sovereign  reverence  that  act  of  the  whole  American  people  which  declared  that  their  legislature  should  "make  no  law  respecting  an  establishment  of  religion,  or  prohibiting  the  free  exercise  thereof,"  thus  building  a  wall  of  separation  between  church  and  State.  Adhering  to  this  expression  of  the  supreme  will  of  the  nation  in  behalf  of  the  rights  of  conscience,  I  shall  see  with  sincere  satisfaction  the  progress  of  those  sentiments  which  tend  to  restore  man  to  all  of  his  natural  rights,  convinced  he  has  no  natural  right  in  opposition  to  his  social  duties.    I  reciprocate  your  kind  prayers  for  the  protection  and  blessings  of  the  common  Father  and  Creator  of  man…      Thomas  Jefferson    1  Thomas  Jefferson  by  Ken  Burns,  American  History  in  Video    (Arlington,  VA:  Public  Broadcasting  Service  (PBS),  1997).  ,2Thomas  Jefferson:  separation  of  church  and  state  letters  (1801-­‐1802)."  American  History.  ABC-­‐CLIO,  2015.  Web.  13  Apr.  2015.    

 

 

 

Graduating student Tonga Sablan lives by the motto “I Was Here.” Photo by Monica Rubalcava

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Speaking at this year’s graduation cer-emony is Peter Wasden, an accounting major and political science minor from Connecticut. Wasden first started at BYU-Hawaii in 2009, and since then has taken full advantage of getting to know the people around him. Cami Wasden, Peter’s wife, said, “Peter has always been a people person. He just enjoys learning and loves to help people. Being here at BYUH has only improved his capacity to interact with people and help them with what he knows.” Wasden said, “We all have our talents and we have to use those talents to serve others. We are supposed to serve others in the way we are meant to do it. We are here to specialize in a way to help people.” Wasden has really taken this philosophy to heart and worked to develop his talents at BYUH. Wasden

PETERWASDENGraduation speaker is a people person

BY TRENTON MCCULOUGH

started his own company, has participated in Enactus and BYUHSA, was part of the Gamers Association, worked as an ac-counting tutor and will graduate Summa Cum Laude. Wasden said BYUH is one of the best places to learn because of the close relationships you can create with your professors and classmates. He said, “It is incredibly unique to be able to go to your professor anytime and sit down with them in their office and get advice andbe mentored. The professors hereare actually your teachers and notjust your lecturers.” Wasden said this has been a huge part of his success throughout his time here. “I really took the initiative to get to know my professors and look to them for help. They really do listen to you and are truly invested in you and your life,” said Wasden. Wade Che, a junior from China studying accounting, said, “For me, Peter has a passion to help people. He works hard to make sure that everyone under-stands the material and can be successful, even students that are not from his class.” Being around to help others and looking for opportunities to improve him-

self have become a fundamental part of Wasden’s life. Ben Errico, a senior from Nevada studying accounting, said, “One of Peter’s best traits is that he always is working to improve himself. Peter has great foresight that has translated into him reading good books, working hard and setting challenging goals.” Errico continued, “Peter had an easy job before he started as a T.A. for ac-counting. Professors and students always asked for Peter’s help and wanted him as a T.A., so he changed jobs so he could help more people. This job is more of a labor of love for Peter. He just loves tohelp others.” Wasden has a motto that hap-pens to coincide with Nike’s: Just do it. He said, “You have to understand that you can do it. If I had a magic coin, I would wish everyone to just do. The world would be a better place and people would begin to realize all they can accomplish when they are doing.” Wasden will move to Idaho this summer to gain experience in the world of accounting and business. He will be working in system analysis and project management for a year to gain experience to prepare for graduate school.

Peter and Cami Wasden will be moving to Idaho after graduation to work before starting grad school. Photo by

Krystal Wares

7APRIL 16, 2015

BY S IYANG CHEN

The Leons will be moving to Provo for Roberto to work on his master’s degree. Qinghua is graduating in accounting and is expecting their first child. Photo by Samone Isom

A fter joining the LDS Church in 2005 while working in Cambodia, Chinese senior Qinghua “Claire” Zhou Leon has since served a mis-

sion, got married, is expecting a child and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from BYU-Hawaii on April 18. Later this year Leon said she will be moving with her husband, Roberto S. Leon, to BYU for him to work on his master’s degree in English composition and rhetoric.“I will stay at home as a housewife, take care of my baby and family, and let my husband focus on school,” said Leon. “Later, maybe I will find a part-time job when the baby grows up a little bit, but not soon. Family is the most important for me.” Leon said she discovered the church at the time she was work-ing in Cambodia in 2005. One of her friends and co-workers had met with LDS missionaries. That friend joined the church, and Leon decided to get baptized because of her friend’s influence. In 2009, Leon finished her job in Cambodia and returned home to China. She said coming back to China was the most perplexing time for her. She said she felt she had lost her goal in life and didn’t know what to do. During this time period, she watched General Conference and said one of the talks inspired her. “My English at that time was not good enough,” Leon said. “I couldn’t totally understand what he said, but one thing he mentioned pushed me up: Paying tithing is a blessing from God and serving a mis-sion is another way God leads us to receive blessings. At my hardest time, I really wanted more blessings, and also I needed a goal for my life, so I decided to go on a mission.”

