September 2021

S E P TEM B ER 2021 1

SEPTEMBER 2021 • VOLUME 130 • ISSUE 1

LeeAnn Lambert ADVISOR

Micheal Kraft COPY EDITOR

Abbie Putnam EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Amanda Penrod COPY EDITOR

Elle Larson MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Xyron Levi-Corpuz MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Lisi Tiafu MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Emily Hendrickson ARTS & GRAPHICS

Mark Daeson Tabbilos PHOTOGRAPHER 2 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Katie Mower ART DIRECTOR

Serena Dugar-Ioane COPY EDITOR

Alexandra Clendenning MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Lauren Goodwin MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Rahel Meyer MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Marlee Palmer ARTS & GRAPHICS

Uurtsaikh Nyamdeleg VIDEOGRAPHER

Anna Stephenson MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Ulziibayar Badamdorj PHOTOGRAPHER

LE T T E R FROM T HE E D I TO R -IN -CHIEF It has been a long year and a half enduring the pandemic.

From remote school and closed country borders to battling a new disease, quarantining and getting a recently developed vaccine, it has not been easy. We wanted this issue to acknowledge the adversity and confusion the BYU–Hawaii ohana has bravely endured.

For many students, the COVID-19 vaccine policy felt scary and divisive. A question and answer with Laura Tevaga (pg. 12) can provide reassurance and answers. Some students have also struggled to find a place to live. BYUH leaders provide some explanation and possible solutions on page 50.

Despite the difficulty of the pandemic, it is time to move forward. Learn about activities to look forward to during Fall Semester (pg. 16), how to feel at home in a dorm room (pg. 28) and the best things to do on Oahu (pg. 21). In addition, be inspired by a student who looked at her affliction, which stemmed from sexual assault, as a way to become more beautiful (pg. 58), or another who works to create a more loving and faithful community for LGBTQIA+ students (pg. 40).

Overall, acknowledging the past is a necessary part of this issue, but even more important is considering how we can move forward as an unwavering community to spread aloha even during trying times. We hope this issue can help accomplish just that.

Abbie Putnam, editor-in-chief

Abbie Putnam

NEWS CENTER BOX 1920 BYUH LAIE, HI 96762 Print Ser vices Editorial, photo submissions & Distribution inquiries: k e a l a k a i @ by u h . e d u .

To s u b s c r i b e t o t h e R S S F E E D or to view additional ar ticles, go to k e a l a k a i . by u h . e d u .

CONTACT Email: ke a l a k a i @ by u h . e d u Phone: ( 8 0 8 ) 6 7 5 - 3 6 9 4 Fax: ( 8 0 8 ) 6 7 5 - 3 4 9 1 Office: BY U – H awa i i A l o h a C e n t e r 1 3 4 ON THE COVER AND BACK: Vaccinations have made it possible to meet face to face for classes this Fall 2021 by decreasing the chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. A vaccination card is pictured along with a syring.

Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

ABOUT The Ke Alaka‘i began publishing the same year the University, then called Church College of Hawaii, opened. It has continued printing for more than 60 years.

The name means “the leader” in Hawaiian.What began as a monthly newsletter, evolved into a weekly newspaper, then a weekly magazine and is now a monthly news magazine with a website and a social media presence.Today, a staff of about 20 students work to provide information for BYU–Hawaii’s campus ohana and Laie’s community.

© 2021 Ke Alaka‘i BYU–Hawaii All Rights Reserved S E P TEM B ER 2021 3

C O N T E N T S

Table of

4 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

6 Art submission 7 Campus Comments 8 Country Highlight: Norway

WHAT’S NEXT? 10 Seasiders return to campus 12 Q&A: Vaccine policy

16

Weekend Festivities Fall 2021

18 Suicide prevention month 21 Pre-dental Club 24 Farm fresh Sustainability Center 26 Temple reopening 30 How to settle into your dorm 32 New bus pass 34 Teaching after the pandemic

36

Lack of campus housing

39 40 44 48 52 56

Oahu bucket list PCC after the COVID-19 shutdown Real Estate Club Mackintosh devotional Traditional agriculture in Hawaii Healthy eating in college

CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY

58 62 64 68 70 74

Kaleel Spooner: Survivor to thriver

SEPT. 2021

Dallin McKay: Feeling the music Rebecca Carlson: Author of “Barely and Rye” Saving terns from extinction New Academic VP Isaiah Walker Friends to business partners

S E P TEM B ER 2021 5

C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G/AR T/ PHOTO S UBM I S S I ON

“Beauty in Motion”

by Mark Giosepp Gatus, a junior from the Philippines studying hospitality and tourism management

Share your art, photos, or creative writing with us to include it in our next issue.

E-mail us your high-resolution photo or work with a caption at kealakai@byuh.edu

FOL L OW US A ROUND T HE W EB

K E A L A K A I . BY UH . E D U

6 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

CAMPUS C O M M E N T S Wha t are you exci te d a b ou t com in g b a ck to BY UH in t h e Fa ll S e m e s te r ?

BY LIS I T IAF U

Jazner Pajarin, a senior from the Philippines majoring in information technology, said, “I’m excited about face-to-face classes with professors and teachers.” He said in-person classes allow him to ask more questions and understand concepts better.

Mark Galo, a senior from the Philippines majoring in information technology, said, “Definitely a dance party because I get to meet new people and socialize.” He said there have not been any social activities for almost a year, so he is looking forward to more social events.

Yueyao Lao, a junior from China majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said, “I’m excited about meeting new people.” She said she is also anxious because it has been a long time since she has had the opportunity to meet new people.

Darlene Torres, a junior from the Philippines majoring in applied mathematics, said, “I’m excited for the live interactions with the professors and students so we can learn together.”

She said she believes studying in the same space allows for greater communication and understanding of class topics.

Graphics by Katie Mower.

Photos by Ulziibayar Badamdorj.

S E P TEM B ER 2021 7

COUNTRY HIGHLIGHT:

Norway, the country of the midnight sun, is home to fjords, trolls, Vikings and world-class skiing

BY XYRON LEVI CORPUS

O L L A H

Y A W R O N Graphics by Katie Mower.

8 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

M

artine Gylseth, a senior from Asker, Norway, majoring in cultural anthropology, said she is not bothered by being the only Norwegian student at BYU–Hawaii. Although she had originally planned to attend BYUH for a short time, she said it was the pleasant, open and fun people who made her decide to stay.

She said she wanted to go to BYU in Provo but did not get in, so she told herself she was going to transfer as soon as she could. However, after two weeks of being at BYUH, she decided she never wanted to leave.

“One evening, I remember I was walking home and saw some islander girls in the hale who were sitting and eating. I remember I was hungry, but I didn’t have any food in my room,” she shared.

As she was walking past, she said they called out and asked if she wanted some food.

“They were super nice and talked with me, and we’ve been friends ever since.” Gylseth said she is glad situations like this happen at BYUH because they don’t occur in Norway.

Norway is recognized not just for its Vikings and trolls, but also for its fjords– sweeping glacier-formed valleys that run into the sea.

What do you like the most about Norway?

“I would have to say our Constitution Day because it’s the most highlighted holiday in Norway,” responded Gylseth. “It’s a great big party from the night before until the night after.”

She explained the purpose of the celebration is to remember their constitution.

They celebrate it on May 17, the day it was signed. The celebration includes parades, singing Norwegian songs and partying under the sun, which sets around midnight, said Gylseth.

“Everyone’s super happy and all the stores are closed, so it’s a really big holiday.”

She shared the elementary school students usually participate in the parade, walking

while waving their national flag and singing the constitution song. The parade ends at their elementary schools, where she said they play “Minute to Win it” games and win prizes.

A great part about Constitution Day is people can “buy ice cream, cake and hot dogs everywhere, and no one will judge [them] for how many [they] eat,” said Gylseth.

Another way Norwegians celebrate Constitution Day is by having friendly conversations with each other, which she said is opposite to the characteristic of the often shy Norwegians. She said doing so is a way for the people to show how much they love Norway.

What is your national clothing?

Norwegian traditional clothing is called the bunad and can be worn on Constitution Day, Gylseth explained.

According to the Britannica website, “The national costume, the bunad, is characterized by double-shuttle woven wool skirts or dresses for women, accompanied by jackets with scarves. Colorful accessories (e.g., purses and shoes) complete the outfit.

“The bunad for men generally consists of a three-piece suit that also is very colorful and heavily embroidered.

Traditionally, Norwegians had two bunader, one for special occasions and one for everyday wear.”

The bunad is usually passed on from generation to generation because it is expensive, Gylseth explained. “My mom’s grandma made one for my mom, then she gave it to me because I’m the only girl that fits it anymore.”

She explained the color of the bunad depends on what part of Norway the owner is from. “If you know all the different types, you could tell where it is from by looking at the color and the design.”

Gylseth said most have a design that includes flowers, and the bunad in her family is dark blue with flowers.

What is the weather like in Norway?

Norway has four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter—which lasts the longest, she said. The first snowfall is expected in October or early November.

Gylseth said the sun is only up from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the winter time, but in the summer the sun sets around midnight and comes back up at approximately 3 a.m.

“It’s nice and cozy in the wintertime. In the summertime, it’s really warm and nice, and everybody takes any opportunity they have to go outside and stay up all night.”

She said people’s moods fluctuate a lot with the seasons. “When they don’t get any sunlight, people tend to get depressed, so we have a lot of winter depression.”

In the summer, she said people are “absolutely happy” because of all the sunlight.

She added they have a lot of barbecues and go to the park often.

Is Norway a monarchy?

According to the Norwegian constitution, Norway is a monarchy with three different branches of government.

Gylseth said they have a king and a queen, a royal family and a prime minister. However, she explained the king is more of a public figure whose primary responsibility is to sign documents.

What is the meaning behind the Norwegian flag?

The red, white and blue flag of Norway originates from the red and white Danish flag, which Norway was previously under. However, Gylseth said when the Norwegian constitution was signed, a blue cross, which symbolizes Christianity, was added to the flag to set it apart from the Danish flag.

The World Atlas website says, “The white and red colors represent the union Norway had with Denmark. The blue color that makes up the cross represents Norway’s union with

Sweden before they gained autonomy…The combination of the three colors was something they borrowed from France, where the colors represent liberty.”

What is your favorite Norwegian food?

Norway is a multicultural country and has a lot of international dishes, Gylseth shared. Her favorite traditional food is Norwegian waffles, which look like a flower made up of a heart pattern.

She explained ordinary waffles need to have a lot of syrup to taste good, but Norwegian waffles already have a sweet taste on their own.

Norwegians typically put toppings such as ice cream, jam, sugar, or caramel-tasting cheese on top of the waffles, Gylseth added.

What is the language spoken in Norway?

Gylseth explained the official language of the country is Norwegian, although they do have different dialects.

She added, “It is similar to German, but for us, [Germans] speak as if they’re mad or angry. Other countries tease us with our language because it sounds like we’re singing when we speak. It goes up and down a lot when we talk.”

What are the most popular sports in Norway?

Gylseth said the country is well-known for sports like cross-country skiing and football (soccer).

Norway is famous for its ski jumps, slopes and terrain and, according to the Olympian database, the country frequently sweeps the board for medals in skiing events at the Winter Olympic Games. •

S E P TEM B ER 2021 9

Seasiders

back in paradise BYUH students say they are grateful to be on campus because they can see friends, date fellow students and have in-person classes

BY XYRON LEVI CORPUZ

C

rystal E. Tania said it’s rewarding to be back on campus after persevering through the pandemic because she can see the beauty that came from the difficult situation. “Everything is beautiful in its time, so don’t lose hope,” she explained.

She said being back on campus makes her feel happy and relieved because of all the uncertainty of living at home for the past year.

Looking back, she said when someone is in the middle of a hardship, they might not know the reason why it is happening, but she believes there is always a reason.

For example, she said although it was difficult to go home during COVID-19, she can now see the blessing of being with her parents and gaining increased gratitude for returning to campus.

With Seasiders now able to return to paradise, they said they are grateful for the

10 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

opportunity to be reunited with and make new friends, date, learn in person and resume the little things they missed, like eating at the cafeteria and studying in the library.

Camille Condie, a junior from Utah studying marine biology, said, “I’ve been waiting since I left to come back, and each semester, I kept getting sadder and more disappointed that I couldn’t come back. Being back is a delight. I hope we never have an instance again where we have to leave the campus, other than graduation.”

Reunited Tania, a sophomore from Jakarta, Indonesia, majoring in communications, said she went home for eight months due to the pandemic. Now that she is back on campus, she said she is glad to see familiar faces and new ones because it felt like she wouldn’t get the chance to mingle with new people again.

“I couldn’t imagine meeting new people, making new friends, going to the cafeteria and sitting with a bunch of strangers [again], but now I get to do all of it,” Tania said. “I’m excited and I’m hopeful for what the future is going to bring.”

She said she feels safe being around others because of the changes the university made.

“We usually enter and exit through the same door [at the cafeteria.] Now … they’re not doing it. They let us enter from one door and exit on the other door. [That way] we’re not always bumping into people, which minimizes contact.”

Condie said she returned to the University this April. She said she is grateful to be back in Laie with its nice, calming nature instead of being in a bustling city like where she is from.

“Being able to walk around, talk to people, hang out with people and be in the same room as other people makes me happy,” Condie explained.

EmmaLee Moore, a junior from Seward, Alaska, studying marine biology, said she returned to campus last December. “It was nice being able to see students I hadn’t seen in nine months or more and being able to talk to some of the professors [personally.]”

She said although she is used to the COVID-19 adjustments, part of her wants to

return to fully normal so she can see people’s smiling faces.

Resumed activities “Now we have in-person classes and we have real life interactions. … It really helps us to remember things longer,” Tania shared.

She said she registered for four classes this Spring Semester, and three of them were in person. For her, being physically at BYUH makes her feel more grateful for the campus and the education she is getting.

She said she has participated in a lot of Church activities since being back, such as family home evening and family history night with her ward. Besides ward activities, she said recently she was able to have a potluck with friends and even attend a wedding. Tania said she also hopes to attend the temple because it has reopened but has found it difficult because schedules are always packed.

“Another thing I noticed changed after I got here is many offices are available for

face-to-face appointments again,” said Tania.

“For example, International Students Services, the IWORK office, Academic Advising and Counseling Services, which is great because we used to have to talk to them through Zoom.

But now we’re on campus so we can do it in person.”

Condie said one place on campus she likes going to is the library because she can concentrate better doing her homework. “I’m excited for when there won’t be as [many] restrictions as there are now. Then I can study with friends at the library and sit next to my boyfriend without him sitting across the room from me,” she elaborated. •

Graphics by Marlee Palmer.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 11

Q&A WITH LAURA TEVAGA

THE WHY BEHIND THE SCHOOL’S VACCINE POLICY AND THE LATEST COVID-19 UPDATES

BY RAHEL MEYER

A

ccording to Assistant to the President Laura Tevaga, the COVID-19 vaccination policy at BYU–Hawaii was seen as the best way to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 for the university and the surrounding community.Tevaga, gave insights into how the policy came to be and her hopes for Fall Semester.

Q. When was there a plan to make the vaccine mandatory?

A.“From the very beginning of the pandemic, the President’s Council members have been talking about what we can do to help keep the campus and community as safe as possible. When we knew the vaccines were going to be available, we started encouraging everybody as strongly as we could to get the vaccine. However, when we saw the vaccination numbers weren’t rising as quickly as we wanted with the students, we knew there wasn’t going be a way for us to have the Fall Semester we were hoping for.

“It was a little bit of a process to get it approved. Our President’s Council members were in agreement that it’s what we wanted to do.

Obviously, for a decision like this, we sought approval Church Educational System and the commissioner’s office to make sure we had their support. We have the support of the Board of Trustees to do this, too, because of the unique circumstances we have here in Hawaii.”

Q. Students have been on campus since the pandemic hit, and there have not been that many positive cases here on campus. Why enforce the vaccine as mandatory now?

A. “With 3,000-plus students back on campus on in Fall, the way we were doing the weekly testing program wasn’t going to be feasible for us. The numbers on campus have stayed so low because of the weekly testing. The testing made it possible that as soon as a case was found, that person was put in isolation and not able to infect other people.

“I think a lot of times, people felt fine when they were tested, and it was a couple of days later when they started feeling sick. The good news is they didn’t infect other people. With the vaccines being available, the decision to ask people to be vaccinated was based on several recommendations from state officials, the CDC, and the Church. So, for us, this felt like the right thing to do to be good citizens.”

Q. Was there a specific event or circumstance that made the decision makers consider a vaccination mandate?

A. “We looked at what the Church had said about the vaccine, and also the announcement in April from the Church asking missionaries who serve outside of their home countries to be vaccinated before traveling.

I’m sure there are people who were hoping to serve a foreign mission but maybe aren’t interested in getting vaccinated. So, now they have to make a decision. Either they’re going to serve in their home country, or they decide to get the vaccine.

“Many other universities on island are requiring the COVID-19 vaccine, plus hundreds of other universities across the United States, and now government and other employers are also requiring it.”

Q. Why wasn’t it announced earlier?

A. “We announced it as soon and as quickly we could. It was a process to go through, making sure we’re taking everything into account and counselling with the Church Educational System leaders. This policy will continue to evolve dependent on disease prevalence, vaccination levels, and guidance from state and local governments.”

Q. So, it’s about putting the community and the people above the individual?

A.“Yes, and hopefully people see keeping everyone safe has always been what we’re trying to do, especially being as remote as we are on the North Shore of Oahu. We don’t want to be the ones who spread the virus in the community, overrun our local Kahuku hospital or add to the caseloads of our limited number of first responders and medical personal on the island.”

Q. How did the Laie community and recent Hawaii state regulations influence the vaccination mandate?

A.“Those were the main things we considered. This has only ever been about us and our particular situation, meaning the state of Hawaii regulations and our location. None of the other Church universities are this remote and on an island. I get reports from the state every day, and they are worried about how much the cases are increasing, and the majority of the cases are from unvaccinated people.”

Q. In what ways do the President Council and Board of Trustees think the vaccine mandate will benefit BYUH? A. “We are hoping Fall Semester this year is going to be very different from the Fall Semester people had last year. Is it going to be all the way back to what it was pre-COVID-19? We don’t know because things keep changing. But we do know that having a vaccinated campus will allow us to do more and go back to in-person learning for students. I know online remote learning was really hard for so many. There was probably a small amount of people who thought it was great and would love to be at home and do everything online. But the people who are coming here, that’s not what they signed up for or what’s best for them.

We are hoping to have as many students back here in person as we can.”

Q. What do you want others to know about the vaccine mandate?

A. “I think if people go back and look at what has been said by the Church and what’s come from the prophet, they will see we are trying to be good citizens. To us, this is doing everything we can to keep the campus safe and to have the in-person experience we’ve all been missing for the last year and a half. We just want to be able to start doing what everybody has come here for, and that’s learning and working together, having interactions and becoming better people. Hopefully we get to do that a lot more this Fall.”

Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 13

COVID-19 Updates and information From First Presidency of the Church: On Aug. 12, the Church sent the following message about the pandemic to members of the Church around the world: “We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic. We want to do all we can to limit the spread of these viruses. We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population.

“To limit exposure to these viruses, we urge the use of face masks in public meetings whenever social distancing is not possible.

To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated. Available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective.

“We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders.

Please know of our sincere love and great concern for all of God’s children.”

From BYU–Hawaii’s COVID-19 Update webpage: As of Aug. 23, 97 percent of faculty and 80 percent of staff (nonstudent) are vaccinated. There are four active cases on campus and the overall percent positive rate is .24 percent.

The Vaccine Exemption Process “BYU–Hawaii’s medical exemption process is detailed on the Vaccination Requirements and Tuberculosis Clearance web page.

Exemption requests and supporting documentation should be sent to BYU–Hawaii Health Services at healthcenter@byuh.edu. Each request is considered carefully and individually by a health professional according to the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Medical Association (AMA), and disease specialty associations as appropriate. The CDC guidelines on contraindications for the COVID-19 vaccine are listed on the CDC website.

“When someone meets the criteria for a contraindication, a medical exemption will be given. Individuals impacted by diseases that do not meet these criteria will not be granted a medical exemption. Please contact Health Services at (808) 675-3510 if you have additional questions on the medical exemption process.

Seasider Testing “The CDC now recommends everyone gets tested if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Even vaccinated individu-

als who don’t show symptoms should get tested three to five days after exposure and wear a mask in public for 14 days after the exposure or until a negative test result is received. Seasider Testing is available for students and employees who wish to get tested.”

“BYU–Hawaii has partnered with Nomi Health to provide a salivabased PCR testing program at no cost to employees and students. As of August 2021, COVID-19 testing will also be available at no cost to the public (non-students and non-employees). Participants are asked to bring some form of identification and insurance cards although having insurance is not required to get tested. Appointments and walk-ins are accepted. Drive-in testing is also available.

“Testing is available Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. and on Saturday between 9 a.m. and noon in the southeast corner of the Cannon Activities Center (CAC) next to the Gym Parking Lot.”

Working to limit the spread of the virus on campus “With the Delta variant increasing the number of infections, BYU–Hawaii continues to encourage people to do what they can to be informed, prepare, and stay healthy.”

GetVaccinated “The spread of the Delta variant is higher in low vaccination areas.

BYUH encourages everyone to get a vaccine, including family, friends, and community members. Vaccine clinics on campus are available to anyone 18 years and older to receive the vaccine.”

Wear a mask “The state’s indoor mask mandate is still in place. Please continue to wear masks in public spaces.”

Watch for symptoms “With new variants, symptoms of infections have changed for both unvaccinated individuals and breakthrough cases in vaccinated individuals. The ZOE COVID Symptom Study, the world’s largest ongoing study of COVID-19 symptoms, has outlined the following top five symptoms:

Vaccinated Individuals 1.Headache 2.Runny nose 3.Sneezing 4.Sore throat 5.Loss of smell

Unvaccinated Individuals 1.Headache 2.Sore Throat 3.Runny Nose 4.Fever 5.Persistent cough

State of Hawaii Updates: The 7-day average of daily new COVID-19 cases in Hawaii is at 867, reports the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Sept. 3, and the testing positivity rate is at 7.5 percent. There are 448 COVID-19 patients in state hospitals, according to the COVID-19 dashboard, edging closer to 500, which Lt. Gov. Josh Green says is a breaking point for hospitals.

Hawaii’s Gov. David Ige said he is frustrated because he believes Hawaii’s surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations could have been avoided, reports KHON2 News. “I definitely feel like was preventable if we could have gotten more people vaccinated sooner,” he said. With COVID-19 numbers increasing, Ige said he will have no choice but to implement more restriction if Hawaii’s situation does not get better, the article continues.

“We are trying to look at targeted restrictions and measures that can get to the activity that we see spreading the virus,” he said.

Ige does not want to implement a full lockdown and stay at home order like was done in 2020, and said, “We clearly understand that businesses are struggling, and we don’t want to create more economic turmoil in our community.”

Ige added the virus is not going away anytime soon and part of the reason numbers are going up is people are letting their guards down, including those who are fully vaccinated, reports KHON2 News. He said people need to act like they did at the start of the pandemic and avoid gathering in groups for the next four to six weeks, “so we can stop spreading the virus,” Ige added.

Over the Labor Day weekend, Honolulu police officers were expected to ticket groups that exceed the 25-person outdoor limit, said Mayor Rick Blangiardi, who has also issued a new order that makes any violation of emergency rules subject to a $250 fine including those who gather in large groups and fail to wear masks indoors.

Also starting on Sept. 13, Blangiardi says people will need to show their vaccines cards or a COVID-19 negative test result within 48 hours, reports KHON2 news, at the door of any restaurant, gym, bar or other venues, to get into them. He says this is the best way to avoid another lockdown. Other venues include: Bowling alleys, arcades, pool/billiard halls, movie theaters, museums, indoor portions of botanical gardens, aquariums, sea life attractions, zoos, commercial and recreational boating, public and private commercial pools, shooting/archery ranges, go karts, mini golf, and any establishments that offer food and/or drink for on-premises consumption.

According the USA Facts, Hawaii residents are nearly 65 percent fully vaccinated but 74 percent have received at least one shot.• Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 15

FALL FESTIVITIES‘21 On-campus classes means there are fun activities to look forward to for students

BY ELLE LARSON

W

ith students coming back to campus this Fall, there are exciting events to look forward to, including the hale cup, a party at the beach, Food Fest, dances and more.

Students can find out all about upcoming events on an app called Corq. On the app, students can sign up for events and find out helpful information including the time, location and a quick summary of the activity. Look for the pizza icon for events with food. Students can download the app and sign in to BYU–Hawaii’s page with their student login information.

Game night 9/24, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Play games and eat yummy food at this event hosted by Seasider Activities. Located in the Cannon Activities Center.

16 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Fall concert 10/15, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

“All of our concerts are really fun,” said Williams. She said students can look forward to the C-Store selling concessions outside. “It’s in the CAC, so you’ve got all this space and you get to hang out with all your friends.” The musicians are yet to be determined.

Inauguration of President Kauwe 10/19 The inauguration of President John S.K. Kauwe III is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 19, in the Cannon Activities Center. He is the 11th president of BYU–Hawaii.

President Kauwe was the dean of Graduate Studies at BYU in Provo and is an internationally recognized researcher specializing in Alzheimer’s disease.

He received a doctorate in evolution, ecology, and population biology in 2007 from Washington University in St. Louis. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Alzheimer’s disease genetics at the Washington University School of Medicine. He received his bachelor’s in molecular biology and master’s degree in population genetics from BYU in Provo.

In 2003, President Kauwe married Monica Mortenson who is from Provo, Utah.

They are the parents of five children, who range in age from 14 to 3.

He has deep roots in Hawaii and spent several years of his childhood on the islands of Kauai, Oahu and Molokai, and is a graduate of Molokai High School.

President Kauwe’s fourth greatgrandfather, Kaleohano, was one of the first

converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii, and was taught by Elder George Q. Cannon in 1851.

Halloween dance 10/29, 9 p.m. to midnight Dress up in your best Halloween garb and party it up at the McKay Gym!

Food Fest 11/6, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Hosted by Student Leadership, Food Fest is the perfect time to learn more about your classmates’ cultures and eat delicious food. Clubs from all different countries sell authentic treats in the Flag Circle for students and community members to purchase and enjoy.

Makahiki 11/13, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Learn about Hawaiian culture by playing traditional Hawaiian games. At this event hosted by Seasider Sports in the Flag Circle, Williams explained the significance of this event. “It brings the Hawaiian culture back to our campus. A lot of times we do things ‘mainland style.’ We want to make sure we don’t lose Hawaiian culture.”

Christ in Christmas 11/28, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

When Christmas rolls around, campus sparkles a little extra with festive lights lining

the entrance to the school and a manger in the flag circle.