From September 2009 to March 2011, she served on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. She said serving there was totally different from her previous life and a cheerful experience. On Temple Square, she said she got the chance to meet people from around the world – includ-ing students from BYUH. She learned from the students she met that BYUH was a college willing to offer more opportunities for international students and especially members of church. She decided to continue school at BYUH, she said, even though she had already graduated from a university in China and had been work-ing for years. Leon said her working experience in China and Cambodia helped her to choose a suitable major at BYUH – accounting. Leon said she felt business skills like marketing, human resources and supply chain could be learned from on-the-job experience, but she felt accounting could not be. Plus she felt accounting was an academic challenge and also valuable for life in general. During the time Leon studyed at BYUH, she had two different jobs. As an I-WORK student, she first worked at the Polynesian Cultural Center for the Maintenance Department for three years and then became an accounting teaching assistant. She met her husband at BYUH and they got married in June 2014. He graduated from BYUH in English two years ago in 2013. He teaches both English as an International Language and English classesat BYUH.

Mission, marriage & motherhoodA series of choices led Qinghua Zhou Leon to cheerful life

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T upou Taufu‘i has found academic success by putting the Lord and her family first. “I

can see when my life is spiritually strong, my academic life is way better,” said Taufu‘i, a graduating senior in TESOL from Tonga, “and if I’m not living the gospel, the opposite is true.” Putting the Lord first was not a new idea to Taufu‘i, who also went to Saineha High School, a LDS Church-run high school in Tonga.

Her attendance there influenced Taufu‘i’s decision to attend BYU-Hawaii. “I wanted to come to BYUH because it is a church school, and I know I would do well here because it is church-oriented.” Her roommate of one year, Langiola Kioa, a sophomore from Tonga majoring in elementary education, said, “I admire her atti-tude. We always put church activities first. Even

though we may be late sometimes, we never miss church.” Being a second-language speaker at BYUH was tough, but Taufu‘i said it helped her grow both spiritually and temporally. “Getting to know all these people from all around the world, going to classes and learning all these challenging things in class, and the gospel is everywhere. It has been a really great experi-ence,” she said. The decision to major in TESOL came from her desire to teach English to middle school children in Tonga. “I loved English back in high school because I loved reading,” Taufu‘i said. Her teachers also had a good impact on Taufu‘i’s life, which has helped her want to positively impact the lives of other students. Before she can become a teacher, Taufu‘i needs to complete her student teaching in Tonga. “My plan is that I go back and do my student teaching. At the same time, I will put in my papers. I want to go on a mission. Then I’ll come back and further my education, and I can’t forget about temple marriage – which-ever comes first,” she said. Eric Rackley, of the School of Educa-tion, was listed by Taufu‘i as one of her favorite professors. “His class was challenging, but it was worth it. He makes you think up to the point that you can’t think anymore. He made me realize I can do deep things.” Taufu‘i advised her fellow Tongan students to remember their parents and

”remember who you are and where you are from. Don’t let the life in Hawaii distract you from your purpose.” Taufu‘i said she and her parents made sacrifices for her to get a college education, like paying for school and getting a student visa. To the rest of the student body, Taufu‘i said attitude is everything. “Attitude to-wards your education is what matters. You may have all these assignments piling up, but what’s your attitude? Are you going to be positive, or are you going have a negative take on it?” She urged students to be spiritually minded. “When you are spiritually minded, the Lord helps things fall into place. Just put the Lord first.” Taufu‘i works as a tutor in the ELT Department. Her supervisor, Amanda Wallace, said, “She’s very positive. It’s really nice to have her as a tutor because she works to establish a good rapport with her tutees.”

more than t e s o l

Tupou Taufu'i saysfaith in the Lord and positive attitude are crucial for staying focused in school