To kick off the Christmas season, President John S.K. Kauwe will share a Christmas devotional in the McKay Auditorium. Afterwards, all the lights will be lit all at once.

Williams shared she loves the Christmas manger. “It looks like a regular old manger, but when they put it up, it’s the prettiest thing in the world. I will go there and just stare at it.”

Chalk dance 12/3, 9 p.m. to midnight Wear white, grab a bag of chalk and party at the softball field.

Christmas movie night 12/17, 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Celebrate the season by enjoying hot chocolate and movies.

Intramural sports Williams said she’s excited for intramural sports to start in the Fall, including soccer, rugby and ultimate Frisbee.

“That gives students something to look forward to again. People want to do things.

They don’t want to just show up for things.”

She said students can make their team and play in a tournament-style league to compete for being the champion team.

Hale cup Anna Jenkins, a senior from Utah studying hospitality and tourism management, is part of the team of Resident Assistants that are organizing the hale cup, which is a new, exciting program starting this Fall.

“Hale cup is basically a way to promote student involvement on campus, centered around the hales.You know in Harry Potter, when each house gets points?” she asked.

“That’s literally happening.”

Williams said each hale will be assigned a mascot and then will band together to try and get the most points for their hale. Jenkins explained students can get points for doing things like attending events, winning games, passing clean checks and completing fire drills.

The purpose of the competition is to encourage students to get out of their rooms and engage at campus events. “We want them to feel like they’re a part of something,” explained Jenkins.

At the end of the semester, Jenkins said they plan on hosting a hale Olympics where hales can earn a lot of points. The winning hale gets to enjoy a secret grand prize. “We fought pretty hard for that prize. It’s going to be super cool,” she said.

Jenkins said Residential Life hosts events every Tuesday and Thursday students can look out for, including a life skills class, a haunted house and a battle of the bands. • S E P T EM B ER 2021 17 Students dancing at a campus activity.

Photos provided by BYUH.

Suicide awareness month: The most preventable death ‘We can have a part in essentially saving somebody’s life,’ says Elizabeth Rago, a counselor at BYUH Counseling Services

BY RAHEL MEYER

T

here is a myth that the more people talk about suicide, the more they will be willing to attempt suicide. However, Elizabeth Rago, a clinical and disability services counselor at BYU–Hawaii Counseling Services, says talking about suicide helps save lives.

“All the statistics worldwide indicate the more we talk about it and raise awareness, the more people feel like they’re not alone,” said Rago. “We can have a part in essentially saving somebody’s life.”

Nomungerel Enkhtuvshin, a BYUH alumni from Mongolia who interns at Counseling & Disability Services, said September, which is National Suicide Prevention Month, provides an opportunity to open up about suicide.

“Suicide is the most preventable death,” Enkhtuvshin emphasized. “With the appropriate mental health support and advocacy, suicide can be prevented.”

Rago said from her own experience, students—typically from Asia or the Pacific— wait until they are in a crisis before they decide to seek help. “I want to encourage students to just come in and talk about it with one of us,” she said.

She emphasized students don’t have to be in a major crisis to go to the counseling center. “Sometimes students come in because

Graphics by Katie Mower.

18 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

of a break-up, or because of something that happened in class they need to talk about, or when they have no one to talk to. Everything is confidential.”

Starting the conversation “Suicide is a topic many people avoid because it is so painful to think about,” said Rago. “Nobody really wants to think about their loved ones, their friends or even acquaintances taking their own lives.”

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, suicide is “the second leading cause of death among college-aged students in the United States.”

In addition, Asian countries account for approximately 60 percent of the world’s suicides, as stated by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Because BYU–Hawaii’s student body is mainly represented by Asian and Pacific Islanders, Rago explained it has become a priority for the Counseling & Disability Services to bring awareness to the topic.

According to the American Association of Suicidology, 80 percent of students who die by suicide never contact mental health services, but 80-to-90 percent of people who seek treatment for depression, including suicidal

thoughts, are treated successfully using therapy and/or medication.

Those statistics show the importance of speaking up about suicide, emphasized Enkhtuvshin. “We are not afraid to talk about physical illnesses, so we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about mental health issues.”

Eliminating misconceptions Everyone is prone to suicidal thoughts, said Rago, even the people you could never imagine feeling that way. “It could happen to anybody. All of us are vulnerable to having those thoughts.”

She said the director of counseling at the University of Pennsylvania died by suicide.

“Here we have an ivy league school, and we see even the director of counseling services, somebody who we consider the healthiest, is vulnerable to those feelings and actions.”

Rago said mental health issues have increased during the pandemic, which makes suicide prevention even more important.

According to a recent survey by bestcolleges. com, “95% of college students have experienced negative mental health symptoms as a result of COVID-19-related circumstances” and “almost half (48%) believe the mental health effects have directly affected their education.”

S E P T EM B ER 2021 19

Rago said increased mental health issues are one of the reasons everybody should attend the QPR trainings Counseling Services are offering.

QPR trainings QPR, which is short for QuestionPersuade-Refer, is a suicide prevention model used on many university campuses and in other workplaces, Rago said.

“QPR is like CPR,” explained Enkhtuvshina. “People are trained in an emergency response, and QPR is there for a suicide crisis.

“It’s not only for people who struggle with suicidal thoughts. It’s also for students who have friends or family members who [have] suicidal thoughts.You’ll learn more about mental health and what to look out for in your friends and in yourself.”

She said people will also learn what steps to take when someone has suicidal thoughts.

Rago said research has shown the best method in preventing suicide is building a wall of protection for the struggling individual.

This protection comes from surrounding the person with as many safe and supportive people as possible and access to resources such as those available at the Counseling & Disability Services, she added.

“I am emphasizing QPR because it allows us to build that wall together,” said Rago. “It would be so great if every faculty member and every student and every staff member went to QPR trainings so they would be more aware of what to do.”

Being there for loved ones Jarom Cabigunda Perandos, a senior from the Philippines majoring in social work, said people should not be ashamed to ask their friends if they’re having suicidal thoughts. “When people start to talk about

it and are more comfortable with it, we can actually prevent that high risk of suicide for college students.”

“Be that person others feel safe around.

Be aware of your loved ones,” he shared.

“Always check on them. Some of our friends who we think are the strongest are probably the most likely ones to [commit suicide].”

Perandos emphasized that suicidal thoughts and mental health issues can’t just be shrugged off. “You can’t just think positively.

Challenges come.”

He encouraged people to use all the resources they can, such as priesthood blessings, receiving emotional support from friends and family members, or getting professional help. He said these resources give the person options other than suicide.• Graphics by Katie Mower.

Sign up for QPR trainings at https://counseling.byuh.edu/online-group-counseling QPR trainings are given every second Tuesday (9/14, 10/12, 11/9) at 10 a.m.

An outreach event for national suicide prevention month is scheduled for Sept.10. For more information about QPR trainings or outreach events follow @byuhcounseling on Instagram and look for updates on the student bulletin and campus announcement screens.

Signs to seek help: - Feelings of hopelessness - Poor outlook on future - Isolating from friends - Sleeping issues (sleeping too much/less) - Not enough or too much eating - Thoughts and feelings of worthlessness - No motivation What to do next?

- Involve as many safe and supportive people as possible: bishop, counseling center, trusted friends who have compassion

20 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

ASSISTING FUTURE

DENTISTS BYUH Pre-dental Club helps students network, plan their classes and prepare for the Dental Admissions Test

BY XYRON LEVI CORPUS

S

tudents who join BYU–Hawaii’s Pre-dental Club can receive assistance navigating the steps of getting into dental school, said the club’s former vice president. From preparing for the Dental Admissions Test, or DAT, to shadowing a dentist, and from sciencerelated extracurricular activities to knowing what classes to take, the club’s president said his vision is for more people to join so they can learn together and support each other.

Jon Thompson, a junior from Canada majoring in biomedical science, said he was one of the lucky ones who had the Pre-dental Club as a resource. “When I first came here, I was clueless, and I had no idea what classes to take. I don’t know how I would have gotten through it if I hadn’t met [the founders of the club],” he said. “They were able to [guide] me.”

Pre-dental students are pictured checking out the teeth of another student.

Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 21

Thompson said he has seen students drop out of pre-dental classes, so as club president, he wants to provide a place where students can be supported.

Sam Johnson, an alumnus from Washington who majored in marine biology and was the club’s vice president, said he wished there were more resources to help with course planning on campus during his time at BYUH. “For me, it was a lot of trial and error and a lot of personal research.”

Most students are currently teaching themselves about the dental school requirements through Google searches, Thompson added. One of his goals, he shared, is to ensure the academic advisors are aware of the current pre-dental requirements so they can better assist students.

Thompson explained Johnson was accepted to dental school, discovered he had not met all of the requirements and had to stay at BYUH to finish the additional required courses.

“There’s not a lot of resources we have provided by the school, so the club is a way to get kids with similar goals together,” said former Club President and founder, Nathan Heiden. “We fed off each other and provided resources that wouldn’t really be provided otherwise.”

Heiden, who is a senior from Utah studying biology, shared, “It’s not just dental school. It’s also dental hygiene or dental research or whatever you want to do in the dental field. We want to be able to get you to your destination.”

DAT and GPA considerations Dental schools are looking for a high DAT score, good cumulative GPA and science-related extracurricular activities, Thompson explained.

He explained how the DAT is scored out of 30 and focuses on chemistry, organic chemistry and biology. “A score above 19 is exceptional.… Anything over 20 is what most dentists are trying to go for.”

Heiden said, “It’s getting increasingly competitive to get into dental school. The average GPA, DAT score and number of applicants is increasing every year.”

Applicants want their GPA to be as high as possible, but most dental schools only include science-related classes when calculating the cumulative GPA, explained Thompson. “Even if you do badly in your ping pong class or your [other] classes, it won’t affect you too much in the end.”

According to study.com, dental schools may require both a minimum overall GPA and a separate science GPA “to confirm students show mastery of their science coursework and overall performance.”

Science-related extra curriculars Thompson said being a member of a science-related club and participating in any science-related extracurricular activities is important because it shows commitment to the subject. Experience in

22 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

the Pre-dental Club, especially as an officer, will definitely boost a dental school application because that shows an even greater commitment to science, he added.

Besides extracurricular experience, research improves student’s chances. “Research can really come in handy when you’re applying,” said Thompson. “At our school, we have a lot of opportunities to do research with different professors.”

Johnson has been researching for about a year with Associate Professor Brad Smith of the Faculty of Sciences, shared Thompson.

During his admissions interviews, Thompson said Johnson was able to tell dental schools his research about “COVID wastewater” and “marine bio research” and “describe it perfectly because he’s been doing it for so long.”

Thompson stated applicants also need about 100 shadowing hours, or time spent observing a dentist’s workday. “It’s important to know a dentist to get these shadowing hours,” he said. “A lot of students here don’t have those connections, but being a part of the dental club is helpful because a lot of those club members do have connections.”

According to Johnson, the dentist whom the applicant chooses to shadow will write a letter of recommendation, highlighting how observant, consistent and inquisitive the applicant is. Thus, he said it’s important for applicants to show their interest in the field.

Another dental school application requirement is a personal statement, said Heiden, which is a one-and-a-half-page document where the applicant explains why they want to be a dentist.

“You want to be able to grasp the attention of the admissions committee,” he shared. “And you want to outline your three strongest reasons why you think being a dentist is the right career for you.”

Thompson said the rule of thumb with dental school is to apply to 10 different schools and hope acceptance is granted to one or two of them.

The club’s invitation Johnson invited all pre-dental students, and those considering becoming a dentist or hygienist, to join the club. “You’ll learn a lot about what it is to be a dentist and what you need to do to become a dentist,” he explained.

“For those of you who are committed, it will help streamline your process of getting into dental school and make those hoops you have to jump through a lot easier.”

Having a dental club is very beneficial for all the students who want to be dentists, said Thompson, because the club “has people who’ve already got into dental school and already know what it’s about.”

Heiden said he hopes people will join and engage in the club because the larger the group, the more people will contribute and the more they will all learn together.• Graphics by Katie Mower.

From left to right are pictured Jon Thompson, Samuel Johnson and Nate Heiden.

Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos

THE CLUB’S INVITATION All pre-dental students, and those considering becoming a dentist or hygienist, should join the club because they will learn: • What it takes to become a dentist • How to get into dental school • What dental school is really like

S E P T EM B ER 2021 23

FARM FRESH for BYUH

BYU–Hawaii’s Sustainability Center is collaborating with the cafeteria, lowering the school’s carbon footprint and bringing fresh food

BY ALEXANDRA CLENDENNING

T

he Sustainability Center at BYU–Hawaii is expected to start producing enough fresh food for the cafeteria for all students and faculty on campus to enjoy. The farm is equipped with livestock, fruits and vegetables, a bike shop, as well as a Give and Take area for students to take home recycled items.

According to Leslie Harper, the Sustainability Center’s manager, Hawaii’s carbon footprint is huge compared to other states and countries due to the amount of food that is imported to feed people on the island. The Sustainability Center’s goal, he said, is to teach, create and cultivate a more sustainable Hawaii for students.

From farm to table Harper said most produce Hawaii receives on island is already three weeks old due to the shipping of the food. He explained, “Bakersfield, California, in that area [of] Central Valley California, provides a lot of 24 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

food we eat, so you’re looking at probably 2,700 miles for a carrot to travel before you can eat it up at the salad bar in the cafeteria.

We’re going to turn that upside down and reduce it down to probably 1 or 1 and 1/2 miles.”