BY CAMRON STOCKFORD

w

9APRIL 16, 2015

w

F or two years, Whitney Gustafson has both been the anchor and leader for the

BYU-Hawaii Lady Seasiders softball team. The senior catcher and biology major from Utah transferred to BYUH last season from Salt Lake Community College. Immediately filling the starting catcher role, Gustafson quickly began making an impact on the softball team. “Whitney is a great leader with a lot of knowledge about the game,” said teammate Makeala Williamson, a sophomore in ICS from California. “She pushes us to play to the best of our abilities and truly believes in all of us.” Gustafson has been playing softball since she was 4. “I tried every other sport, and I felt that there was more involvement in softball, especially as a catcher,” said Gustafson. It was at the catcher position where Gustafson would find her success. “You get to see the whole field and where everyone is, and I love the feeling of throwing out a runner at second or making a sweet tag at the plate,” said Gustafson. Throughout her time at BYUH she has not only excelled at the defensive side of the game, but also on the offensive side. This year she is currently batting .355, with 3 RBI’s, and with a .387 slugging percent. Although her time here has not led to as much success as she would like in the win column, she has enjoyed being at BYUH. “Here, it is definitely about ohana. On other teams I have played on that was not always the case,” said Gustafson. “I love the family atmosphere here and that we are all friends. It is really that Ha-waiian culture we feel, even though we are not all Hawaiian.”

Gustafson has just a couple more weeks left in her softball career here, but she will be leaving a legacy for her teammates that will be missed. “Her character is what we will miss the most about Whitney,” said teammate Tiffany Smith, a sophomore exercise and sci-ence major from Torrance, Calif. “She raises the intensity of each game and makes sure that each teammate is ready to go.” Gustafson will graduate this Saturday, April 18, and after the softball season is over, she plans to move back to Utah with her hus-band. She hopes to continue to coach softball at her old high school, Bingham High School, as well as go on to pharmacy school at the University of Utah and start a family.

Catching a lifeAthlete and wife loves ohana feeling of softball team and inspires teammatesBY MATTHEW ROBERTS

Left: Tupou Taufu‘i loved to read English while in high school in Tonga. Photo by Hector PeriquinRight: Whitney Gustafson is a team leader on the softball team. Photo by Monique Saenz

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REBECCA SABALONES

SENIOR LEGACIESFUTURE GOALSACCOMPLISHMENTS and

“We came for world education and leave with world-wide friendship.”

“I feel that my time here has allowed me the oppor-tunity to grow as an individual, and my testimony has grown as well, which has helped me understand who I am and where I’m going in life. I’ve accom-plished my sense of being.”

“Don’t give in so easily. It just doesn’t worktoward success.”

“In times of struggle and pain, Hawaii became a place of healing. My new island ‘family’ of tutees helped me to find purpose and understand that the Lord was there for me. I will forever love my fabulous tutees and my time here at BYU-Hawaii. ‘Truly the melting pot’ and a crucible of healing.”-Shenia Jacobo from Arizona, ICS-Anthropology

-Craig Campbell from Utah, ICS-Peacebuilding

- Aleksejs Volegovs from Latvia, Business Manage-ment, and Viktorija Volegova from Lithuania, ICS-Comunications

- Pinyapatch Isaranukhun from Thailand, ICS-Commu-nications

Photos by: Hector John Periquin, Rebecca Sabalones, Joye Leilani Bascara and Vlad Tropnikov

BYU-HAWAII

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“It took a lot of hard work and determination to get me to where I am today, and I’m glad I did at this university. I worked and played hard with the best students and faculty from around the world, liter-ally. I am a better person because of it.”

“The greatest accomplishment we have both made here was finding each other and starting an eternal family. In the future, we hope to combine our skills in fulfillment of President McKay’s prophecy - make our influence felt for good both in our native countries of Nigeria and Haiti, and in the worldat large.”

“Honestly acknowledge your questions and your concerns, but first and forever fan the flame of your faith, because all things are possible to them that believe” - Jeffrey R. Holland

“The important thing I learned on this campus is to respect other cultures; each country, and each person are different and unique. BYUH is the best place to explore the world!”

-Bright Izekor from Nigeria, Biochemistry and Gladys Izekor from Haiti, ICS-Communications

-Joye Leilani Bascara from California, Psychology

-Kerry Yu Shima from Taiwan, ICS-Communications-Robert Kahawaii from Laie, ICS-Communications

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CAMPUS COMMENTG R A D U A T I N G S T U D E N T S

RJ Gualberto, a senior majoring in graphicdesign from the Philippines, said, “If you want to do something, there is always a way; nothingis impossible.”

Jazz Cheng, a senior majoring in graphicdesign from China, said, “Play hard andstudy hard.”

WINTER 2015 GRADUATES GIVE ADVICE TO THE FUTURE GRADUATES AND STUDENTS OF BYU-HAWAII.

Seth Sitton, a senior majoring in biomedical sci-ence from Arizona, said, “Your life in the library too shall pass. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Jasper Gania, a senior majoring in finance from California, said, “Work really hard so that your last semester you don’t have to work so hard.”

BY ALYSSA TROYANEK | PHOTOS BY HECTOR PER IQU IN