Harper said producing food locally reduces travel time and also ensures freshness. He shared a story about a student who visited the farm and was shocked by the interesting smell of the carrots when offered one. Harper explained, “It’s the soil. It’s the essence of the nutrients and the biology of the soil. … Those carrots [and other produce] are usually three weeks old and dying.

Whereas here, it will typically be brought to the cafeteria within a day or two.”

According to Harper, this new project will potentially produce more than 500 pounds of food for the school a week. He said, “Anything that we can supply, we’re going to make an effort to do so. There’s a list right now we’re working on to produce 10 different things, and it adds up to about 560 pounds of food a week.”

Harper said teaching students and allowing them to learn helps them to be sustainable throughout their whole lives. Sterling Kerr, an employee at the Sustainability Center from Utah majoring in biology, said this new project will allow him to see his hard work and the work of others almost immediately. He shared, “If [students] ever visit the cafeteria, it’ll be very likely they’ll eat something I personally planted and help grow, which will be pretty worthwhile.There’s not a lot of things we get to work on where we get to see the literal fruits of our labors.”

Expansion of farmland and opportunity The Sustainability Center is expected to expand and begin producing food soon for the cafeteria, said Harper.

Harper said the farm will be in high gear over the next few months to start producing enough food for the cafeteria. The farm is focused on clearing land to plant seedlings.

“The Sustainability Center is going to provide

numerous opportunities for students to get additional experience that’s going to be a complement to a degree.”

Harper said he wants students to know with this new expansion of land and this project, many different opportunities will come to pass. This will allow students to get involved and learn different skill sets while here at BYUH. Kerr, for example, said he was left in charge of the bike shop on his own without much knowledge of fixing bikes. “[The bike shop manager] left the whole bike shop to me after only working there for about two or three days, so I didn’t know anything about bikes. ... By the end of it, I became really comfortable working with bikes and now that’s something I do on my own. I

don’t take my bike to get fixed anymore. I do it all my own.” Kerr said he eventually became the manager of the bike shop.

Harper expressed, “It’s a perfect opportunity for business and supply chain students who intend to go into that industry where they’re supplying a product to somebody. This would be some very good hands-on experience for students.”

Harper said the farm is looking for additional student workers.•

The Sustainability Center at BYUH is working to grow more produce for the campus cafeteria, says the director.

Photos by Ulziibayar Badamdorj.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 25

Laie temple president encourages patrons to remember their temple covenants after months of being ‘temple starved’

BY ELLE LARSON

I

n reverent awe, Laie Hawaii Temple President James Emerson Hallstrom Jr. described the feeling of serving in the temple while being the only one there.

He explained during phases one, two and three of the temple reopening after being closed during the pandemic, patrons experienced wonders they would not normally have. During the ordinances, groups would be really small and only one ordinance would be going on in the temple at a time.

Hallstrom said, “It was a wonderful spiritual experience being in the temple when it’s just

26 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

you and the Spirit. That’s such a wonderful place to be.”

Hallstrom said he recognizes although the pandemic disrupted life, he can still see the blessings of the temple because they “continue to flow, the work moves forward, and we’re going to look back at this time and say, ‘Wow, what a blessing. There were hardships, yes. Lost jobs, lost loved ones. But the work of the Lord did not cease.”

Temple blessings Although he works hard balancing work, 15 credits and taking care of his 11-month-old son,

CJ Gankhuu, a senior from Mongolia majoring in information technology, said he is grateful for the reopened temple because it brings peace and stability into his life.

Gankhuu said, “Working in the temple helps me balance my life. Even though it takes more time from my free time, it’s a blessing.”

His testimony of temple work was enhanced by his time away from the sacred building, he added.

“I really missed the temple, and when I went there for the first time after the pandemic, I felt refreshed. Like [the temple] is the place I should be.

Laie Hawaiii Temple President James Emerson Hallstrom Jr. and his wife, Kathleen King Hallstrom.

Photos by Ulziibayar Badamdorj.

“After a year, the temple is the thing I want most, even though I have a wife, children, work, classes and life. When I put God first, I see the blessings.”

Despite the challenge of adding one more thing to his plate, Gankhuu said he loves going to the temple. “Even though I feel exhausted at the end of the day, I feel encouraged and inspired because of the Spirit I feel at the temple.”

This good feeling does not dissipate, Gankhuu explained. He said he feels encouraged and inspired for the next three days

because he feels “buoyed up” to endure the rest of the week.

Hallstrom said it is vital the saints’ “temple starved” vigor does not dissipate as the temple reopens.

“COVID taught us how much we miss the temple, and now that the temple is being reopened, it’s important we don’t lose the perspective of how much we missed it.”

When members go to the temple, he said they should “go to learn and to use their agency to learn how to bind themselves to him and align themselves with him.”

Hallstrom continued, “We want to make sure that, as the temple becomes more open, we don’t lose the perspective of how incredibly special it is.”

In the past year, the Laie Hawaii Temple has gone through several unique stages,” Hallstrom explained.

After directing the temple through normal operation and a centennial celebration, he said he then helped the temple navigate through a complete shutdown due to the pandemic.

In the first phase of reopening, only live sealings of couples were performed.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 27

In the second phase, all living ordinances were performed. In the third phase, patrons are able to perform proxy ordinances after booking an online appointment.

He said they were working on transitioning leadership of the temple over to the new president, Finau Hafoka, who took Hallstrom’s place in August.

Aaron Shumway, the recently appointed associate academic vice president for religious education, shared his testimony of the temple in the wake of the pandemic. “In times of COVID-19, we learned the Lord is watching out for his children.”

Shumway described his daughter’s wedding that took place in December 2020 at the Laie temple. “It was in the morning, and it was phase two, so there were only live ordinances. We had the entire building to ourselves and you could feel it. It was just so intimate. It made me realize this is what temple marriage is all about.”

Temple starved saints Aside from worship within the temple, Hallstrom said worship outside the temple was also affected. He described seeing people gathered outside the temple and the locked temple gates before the temple grounds were reopened to the public.

28 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

“People would come on Sundays and they’d sit outside the walls of the temple with their scriptures or their families. It was wonderful to see them because they wanted to just be close to the temple and feel the feelings that were there.”

Gankhuu said he started working in the temple with his wife, Otgonbileg Erdenebaatar, in the Fall of 2019, shortly after they got married. When the temple closed, Gankhuu said he waited anxiously to return.

In April 2021, when the temple moved to phase three, Gankhuu said he got a call from the temple office asking for him to come and work again. “I felt like they knew me, that I was the one to call when they needed help. I felt privileged and honored.”

He talked about some of the changes made to temple ordinances announced last year. “It’s a little bit different than before the pandemic,” said Gankhuu.

He said he knows the changes were made by the prophet, who is hastening the Lord’s work. “The change was necessary to abide by the COVID restrictions. They want it to be fast but accurate, and keep the Spirit for the patrons so they feel safe in the temple.”

Hallstrom explained, “While the ordinances and the covenants have not

changed, some of the administrative procedures have, and they’ve all [become] so much better.”

The recent changes to temple ordinances put more focus on individuals, Hallstrom said.

“During the last year and a half, the temple has been much more personal. It’s all been focused on the needs of specific individuals, rather than mass proxy work.”

Hallstrom said for temple workers, and for the presidency especially, their work is all about creating a spiritual experience for the patrons.

Even when performing proxy work, Hallstrom said he is focused on creating quality experiences for the women and men performing the ordinances.

“I think the Lord is more concerned about the quality of the patron’s experience and what they’re learning to remind them of their covenants, than [he is] about getting the work done for the deceased.

“It’s not a matter of racing to get [the work] done. It’s about being diligent and getting it done, but doing it in such a way that the participants can remember their covenants and understand their importance.”

Sister Kathleen King Hallstrom, matron of the Laie temple, said, “I think [the recent changes have] given us pauses to really

appreciate more, every little thing about the temple.”

President Hallstrom said he is looking forward to the temple moving to phase four, where it will return to normal operation without patrons needing a reservation to serve.

He said he is waiting for word from the first presidency of the Church. “Right now, we are pushing actively to expand. We’re opening up more shifts as we speak, and we’re opening more sessions and more patrons per session.”

He added he hopes to see the temple move to phase four sometime this year. “That would still put us leaps and bounds ahead of other temples.”

President Hallstrom said the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency are the sole decision makers. When they decide to open a temple to the next phase, the brethren consider health and politics, Hallstrom added.

They are constantly watching government proclamations so they can open the temple “judiciously and wisely,” Hallstrom explained.

He said the Church is being extra cautious because they do not want to go backwards.

“They’re making sure we’re on solid ground where we are at.”

In the meantime, Hallstrom said BYU– Hawaii students can do more to serve in the temple. “In the first year, we had some incredible ordinance workers who were students,” Hallstrom said. When the students were sent home because of COVID-19, the temple lost a lot of its “young, wonderful, bright, spiritual, enthusiastic ordinance workers.”

Hallstrom encouraged students who understand the importance of the temple to come and work. “We need to infuse that worker pool with committed students who really understand the importance of being at the temple and would love to be there.” As the temple increasingly opens, he said, they will need more student ordinance workers there. •

“

DURING THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, THE TEMPLE HAS BEEN MUCH MORE PERSONAL. IT’S ALL BEEN FOCUSED ON THE NEEDS OF SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS, RATHER THAN MASS PROXY WORK.

”

JAMES EMERSON HALLSTROM JR.

The Laie Hawaii Temple.

Photos by Ulziibayar Badamdorj.

Caption of photos goes here.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 29

MAKING A DORM A

HOME

BYUH student says living in a dorm can help a person find their second family

BY LAUREN GOODWIN

B

YU–Hawaii students said using exciting and inspirational decorations can help students feel at home in a dorm room, but the key to feeling closer to home is getting to know their roommates.

Claire Parsons, a sophomore from Australia majoring in business management with an emphasis in human resources, said, “Sometimes a space is space, but the people in the space are what make it.”

She said getting to know her roommates helped her settle in. She got to know her roommates by being friendly and communicating with them, and she shared they have become like a second family to her.

“Although people come from all different backgrounds and are different culturally, it is important to get to know them and have a good relationship with them,” Parsons explained.

Noah England, a sophomore from California majoring in conservation biology and ecology, said one way he got to know his roommates was cooking for them.

“One thing that has really helped me feel comfortable and happy in my home was

30 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

cooking for my roommates,” he said. “I have been trying to learn how to cook, and so I would cook for them or buy them food. It helps me feel closer to home and them.”

Alex Mortensen, a junior from Utah majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said since she will be in Laie for four years, it is important for her to buy things she is excited to use every day.

For example, she said getting sheets and blankets she loved helped her feel at home.

She said she also brought photos from home to hang in her room and a stuffed animal to remind her of her mom.

Parsons added unpacking and decorating her room allowed her to express herself and feel content in her space. She said using the corkboard in her hale to hang up photos and inspiring quotes was important in making the space her own. • Personalizing a dorm room makes it feel more like home, but students say building friendships with roommates is important as well. Photo by Ulziibayar Badamdorj. Graphics by Katie Mower.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 31

32 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

How to use TheBus’s new mode of purchasing transportation

BY ANNA STEPHENSON

J

ust as landline phones, iPods and printed-out assignments are fading into the past, so are paper bus passes on Oahu.

Starting July 1, 2021, the Honolulu-based transit company TheBus will no longer offer paper passes, including monthly and day passes. If you intend to ride the bus more than one round trip a day, you will need a HOLO card. However, getting a HOLO card is easy. With the lack of paper passes, you must pay individually for every route in the transfer.

The funds on the HOLO card never expire.

1.Go to holocard.net and make an account with an email address and password. (You technically do not have to do this, but it’ll protect you in case of theft or losing the card.)

2. Then, go to the Laie Village Shopping Center Foodland customer service counter and ask for an Adult HOLO card. They will activate your card and give it to you for free. At this stage, however, you can’t use it to ride the bus. The card still has to be loaded and registered.

3. Register and load the card online using a credit or debit card. You can load the card with as much money as you want. (You can also load the card at Foodland. Just register it online and bring it back to the customer service counter, where you’ll need to pay cash to load it.)

4. Return to your holocard.net account and select “Add HOLO card.” Input the card number and security code, then press the “Add card” button. From there, you can load the card, as well as check how much money is left on it if you’re not using a monthly pass.

5. The website also gives you an option to auto-bill your bank account or credit card every month.

Left: TheBus and an example of a HOLO card. Photos by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

TheBus website says monthly passes will continue to be a flat $70 and can be purchased after the 19th of every month to be valid for the following month. When using a HOLO card, paying fare for two trips automatically grants you a daily pass. Individual trips are still $2.75 each.

If you do not have a HOLO card, each bus trip, including transfers, will cost $2.75 in cash, exact change only. TheBus will no longer be handing out paper day passes, so you must pay each way.

To use the HOLO card, simply tap the card against the card reader at the entrance of the bus and wait for the shaka sign or the ukulele tone. On your way off the bus, you don’t need to tap again. If you’re running low on funds, the reader will flash yellow to remind you to reload the card.

While you can keep your HOLO card in your wallet, take it out before tapping the reader. According to TheBus’s Frequently Asked Questions on its website this is important so the reader is able to detect the microchip on your HOLO card only, not your other cards. The reader will not take payment from the same card more than once within two minutes, so don’t worry about accidentally double-charging. Thus, you cannot pay for other people. Each passenger needs their own HOLO card.

If your card is lost or stolen, you can cancel it online and get a free replacement card at Foodland. Register your new card and use the website to transfer the stored balance from your canceled card onto the new card.You can’t do this if you didn’t register your first card at a holocard.net account. Be aware, TheBus does not guarantee getting and replacing HOLO cards will always be free. TheBus’s FAQ says once initial distribution is over, a fee may be introduced. TheBus currently does not have any public information on when this may occur.

According to Hawaii Public Radio, the HOLO card will be usable at rail stations when they open. Further information is not available at this time, as the fare cost for the rail has not been officially decided yet The change may be difficult for some students. Amelia Meli, a junior from Kaimuki double majoring in biology and Hawaiian Studies, said she takes the bus fairly often but isn’t sure if she’ll get a HOLO card. “I’ll miss the one-day pass. It was useful.” She said she feels as though TheBus is primarily making this change to squeeze extra money out of card-less passengers who need to make transfers.

If you have friends or family coming to visit Oahu and they intend to take the bus, you could advise them to get a HOLO card. The card itself is free and there are locations near the Honolulu Airport where they can pick one up.

If you qualify for reduced bus fares due to disability, are on Medicare, or are under 17 or over 65, you cannot get a HOLO card at Foodland. Disability and Medicare cards must be retrieved from TheBus Pass Office on Middle Street in Honolulu. Senior and Youth cards must be retrieved from certain city halls. The closest ones to Laie are in Wahiawa and Kaneohe. If you prefer to purchase a HOLO card via mail, it can take up to 10 business days for it to be delivered. At this time, only Adult HOLO cards are available for purchase by mail.

Customer service representatives from TheBus declined to speak with Ke Alaka‘i about why only Adult HOLO cards are available at Foodland. However, TheBus website says it plans to expand the locations where all types of HOLO cards will be available to acquire and load in the future. TheBus representatives could not comment on if student discounts will become available in the future. •

S E P T EM B ER 2021 33

Empathy is key BYUH faculty and staff say they will apply lessons from the pandemic to the classroom for Fall 2021

BY ALEXANDRA CLENDENNING

A

ssociate Professor in the Faculty of Education & Social Work, Eric Rackley, suggested staff begin the Fall Semester with a more empathetic approach to help cultivate care for students and positivity for all. He acknowledged how many students will be joining BYU–Hawaii this Fall from countries and regions that have been affected differently by the pandemic.

Rackley said part of his preparation for the return of his students is understanding their experiences and struggles due to the pandemic “and considering what that implies for their return to classroom instruction.”

He said being mindful of the diverse experiences and traumas of his students will allow them to feel comfortable and safe at BYUH. He said he is designing his classroom instruction to be “an intellectually, socially and psychologically safe place where [students] can continue to work through the struggles and trauma of this last year.”

A passion for teaching Thomas Robertson, an adjunct instructor in the Faculty of Education & Social Work and a licensed clinical social worker and therapist, beamed while explaining why he loves to teach his students in the classroom. “In-person teaching just energizes me, and I love getting to know every student.”

Robertson said it is important to make connections with students so they know he recognizes who they are. “I know everybody does this, but it’s just so important for me to learn everybody’s names.”

Teaching is more fulfilling when students wrestle with the course material, Rackley added. “It’s exciting when students are curious, and they challenge an idea or say, ‘I’m not sure I agree with that.’” He said he follows up by asking the student to explain why they disagree, which sparks a fulfilling “intellectual engagement.”

Rackley continued, “Part of my approach is to include an added measure of grace in my interactions with students, encourage students 34 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

to be increasingly thoughtful toward each other, try to understand other student’s experiences during the pandemic that may be different than one’s own and realize some students may need a little more time and support to build up the academic and social skills that may have suffered a little during the pandemic.”

Ammon Wilcken, assistant professor in the Faculty of Education & Social Work, explained students can get the most out of in-person school by having more personal interaction with their professors. He said by doing this, professors have the chance to mentor students and help them along their path toward their future careers.

“When students come in and show me they’re comfortable coming in and talking to me, it’s one of my favorite things to have happen,” Wilcken shared. “When we all go back this Fall, I would hope to be both a professor and mentor for students, one on one, whenever possible.”

Working at BYUH has been a unique experience in terms of the faculty and students he has gotten to know, Wilcken added. “BYUH is really a great place for teaching, especially because if you talk to the professors, all of them really do enjoy teaching,” he said. “Professors don’t come to BYUH unless they really want to be a teacher and have a passion for it.”

Robertson said one aspect of teaching he enjoys is watching his students collaborate and dive deeper into the material. He said a few days before the pandemic, his students were understanding the material, working together, showing community and asking great questions during the class period. Robertson said he felt he was doing his job as a teacher because of the effort and curiosity the students were displaying.

“Having certain students who promote a good classroom makes the learning much more effective,” he added. “Students who can create a good classroom, bring everybody together and make people feel comfortable talking is critical for the classroom setting.” He explained he created this classroom environment by having open discussions, group work and collaborating as a class to understand and make goals.

Rackley smiled as he talked about going back to teaching his students in person this Fall 2021. He expressed he is more than ready to go back to school because he enjoys seeing and getting to know his students and learning from them, especially when they are genuinely curious about what is being taught.

“A favorite aspect of teaching would definitely be working with the students. That’s always the richest, most exciting part of it. Here at BYUH, it’s a teaching intensive university,” he said, emphasizing how this “makes it a rich experience for me and the students.”

Applying lessons from online learning Robertson said for him, online teaching has been a learning curve.

However, he said it has also allowed him to develop his courses and teaching style, especially on Canvas, and stretched him as a therapist.

“Something we can learn from the pandemic is every student knows how to be an online student and an in-person student,” he explained. “Every teacher knows how to be an online teacher, and in my profession, every therapist is also an online therapist. We all know how to use the right tools to do our jobs, and our abilities have doubled.”

Robertson expressed his ability to teach in an online and in-person format has allowed him to learn how to use different tools, like Canvas, to assist his students in learning new material from a diverse set of online sources.

Rackley said his in-person classes are full of discussions and interactive lessons to help keep his students engaged and eager to keep learning. He explained his teaching style varies from class to class to keep the classroom interesting and diverse.

He explained he made his online classes more interactive by having students participate in group work, which included joint assignments, discussions and important feedback to cultivate a more unified learning experience for his students.

In Rackley’s pedagogy course, he said he asked his students to watch, read and interpret course material while also working in groups to accomplish weekly assignments as a team.

In addition, he said he encouraged his online students to take notes during his lectures and while doing their homework and turn them in to him. He said feedback from his students revealed taking physical notes helped them absorb and understand the material better.

In the Fall, Rackley said he will continue to use these skills to help his students deepen their learning. For example, he said by having his students complete research before class to prepare them for the discussion, they will be introduced to diverse learning resources besides the textbook and his lectures.

Rackley advised returning students to take courses they enjoy and to enjoy the courses they are taking by changing their mindset.

“If you’re taking courses you enjoy, let yourself enjoy them. If you’re taking courses you don’t enjoy, take them as if you were to enjoy them by putting that attitude towards your assignments and readings,” he said. “Usually, people start to enjoy it because they start to realize what they are learning is interesting and is important to know.”

One way he said students can be more interested is to inquire about what they are learning in the classroom. Rackley shared how he had a student who “asked a lot of questions to make sure he understood things and wanted to know more beyond what the readings offered. I gave him additional readings, which he enjoyed.” • Graphics by Marlee Palmer.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 35

The‘camp’ in campus More than 180 students join Facebook Tent City page, but BYUH leaders say the housing shortage will improve

BY ELLE LARSON

T

rella Schlutsmeyer said when she noticed so many BYUH students planning to live in tents and cars if they didn’t get housing, she made a Facebook group to help them coordinate their living situations. The group, called Unofficial BYUH Tent City, boasts more than 180 members. She said the purpose of the group was to create a community for students without housing to safely camp on campus.

Not having housing for the Fall made Schlutsmeyer, a junior from California studying art education, anxious for the safety of herself and other students going through the same thing. She said she and a friend were debating about buying a van to live in on the streets the night before she made the Facebook group.

“I had anxiety all that night, and I woke up and said, ‘Alright that’s it. I’ve got to do something. That’s how BYUH Tent City was born,” she said.

BYUH Assistant to the President Laura Tevaga, who is also the director of communication and marketing, said “We’re doing everything we can to make sure everybody has

36 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

a place.” Then she added, “We advise against living in vans and in tents. It’s not allowed, by the state nor by us.”

Housing in Hawaii Tevaga explained BYUH housing has always been “tight.” The combination of so many students needing to come back at once, a lack of landlords who will rent to students and a general housing shortage in Hawaii, she said the school is in a unique residential conundrum.

“We have those things, along with COVID-19, that have made this a perfect storm for an already extra-tight housing situation,” Tevaga said.

One thing that can be done to improve the situation is the number of landlords who will rent to students. Tevaga explained there are many private landlords who usually rent to students, but when all the students left in 2020, they chose to rent to local families or students from other universities studying online, which means there are fewer places to live off-campus.

“We’re actively trying to find more

“We advise against living in vans and in tents. It’s not allowed, by the state nor by us.”

- Laura Tevaga

Due to a housing shortage, some students say they are considering camping or living out a their cars.

Photo illustration by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 37

landlords to offer housing to our students,” said Tevaga.

According to Hanna Biesinger, senior manager of Housing and Residential Life, the Housing Office has been hunting for landlords willing to house students since March and continues to do so.

Tevaga said the Housing Office has encouraged BYUH employees to offer housing and are converting some available faculty housing to temporarily house single students as well.

She refuted rumors the vaccine mandate or an over-admission rate affected the present housing situation. “The vaccine mandate has nothing to do with housing,” she said.

Additionally, she explained BYUH admitted the same amount of people it has in previous years to keep the student cap at 3,200. “We didn’t admit more students.

We’re exactly the same as we were preCOVID-19,” she added.

her career and stop relying on her parents.

That is why she was willing to come back for school and be homeless, she said. “I’m ready to go back, and I don’t want to keep waiting.”

Students who join the wait list can expect to hear from housing when accommodations are available. Many students, according to the University’s housing website, will be moved into temporary on-campus housing.

Tevaga explained the school is creating temporary housing in the hale lounges and other similar spaces on campus until new options become available.

She said campuses often come up with empty spots when students choose not to come.

Students who are in temporary housing will be on stand-by to fill those spots. This is a practice many universities practice, and one BYUH has employed in the past, Tevaga explained.

Steps to take

Looking forward

Biesinger suggests three action plans for students who need housing: 1. Sign up for one of the on-campus housing wait lists 2. Look for housing outside of Laie 3. Defer enrollment until the Winter 2022 Semester Tevaga added, “We haven’t had a year where we’ve had this many people come back at once.” She said normally, people come and go at different times, creating a natural fluctuation of housing availability, but it’s different this Fall. “To have everybody looking at once [makes it seem] like it’s a bigger problem.”

She said she expects housing patterns will gradually normalize and students who need housing will be able to find it as time progresses towards the Winter 2022 Semester.

Schlutsmeyer said deferring until Winter 2022 isn’t an option she wants to choose. She said after staying at home for over a year, she wants to continue her education so she can get married, start

38 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

The school has been working to create more housing for years, explained Tevaga, and workers are currently constructing new places for single and married students to live.

“Things move a lot slower here,” she said. “But over the next few years, there will be additional available housing.”

She lamented the buildings are not yet finished to help the current problem, but she says every semester there should be additional spaces that will give the housing team and students living on campus some “extra breathing room.”

Despite a rocky start getting everyone on the island, Biesinger said Housing and Residential Life is thrilled to welcome new and returning students.

“We are so excited to welcome our students back to campus and return to some normalcy. … Living in BYUH housing cannot be beaten in terms of diversity and inclusivity of all, and we look forward to building lasting relationships with our residents.” • A close-up of inside the tent.

Photo illustration by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

Graphics by Marlee Palmer.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 39

ALOHA SPIRIT

prevails despite pandemic PCC continues to communicate aloha despite COVID-19 through shakas, handing out leis and paying tribute to visitors

BY XYRON LEVI CORPUZ

40 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

PCC Tour Guides serve guests. LEFT: Yuri Numata. RIGHT: Meliana Helu speaks with two guests. Photos provided by the Polynesian Cultural Center.

T

he Polynesian Cultural Center has been focused on how to share aloha while adhering to the state’s health and safety guidelines, said Seth Casey, senior manager of marketing at the PCC. He said although some of their practices have changed due to the pandemic, the spirit of aloha has not.

“Aloha is more than just saying the word, and it’s more than just giving a lei,” shared Casey. “It’s how we treat people, and it hasn’t changed.”

Gerome Romero, a sophomore from the Philippines studying biochemistry, works as a tour guide at the PCC. He shared how the center’s employees communicate warmth and aloha to visitors through body language as they follow the safety guidelines.

Romero said through using hand gestures and body movements, such as pointing while welcoming guests, visitors still feel like tour guides are communicating with them. “Even though we’re wearing masks, we always smile using our eyes.... It connects us with other people.”

Casey said in Hawaiian and Polynesian culture, they give hugs and do a lot of lei giving, but they had to temporarily suspend those practices due to safety reasons.

“We adapted it a little bit. Instead of giving hugs or handshakes, we give a shaka sign.” He said most people recognize the sign. “It is deeply rooted, not only in our Hawaiian pop culture, but also here in Laie.

The shaka sign was founded here by Hamana Kalili, and we’ve got a nice, big statue of him out in our courtyard.”

Leis and new mask mandate To follow safety guidelines, Casey explained the PCC employees don’t personally give leis to the guests anymore. Rather, he said employees hand the lei to each party and invite them to give it to each other. In this way, “they can still experience the meaning of giving a lei to another person, rather than just receiving the lei.”

According to the new mask mandate, guests only need to wear masks indoors, he said. “Thankfully, most of the PCC experi-

ence is outdoors. … The only time guests need to wear a mask is if they go into the Gateway restaurant, into any of the retail shops that are enclosed and the restrooms.

Other than that, they can come without the mask on, and it has been a relief to a lot of guests because it’s hard to wear a mask all day.”

Romero echoed Casey when he said PCC employees “are allowed to take off their masks when walking around, but when they go inside the buildings, they need to put their masks on.”

Since the Aotearoa (New Zealand) village main hall is enclosed, people have to wear a mask there, Romero added.

Paying tribute The PCC continues to treat its guests with aloha by recognizing them and paying tribute to different groups, such as visitors who served in the military, and first responders and the medical workers who are helping in the current COVID-19 pandemic, Casey shared.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 41

“In most of our shows, we take a few minutes to recognize and thank them publicly for their service and contributions.”

The PCC treats people with respect and love as if they were members of their own family, Casey said. For example, visitors are considered long-lost cousins who come to visit the PCC from all over the world.

Romero said when tour guides are giving tours, they ask if guests are celebrating something, such as a birthday, wedding, family reunion, anniversary or honeymoon. If so, the guides hand the guests a badge that says happy birthday or happy anniversary, depending on what they are celebrating.

Casey said, “If you happen to be celebrating something, … it’s almost impossible to make it through the center without somebody congratulating or recognizing you.”

Safe travels PCC guest Mary Pompilus, who was visiting from Orlando, Florida, shared they came because they are vaccinated. “We felt safe enough to travel at this point.” They decided to go to the center because “this is the attraction that reflects the native people from the islands in Hawaii.”

She said she believes the PCC is taking the required efforts to follow the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s standards because they have closed certain activities, labeled the floor for social distancing and required masks indoors.

Even though they arrived later than their scheduled time, Pompilus shared the center accommodated them and gave them an option to come back another day. They were still able to experience the canoe ride, and she said it was nice because of how descriptive and informative the tour was about the different cultures.

What stood out to her the most was the five statues in the island of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island. According to the PCC website, the statues “are called Moai, and they are handmade authentic replicas of the statues found on the 64-square-mile island of Rapa Nui. …

Four native carvers from Rapa Nui honored the PCC in 2003 by traveling here to Oahu to build these sacred figures, literally from the ground up.”

The website says the Moai have captured the attention of the world and can range from 5 feet to almost 80 feet tall.

42 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Casey said because it’s still very difficult to travel to international destinations because of COVID-19 restrictions, Hawaii is a popular destination since it is an exotic and tropical location. “It is among the top destinations in the world, but it’s still part of the United States, so for those who live in the United States, it’s safe and easy to access.”

He stated the PCC anticipated the testing and quarantine would deter more people from visiting, but guests are still willing to come.

Perhaps they are just tired of being cooped up at home and want to get out, he added.

Selling out Casey said the villages are the most visited part of the PCC “because we can accommodate up to 1,150 people per day. … Second will be the evening show at 800 people.”

He continued, “The most demanded product is our luau, and unfortunately, it’s the one we have the lowest capacity. ... Luaus in general have always been the mainstay of the visitors’ experience here in Hawaii. Even those who have come multiple times to Hawaii usually look to do a luau.”

He shared the PCC has “one of the better luaus on the island. There’s a lot of great luaus, but we consistently win awards for being the most authentic and one of the top luaus on the island.”

PCC’s reservations staff said as of Sept. 13, the Super Ambassador Luau is sold out until Dec. 9, the Alii Luau is sold out until Oct. 28, but Gateway restaurant tickets are available.

Casey said, “We sell out the night show every day, and the villages we pretty much sell out every day.”

Limited capacity for now Casey explained, “When we first opened in mid-January, we had a very limited opening.

We only had one village open, which was the Samoan village. It also included a canoe ride, one luau and the night show.”

Near the end of April, he said PCC was in the second phase of reopening. The PCC opened all of the villages, including the Gateway Buffet. “Even though we can accommodate a little bit more, the capacity limits are still a fraction of what they used to be before COVID,” said Casey. • Top: PCC Tour Guide Chaille Kioa throwing up a shaka.

Bottom: A statue of Hamana Kalili, who invented the shaka sign, stands at the entrance to PCC. Photos provided by the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Aloha is more than just saying the word, and it’s more than just giving a lei. It’s how we treat people, and it hasn’t changed.

Seth Casey

S E P T EM B ER 2021 43

BRINGING REAL ESTATE TO BYUH The new BYUH Real Estate Club hopes to connect students with alumni mentors from their home countries

BY XYRON LEVI CORPUZ

W

hen he was 7, Realtor Paul Staples said his father left. With the breadwinner gone, he said his family was kicked out of their apartment in Los Angeles making him, his mom and brother homeless. He said there were people who took them in until they got back on their feet.

“This experience taught me the importance of having a stable home, even if it’s not your own home for a while.”

Now, as the mentor for the BYU–Hawaii Real Estate Club, Staples said, “In my opinion, real estate is not emphasized enough with our younger people.” He said the club “can bring the real estate industry right to our students.”

Real estate investments and building and repairing homes are just a few examples of

44 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

what he thinks students should learn so they can always be prepared. “It can be taught with not a whole lot of effort, and it can really help the students.”

Club President Suet Ee Khoo, a senior from Malaysia majoring in business management concentrating in finance and supply chain, said real estate is important because “no matter what career people are in, everyone needs a home to live in. So, it can be residential, which is the home we live in, or it can also be commercial, such as shop blocks, offices and warehouses.”

Khoo said the Real Estate Club, which was organized on April 28, 2020, started with only four members but has now grown to about 30 members. She said the original three members

were Marissa Kinanti Cahyaningtyas, Shashita Augustin and Mary Deyro Saddi, but it was not an official BYUH club back then.

Khoo said working together with her club officers,YuJun Han as vice president, Cecil Caro as treasurer and Justin Lee as secretary, they seek to inform more students about real estate.

Augustin is a senior from Malaysia studying business management with an emphasis in human resources. She said the club started because Staples asked her, Saddi and Cahyaningtyas if they would like to start taking real estate workshops from him on Facebook Messenger.

“The more he shared about real estate, the more we got really excited. He proposed

we start a club because, just like how we were excited, he said there might be other students on campus who also want to learn about real estate,” she explained.

Club leaders said students should learn about real estate because it is not only a future work possibility but also a fantastic method to generate money. For those who desire to be in the industry, the club also helps them connect with alumni mentors from their home countries.

Khoo said alumni can assist by helping students “understand the certain country’s rules and licensing requirements” because each area has different regulations.

Source of income Cahyaningtyas, an alumna from Indonesia, explained, “Real estate can be a future career option for students.You never know, sometimes

we don’t end up actually working in our major.”

She invited everyone to join the club. Some of the things she learned about real estate include the inspection of a house, how to rent out a space from or to someone and construction.

Aside from being a possible career, Augustin said students can use real estate as their side hustle to make income on top of their full-time jobs.

“I know money is not the first thing we are looking for in life, but it is something we need, and real estate can provide that.”

Augustin said, “Students should join the Real Estate Club because they get to learn the basics of real estate. I know there’s not a course offered on campus that is just focused on real estate. So with this club, they get to speak to guest speakers who are involved in the company itself. Students are getting real-world experience.”

The mission and vision Khoo said the original plan was to open the club in Fall 2021, but they started in Spring 2021 because they wanted the club’s name to become known to students.

She said the club’s mission is “to create a platform where students and alumni can learn, discuss and explore career interests in real estate.” The club will accomplish its vision by organizing fun events relating to real estate to draw student’s attention, she shared.

The very beginning Staples said he is an alumnus of BYUH and has a master’s degree in real estate from Realtor University. He said he started a real estate company in Hawaii, which has completed nearly 200 successful real estate transactions.

Over a year ago, he said he met with his friends, William Numanga and Keni Kalama,

BYUH Alumnus and Realtor Paul Staples, middle, worked with students and two members of the Ho’okele Department to start the club on campus to help students learn about home buying and maintainance.

Photos by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 45

46 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

who work at BYUH, to discuss how to bring real estate to BYUH students.

“We started talking about how to get this going because we all know the value of real estate. We all own our own homes, and Keni and William recently bought their homes. I’ve sold over 100 homes.”

At their meeting, he said Numanga suggested starting a club. “So when he said that, I started looking for people who could start the club because I’m not a student.”

Staples explained, “Keni, William and myself worked together because combined, we have all the necessary parts to make the club happen. Abe Lee is very iconic on the island because everybody knows him in real estate.

With him volunteering to help with the club workshops, we got a full nice team.”

Khoo said Numanga is the club’s official advisor. Staples said students who show interest in the club can work with Kalama who works at Career Services, and Kalama will be able to help connect students with alumni in different parts of the world who are in real estate.

Numanga, who works at Ho’okele, can also help students connect with alumni, Khoo said.

Choosing a leader Cahyaningtyas said, “Uncle Paul initially wanted me to be the president, but I couldn’t because I’m graduating.” She said she recommended Khoo to be the president

because she had longer until she graduated.

Khoo said she was also chosen by the group to be president because of her knowledge. “I am personally already interested in real estate. I spend a lot of my free time learning about the industry.”

Because Khoo likes to connect with others, Augustin said they were able to add about 15 students to the club.

Khoo said establishing the club has been doable thanks to the people who supported them, including people in the community.

Staples’s agent Jeremy Moncur and Ilikea McElroy helped them find houses and

businesses for sale to visit on future field trips, she said.

There were also several alumni who helped get the club up and running, including Saddi and Cahyaningtyas. She said they will help current club members organize club activities.•

Left: Paul Staples stands at the head of the table talking with members of the BYUH Real Estate Club., including Sashita Augustin, YuJun Han, Suet Ee Khoo, Justin Lee, Marissa Kinanti Cahyaningtyas and Cecil Caro.

Photos by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

“

The more he shared about real estate, the more we got really excited. He proposed we start a club because..he said there might be other students on campus who also want to learn about real estate.

”

- Shashita Augustin

S E P T EM B ER 2021 47

THIS IS HOME Openly gay BYUH student says it is sacred work to love like the Savior in loving LGBTQIA+ Church members

BY ABBIE PUTNAM

I

ese Wilson said although he does not know what the future holds for him as a gay member of the Church, he is committed to trusting in the Lord. In the meantime, he said he is advocating for open dialogue about the LGBTQIA+ experience to change culture to be more understanding.

“I am fighting to stay in the Church because I consecrated my all to my personal Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. That includes the part of me that’s gay,” Wilson said.

Kingsley Ah You, stake president of the Laie Hawaii YSA 1st Stake, emphasized he wants Church members to know Church leaders can help them navigate their trials and experiences. “They have a home in the Church, and we’ll be there to support them.”

48 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Left: Iese Wilson posing with his scriptures. Right: BYUH students in the Flag Circle.

Photos by Ulziibayar Badamdorj.

Understanding the journey Wilson, a senior from Laie majoring in music education, highlighted five options he sees for himself and all gay members of the Church: 1. Marry someone they are not attracted to 2. Be celibate, lonely and surrounded by people preaching the importance of marriage 3. Leave the Church they love 4. Suicide 5. Choose to marry someone of the same sex and be excommunicated He said the increased risk of suicide for LGBTQIA+ members comes from emotional pain and some Church members saying LGBTQIA+ Church members will be straight in the next life, implying they are better off dead than alive.

“My heart constantly aches at the thought of each option without a day of respite,” Wilson said. “It’s hard to exist in a world where these are my main options. … We live in fear of falling in love because we risk blowing up our eternal families with the love we pine for.” He emphasized how LGBTQIA+ members need “love and unqualified support to survive this life” because these are the options they wake up to every day.

Wilson’s sacred work Last year,Wilson said he received revelation to come out as gay while praying. “In that same prayer, I also felt I received a divine commission to serve my LGBTQIA+ brothers and sisters and to build a safer culture for us in the Church, not to change Church doctrines or Church policy.

“That has been my mission. Up until that revelation, I was content with dying a closeted gay man, but I’m so grateful this direction came.”

He said he hopes by creating a culture of listening, learning and loving, David O. McKay’s prophesy for BYU–Hawaii to establish international peace will be fulfilled.

“I believe this can be fulfilled as each student will hopefully have the opportunity to learn about our journeys as part of their educational experience to prepare them for the reality of being parents of LGBTQIA+ children and appropriately serving our LGBTQIA+ members through leadership roles in the Church in the 70-plus countries that attend this unique University.”

Wilson cited the responsibility to create such an environment as “sacred work” because of the opportunity for LGBTQIA+ Church members to “be catalysts for unprecedented spiritual growth in themselves and especially others if they have the courage to love and express all of themselves as they are uniquely spiritually guided, and if all of us do our earnest best to listen, learn and love with both humility and authentic curiosity.”

The Mackintosh devotional Wilson said he conducted a study called “Stories from BYUH’s Closet,” which contained 27 anonymous stories from open and closeted BYUH students. He said last year he shared the study with President John S. K. Kauwe III and Student Life Vice President Jonathan Kau, who each read the individual stories.

Wilson said the stories included student’s responses regarding their greatest fears of being LGBTQIA+ at BYUH and what they would like to see happen on campus.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 49

“President Kauwe and Vice President Kau took great interest in the fears listed and were quite encouraging at the possibility of bringing some of these suggestions to fruition,” he said.

“I have since had some follow-up meetings with VP Kau because he honestly cares about understanding my own journey and wanted to talk through some pending ideas.”

Wilson posted on Facebook on Oct. 20, 2020, regarding his meetings with President Kauwe and Vice President Kau. In the post, he wrote, “In this time of great divisiveness, President Kauwe and Brother Kau have proved to me by offering their time and empathetic listening (even through tears) they are genuinely dedicated to building an inclusive campus culture where the love of Christ can abound and all can feel it.”

He said his post spread rapidly through the community. Becky Mackintosh, whose family is featured in a video on the Church’s website sharing the story of their son, Xian, coming out as gay, commented on the post.

This sparked a conversation between Wilson and Mackintosh, which eventually led to the devotional in the campus Stake Center on May 16, 2021.

Wilson said he suggested the fireside to Mackintosh, his bishop and his stake president because the Mackintosh family are alumni with a “powerful message” about accepting LGBTQIA+ members of the Church.

Ah You said his nephew, Wilson, approached him about the devotional. Ah You shared how Wilson said he had been trying to reach out to others dealing with same-gender attraction who were “wanting to embrace the gospel and not sure how to do so.”

Wilson said he never planned on being part of the devotional, which was focused on understanding the LGBTQIA+ experience and how to be more loving. He said he was trying to “connect [the] campus with the Mackintosh family and watch their message change lives.”

However, he said a few days before the devotional, he found out he would be a contributing panelist to the question and answer portion.

“With the questions I was allotted, I crammed some of my best advice in the hopes of convincing members to listen to a new perspective instead of just condemning people like me without taking the time to understand how complex and painful the journey is.”

Leveling up in love During the devotional, Ah You addressed the congregation. He said, “We love you, brothers and sisters. This is your home. This is our home.

This is God’s home.”

Ah You said he knows this devotional was necessary. He wanted all in attendance to know that as a stake president, he understands the importance of love and wants stake members to be loving and understanding of everyone’s journey.

Referring to a quote by Elder Dale G. Renlund, he said in balancing love and support of the Church and love and support for those with a same-sex partner, “We can do both.”

Ah You added paying close attention to the things one says is an important way to be “mindful and inclusive instead of exclusive.”

He said he wanted to be sure to speak on the importance of keeping the law of chastity and being worthy of a temple recommend, regardless of sexual orientation.

Ah You shared, “The Lord is mindful of all His children and their experiences. It’s strengthening our relationship with our Savior that 50 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

will help us find peace, joy and happiness through our trials and righteous desires.”

Ah You said perhaps those who experience same-sex attraction can help others expand their capacity to love. “God doesn’t make mistakes.

We have these experiences for a reason. Perhaps it’s to change us to love greater than we ever imagined we could be capable of loving, and thus help us understand his love a little bit more.”

At the conclusion of the devotional, Wilson said, “Do you feel inspired to level up in love? I don’t know why God allows so many of us to be LGBTQIA+, but in light of this leveling up of love we all felt today ... Perhaps that could be one of the reasons why I’m here, why I’m created this way.”

Listening to understand One of the questions asked during the devotional was, “How do I respond when someone comes out to me? I don’t want to mess it up.”

In response,Wilson said the best way to respond when someone comes out to you is to say, “Help me understand what you are going through.”

He invited audience members to view those who come out to them as “brave and vulnerable enough to invite” them into their “authentic life.”

Wilson continued, “It is time each member learns how to nurture this neglected side of the Lord’s vineyard so all know how to confidently love and serve” at BYUH and in their homelands.

He said it may be helpful to ask, “If I am a true disciple of Christ with his light engraved in my countenance, do I have friends and family that are closeted LGBTQIA+ and hurting who are coming to me to feel of my love and safety? If not, why not?”

He said he hopes community members left the devotional feeling they should “love boldly” without fearing people will judge them for condoning the actions of LGBTQIA+ individuals. He explained this love can be shown by listening to understand rather than to fix.

“This is for us” “The most powerful moment [at the devotional] was looking into the eyes of the many closeted gay students I recognized in the audience, many of whom I have wept with privately, and having the privilege to let them know, ‘This is for us.’ That night was the first time students and community have ever gathered on campus to finally acknowledge our reality and help us feel seen,” Wilson said.

He said it was “emotional” and a “dream come true” to be at the pulpit, knowing his bishop, stake president and Vice President Kau and his wife, Jazzeth Kau, were there supporting him. He said this experience shows BYUH is ready to have conversations with faith about the LGBTQIA+ community.

Elysia Christensen, a junior cultural anthropology major from Brigham City, Utah, said to her, the devotional is evidence of progress.

“It means people are wanting to learn how to be more accepting and loving. Iese put it together, but it only worked because there were people willing to make it work.”

Christensen said, “Seeing how many people were there was an assurance I’m not alone.” She added she realized how many people at the devotional were openly gay. “They’re just living as themselves… I can do that too.”

She said she also appreciated the chance she has had to discuss her experiences with Wilson. “There are so few opportunities to talk about

“

The most powerful moment was looking into the eyes of the many closeted gay students I recognized in the audience, many of whom I have wept with privately, and having the privilege to let them know ‘this is for us.’

-Iese Wilson

it [because] people move on or are uncomfortable.You need to talk about what it’s like and process it.” She expressed gratitude for Wilson, who she said she has had helpful one-on-one conversations with.

Jarom Cabigunda Perandos, a senior from the Philippines majoring in social work, said the devotional helped him better understand how difficult it has been for the LGBTQIA+ community not to have a safe and supportive environment. “I feel like that is something we can provide for them. I feel like there’s something more I can do to support them.”

For example, Perandos said he can be an advocate by expressing his thoughts and appreciation for LGBTQIA+ members and being supportive of events such as pride month.

Perandos added he realized how much LGBTQIA+ members can contribute to society, both in the Church and the community, by fulfilling their responsibilities and faithfully living the gospel. “I also realized we can be more open and understanding as a community. We can do better.” • BYUH students join hands in a show of unity.

Photo by Ulziibayar Badamdorj.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 51

52 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

STEP INTO THE

KALO PATCH

The Hawaiian Studies garden, Kahualoa, ensures the physical & spiritual self-sufficiency of Hawaii for generations, says caretakers

BY ANNA STEPHENSON

L

ono Logan, born and raised in Laie and kalo caretaker at Kahualoa, the Hawaiian Studies garden on campus, said, “Kalo is not some random plant. We treat it as an ancestor.”

In Hawaiian mythology, Haloa Naka, the first-born son of Wakea (sky father) and Papa (earth mother) was stillborn, according to honolulumagazine.com. They buried him, and out of his body grew the kalo plant. Papa became pregnant again and gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Haloa (everlasting breath) in honor of his older brother, the kalo.

Haloa was fed the kalo and is considered to be the first Hawaiian.

Logan said he sees the different varieties of kalo grown at Kahualoa in the same way the Lord sees his children. “Some of his children are very colorful. … Some grow straight up, some grow out. They all have their unique characteristics and flavors, and they’re all important.”

He said he does not have a favorite variety of kalo (taro), just as the Lord doesn’t have a favorite people, either. Logan said Kamoa’e Walk, a Hawaiian Studies professor from Utah, used to say, “I never met a kalo I didn’t like.”

Walk said Kahualoa has many meanings, but he typically defines it as the “foundation for

life” because a variety of plants are grown there.

The plants grown range from guava to passion fruit and from ulu to turmeric. However, he said the most space is dedicated to the coconuts, several unique varieties of bananas and kalo.

“We try to maintain the garden as closely as possible to the ways our kupuna or ancestors did,” said Walk, adding how no herbicides, pesticides or chemical-based fertilizers are used in Kahualoa.

Walk said he has worked in Kahualoa since it began in 1999 and personally planted most of the native plants growing there now. “We have had to remove ... a lot of invasive plants that now thrive in our environments and replant endemic and native plants,” he said.

Many of them are edible. Walk said some are even used in traditional Hawaiian medicine.

Learning from the ‘aina “The ‘aina is our teacher in many profound ways. We just have to take the time to listen and learn from her,” Walk shared. “I say ‘her’ because, in our mo’oku’auhau, or genealogy, the earth, Papa, is our mother, and the sky, Wakea, is our father.”

Logan, who has worked with kalo for 10 years, shared he originally didn’t plan to take

the career path of kalo caretaker. “My ancestral ghosts came bothering me,” he said.

Though he grew up around kalo patches, he didn’t really remember them until he started working with them again as an adult. “It started to work in me,” he explained. With the help of friends and family, Logan said he found a passion for cultivating kalo and pounding poi.

Traditionally called papa ku‘i ‘ai, he said he takes poi pounding seriously. “You’re making food, and when you’re making food for someone else, you have to be in the right frame of mind.”

Preparing food transfers energy to those who eat it because the kalo leaf collects energy from the sun to grow, he explained. “Everything [in Hawaiian mythology] is very symbolic, similar to the gospel. … Everything has a purpose. It’s not just random. It’s specific.”

For him, growing and cultivating kalo is a learning process because he said he grew the first mala, or dry patch of kalo, at Kahualoa entirely by hand using traditional techniques.

However, he said in the coming years, Kahualoa may expand and use more modern technology to help plant and harvest the more than 30 varieties of kalo grown at Kahualoa.

However, he said he prefers to plant kalo in the traditional way because it is a

Indigenous plants growing in the BYUH Hawaiian Studies garden on campus.

Photo by Mark Daeson Tabblios.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 53

54 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

restoration of the way people used to plant in Kahualoa and Laie. He said doing everything the way his ancestors did, including planting according to the phases of the moon, helps him learn what his ancestors knew.

At Kahualoa, Logan said he experiments with growing different varieties of kalo to find out which ones grow best in specific environments and elevations.

Logan said one modern adjustment he has made is with his o’o, or Hawaiian digging stick. He added a steel blade on the end, which he said makes it more effective. Pre-contact Hawaiians didn’t have access to steel, he added.

Logan translated Kahualoa as “the fruit of life” and said the plants growing there give life, not simply because they are food. Kahualoa is “a place that was designated for growing our traditional foods and letting it grow us,” he said.

“You don’t get that in a regular classroom.”

Logan said he takes care of the 47 varieties of kalo at the Polynesian Cultural Center. “A lot of locals don’t know there’s that many,” Logan added. “You have to have a relationship with [your environment].”

Living off the land Kaiana Runnels, a BYUH alumnus who now lives on the Big Island in the town of Laupahoehoe, also described a deep spiritual connection to Kahualoa. “Kahualoa is like a

piko for me,” he said, referring to the Hawaiian word for the navel, a place where nutrients or energy transfer into something. He said his current life trajectory started at Kahualoa.

Runnels now works for the Kaloa Center, a non-profit organization that turns ancient knowledge into modern practice. He runs a farm similar to Kahualoa as a living classroom for students all over the eastern half of the Big Island.

“I shuttle in students to our farm. ... I go to their schools and teach them about these plants and how to plant them and why they’re so important.”

He said Hawaii’s food security is a big concern for him. Before European contact, he explained, Hawaiians were entirely selfsufficient and harvested everything they needed from the islands and the ocean. Today, however, he said 90 percent of food is imported.

Runnels said he lives on the slope of Mauna Kea, giving him a good view of the shipping barges coming in every Tuesday and sailing out every Thursday. He said he often wonders what would happen if one day the barges stopped coming.

“I worry the day may come that our people might be hungry,” he said. Now, he teaches children and teens about growing, gathering, traditional medicine and everything they might need to provide for themselves where they are.

Runnels said his students each recently designed a dream garden for their house and submitted the designs to him. Then, Runnels gathered all of the plants, along with the tools to plant, maintain and harvest them, and dropped them off at each student’s house. He got the parents and grandparents involved too, he said, turning it into a multi-generational project.

“They’re thriving,” he said of the gardens now, as well as the students. “We need to get them rooted in our culture young so we don’t lose them to the prison system, or the U.S. military system, or all these other places, when we need them in Hawaii.”

He said he highly recommends BYUH students engage with Kahualoa as much as they can. “It’s a life changing piece of ‘aina.

It’s an ancient cultural experience with the heiau above it, but it’s needed today still. …

Kahualoa is a great model for communal living and communal feeding. It could feed a lot of people if something were to go wrong.

“Put your feet in that lepo, the soil. Put your feet in the vai, the water in the lo’i.” • The taro gardens at Kahualoa are grown in traditional ways.

Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

An illustration of the taro plant.

Graphics by Marlee Palmer.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 55

EATING HEALTHY IN COLLEGE IS POSSIBLE

Healthy foods are often seen as too expensive for college students. But this doesn't mean you are doomed to four years of instant ramen and PB&J sandwiches.

Here are some tips and tricks to maintain a healthy lifestyle on a budget.

PLAN YOUR MEALS On average, generic options

40%

are less than the name brand price

REPLACE MEATS WITH OTHER PROTEINS

COOK

LARGE PORTIONS AND EAT LEFTOVERS

BUY FROZEN FRUITS & VEGGIES Don't shop when hungry People who shopped hungry reported spending

64% more money

Graphic by Emily Hendrickson

Shop produce that is in season

FROM VICTIM TO SURVIVOR TO THRIVER Spooner shares how her experience at BYUH kick-started her journey of healing from sexual assault

BY RAHEL MEYER

K

aleel Spooner said she was a victim of sexual assault shortly after high school.

She shares her story on her blog, where she said she hopes she can open the door for conversations about mental health and increase awareness of how to provide support to sexual assault survivors.

On her blog, Spooner wrote, “Aloha everybody! ... I hope you can find some relief here. I want to share my story so those who have and are going through what I have gone through know that they are not alone.

“If you are one of these people, know you are loved, you are thought of, you are needed and you’ll get through this.

“I promise. This one’s for us. Everyone is still healing from things they don’t speak about and it’s scary what pain can do to a person. Come close. Show me your scars.

Let us heal together.”

Spooner, a recent BYU–Hawaii alumna from New Zealand who majored in social work, said her journey to healing started at BYUH. “I feel like this is where I was meant to find myself again. I was meant to be here, to tell my story,” she said. “I feel like being here strengthened me spiritually, mentally and emotionally.”

58 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Opening up Before arriving to BYUH, Spooner said she moved from New Zealand to Australia and distanced herself from her family to cope with the trauma. Dealing with feelings of depression and PTSD, she said she didn’t share what happened to her with anybody for a long time.

“It’s just one of those things you wouldn’t wish on anyone. I tried to hide it for so long,” she said. “People would always say God is always there for you, but in that moment all I was thinking was, ‘Where are you now? Why are you letting this happen to me?’”

Spooner said she eventually came to BYUH. “I never told anyone what happened, and BYUH served as a diversion, a place where I went to occupy my mind.

I attempted to conceal it for an extended period of time.” Spooner recalled how she felt compelled to come forward and speak with someone when others shared their life experiences with her.

She said she was having a particularly challenging day when she felt prompted to talk to her professor, Dr. Lin Kruse. “I knew if I didn’t talk to her, ...well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be sitting here.”

This was one of Spooner’s first experiences opening up to somebody, and she said Kruse has been vital to her healing journey. “She has been the greatest blessing during my time at school. She literally saved my life.”

Spooner said she decided to open up to her family about the assault. “After I had shared it with my family, understandably, all they wanted was to find help for me,” she shared. “I wasn’t comfortable with talking about my experiences, so, I started off just writing in a journal.”

Blog beginnings “Everyone was preoccupied with resolving the issue,” she explained, emphasizing how it felt like nobody was listening to her as she needed them to. She said they assumed she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to make her own decisions. This was one of the main reasons she said she wanted to write a blog.

“I just wrote down all my thoughts. It was all over the place,” Spooner chuckled.

“Nothing made sense.”

She said people from everywhere were reacting to and sharing her story on social

Kaleel Spooner.

Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

media. “I was in New Zealand, and I was getting messages from people here in Hawaii, on the mainland and in Australia,” she shared.

“They were sending me messages of hope, support and how they related to my writing.”

Some people even said her writing “saved them in a way,” shared Spooner, who said these comments helped dispel the feelings of loneliness she was previously struggling with.

Finding God Looking back at her experience, Spooner said she can see God’s hand in her life. “I think

it’s funny how the Lord can push you to a point of surrender and have you on your knees asking, ‘What do you want me to do?’

“At that point in my life, I knew I had to let him do it. To let him be in charge. I was too exhausted. I couldn’t carry it anymore. I just needed him to help me.”

Looking back, she said her perspective about the situation has changed. “When I thought [God] wasn’t there, he was there, but in ways I didn’t recognize. … The thing I was avoiding the most was funnily enough the thing that pulled me through it. It’s the gospel.”

Breaking the stigma Spooner said she believes mental health issues should be normalized and more talked about. She said there is stigma, especially in Polynesian culture, surrounding mental health. “You don’t talk about it. And until people realize how damaging it is and how it breaks people and families, it’s not going to change.”

She shared how she wishes she viewed mental health issues in a different light much earlier in her life. “I wish I had talked to someone sooner. I didn’t want to bother S E P T EM B ER 2021 59

Kaleel Spooner.

Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

anyone. I didn’t want people to look at me and think I was weak,” Spooner said. “I just tried to hold it all in and deal with it myself, and I think that was the biggest mistake.

“Strength is not measured by how much pain you can carry, but by how willing you are to let that pain go.”

Surviving and thriving Spooner shared how the pain of the assault is something she will never forget, but she has hope through the help of others. “Being a survivor of it, it’s one of those things that never goes away,” she explained.

“As you continue going forward, you learn things to better cope with the hurt. And for me, that was through people who were placed in my life. They taught me what was healthy, what was good and what was right.”

Growing up with a lot of strong female figures in her life helped her overcome her 60 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

challenges and made her aware of her own strength, said Spooner.

“The women in my life and the women who raised me have all endured comparable agony, and they were not as lucky as I am to have an abundance of resources available to assist them,” she stated. “They had no choice but to pull and drag themselves out of the darkness, and I am aware that I possess the same strength.”

On her blog, Spooner shared her main goal of sharing her story online. “My ultimate hope is to help others evolve as I have from victim to survivor to thriver, from fractured to healed to whole.

“As someone who has been a victim or survivor of abuse, I hope that sharing my sorrow may provide you with the motivation to continue moving forward.

“If you are not a victim, you may know someone who is, and by knowing the process

of transformation they must undergo, you may offer them hope and any assistance they require to cope, heal and prosper.”

United in strength The people around her have also found healing in sharing their stories. Judy Soloai, a BYUH alumna from New Zealand, expressed the importance of Spooner opening up about her story. “Kaleel’s story and her resilience can teach other women how to stand up for themselves and become stronger.”

Heslina Moimoi, also a BYUH alumna from New Zealand, said Spooner’s story helped her gain confidence in her own trials.

“Her story inspired me to always push to succeed through hardship. I’ve learned it’s okay to not be okay as long as you work through what you’re going through.”

Soloai added, “This issue is real and can happen to anyone. Kaleel is a strong,

outspoken and resilient woman who will speak and share truth where it is needed. She is one of the bravest, most selfless people I know. She gives hope to so many people out there.”

Spooner emphasized, “All these bad things might have happened to me, but I got to choose how I let it affect me.

“Wherever you are in your journey, whatever scars you have, you are beautiful.

We all are in the process of healing from emotional or physical scars. It is a process of becoming a stronger, more beautiful you and finding the beauty in challenges and in Christ as our Savior. This is defining yourself.”

Read more about Spooner’s story on her blog: https://kaleelspooner19.wixsite.com/mysite Discover Spooner’s poems on Instagram: @leels_diary • Graphics by Katie Mower, inspired by Kaleel Spooner.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 61

FEELING THE MUSIC

Actor, singer-songwriter and BYUH student says he found his passion for music when his original song went viral in Mexico

BY LAUREN GOODWIN

62 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

D

allin McKay, who has been in multiple music videos, TV shows and movies, including “Ford vs. Ferrari,” said he is able to express his thoughts and feelings through writing his own music.

One night, he said he sang a song he had written, but not recorded, at a karaoke night he attended with his friends. He said his friend Kodi Lee, who was autistic and blind and later won the 14th season of “America’s Got Talent,” rocked back and forth to the song.

Afterwards, he said Lee’s mom said she feels like McKay understands Lee because they both feel music in the same way. He said his mother said, “If [Lee] could write a song … I know what [McKay] said in that song is exactly what [Lee] would say to people.”

McKay said he later recorded the song and sent it to Lee’s family because he felt the song would be better if Lee sang it. Lee’s family paid for half of the song and may release it, he said.

“There’s a lot of people who understand music, but there’s not a lot of people who understand the music’s feeling,” he added.

He said music can change people, bring out different feelings and even bring the Spirit.

Finding his muse McKay, a sophomore from Los Angeles majoring in music and theatre, said he has experienced certain moments throughout his life that pushed him to become a musician and actor and assured him it was something he really wanted to do. He recalled a time when he was 12 years old when he was worried about what he was going to do during his summer break.

He said he received an impression while listening to his sister play the piano. “She almost never practices, and I don’t know why she decided to play right then, but as soon as she did that, I immediately felt tons of peace,” McKay recalled. “I honestly heard a voice tell

me that was what [I was] going to do for the next three months.”

McKay said he competed in a talent show that summer and earned second place.

It was then he considered he could be a good musician, he explained. However, it was when he went to Mexico on a foreign exchange program that he realized he might be able to make a living as a musician.

While in Mexico, he said he wrote a song about the country in Spanish. After the song was recorded and a music video was posted on YouTube, he said it became very popular throughout Mexico. Eventually, he was being flown out to different places in Mexico to perform the song for large groups of people.

He said, “That was the moment where I was like, ‘This is what I want to do.’”

Before his song went viral in Mexico, he said he had finished the Book of Mormon for the first time and promised to serve a fulltime mission. He said he asked God to help him with his music and acting career when he returned home.

Los Angeles living After returning home from his mission, McKay said he was ready to get back into the industry and work again in Los Angeles, which he said is a fast-paced environment. “You’ll look back and say a lot happened, but at the same time, you don’t really get to enjoy it as much,” he explained.

The people in Los Angeles, he said, are caught up in the music and film industry and focus on what they can gain from the relationships they make. He said everything happens quickly and people are always working.

“It’s a lifestyle and an outlook that helps you to do well in the industry, but it’s also really hard to have that mindset and care for people,” he explained. “I try not to have that mindset as much.”

According to him, one of the most impactful productions he was in was the movie “Ford vs. Ferrari” because the film had a huge budget, was directed by one of the top directors in Los Angeles, and he was able to see the different personalities of actors like Christian Bale and Matt Damon.

He said he was recently cast in a lead role in a mystery thriller film based on the Bear Lake monster and will be taking Fall Semester off to train for the movie. According to the Salt Lake Magazine, the Bear Lake monster is a serpent, “anywhere from 40 to 200 feet long,” with big eyes and “an indeterminate number of legs” rumored to live in Utah’s Bear Lake.

Spreading happiness Looking back on his experiences in the industry, McKay said, “You have to love it.You have to put in a lot of work.” He added finding people who need and believe in his work is worth it, but it requires money, time, sacrifice and knowing he might be rejected.

He said his desire to keep working in the industry, despite being turned down, stems from his ability to change his mindset and goals. “If anyone’s main goal is just to get the role or make money, then when that doesn’t happen, they’ll most likely feel like they’ve failed,” he explained. “After enough times, they’d probably give up altogether.”

However, he said if the person’s motive is to make people happy by finding ways to share their talents, then the rejection and sacrifice will make them grateful for the opportunity.• Some head shots of BYUH student Dallin McKay who works in the entertainment industry. He says he was inspired as a teenager to use his talents after hearing his sister play the piano.

Photos provided by Dallin McKay.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 63

Laie Elementary School librarian says local author inspires children to ‘chase their big dreams too’

BY XYRON LEVI CORPUZ

From birthday present to

PUBLICATION

64 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

S

everal years after Rebecca J. Carlson wrote “Barley & Rye,” a 12,000-word story intended as a gift for her son’s 9th birthday, she said she found a publisher called Fiction Vortex who agreed to publish her story. Upon the publisher’s request, Carlson expanded the story to 50,000 words.

Carlson, an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Sciences, said reading books was a joyful experience for her growing up, and she writes stories to help children today feel the same excitement she did.

Children at Laie Elementary School are fascinated by Carlson’s children’s book, “Barley & Rye,” said Stephanie Robertson, a librarian from Laie Elementary School. After Carlson came to visit the school, Robertson said she donated a signed copy of the book. Students would run to the library each day to see if they could have a turn to check out the book to read, Robertson added.

“Students could not wait to meet a reallife, published author who actually lived in the same town as them. I could see that this fact alone helped them to imagine new possibilities for themselves someday if they wanted to chase their big dreams too. The palpable enthusiasm students had about this event in the library was a thrill to witness,” she said.

From present to publication “I’ve always enjoyed writing books,” Carlson shared. When her son, Daniel, was about to turn 9 years old, she said she decided to write him a story for his birthday.

Carlson said she asked her son, “If you could read any kind of story you want, what would be in it?” Her son said he wanted a story about two brothers who go on an adventure together, have a magic sword and a map of where the story happens.

She said the story she wrote ended up being very short. “I printed it out, I stapled it together, I illustrated the front cover with a watercolor marker and I gave it to him for his birthday. Then I thought I was done,” she shared.

Daniel Carlson said, “When I was younger … [“Barley & Rye”] was like my favorite thing ever. I mean, it was a book written for me.”

Rebecca Carlson said several years after she wrote the story, she found a publishing company on the internet that was looking for children’s stories. “They wanted people who could write serial fiction for children, which

Rebecca J. Carlson pictured with her books and her son.

Photos by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

means it would be published one chapter at a time on the internet,” she explained.

Readers would have a subscription to a reading app where they could follow the story as it came out. When the book is completed, the publisher would print the book and sell it, she shared.

“So, I signed up with them. I sent them some samples of my writing,” she said. Carlson said she sent “Barley & Rye” and another story she wrote for older readers.

The publisher decided to go with “Barley & Rye” she shared. The story was short with only 12,000 words, and the publisher wanted it to be longer, she said. “When [the book] was done, it was about 50,000 words. The story I wrote for my son is only the first three sections of the published book,” she added.

“I made the initial short story the kickoff for their further adventures,” Carlson explained.

“One of the reasons the book worked so well was each section is its own little story, but they are all connected together.” In her

mind, Carlson said she saw it as an animated television series.

“From the time I signed the contract until it was published was about two years, when I wrote the sequel ... it [only] took me about three and half months,” she said. By then, she added she had the characters established and had more experience writing.

Inspiration for “Barley & Rye” “I love folktales from all over the world,” Carlson said. For her book, Carlson explained she took inspiration from European folktales and some Asian folklore. For example, “the dragon in the first book was based on a Korean folktale called ‘Sim Chung and the River Dragon’ that I used to love to read with my children as a picture book. In that story, a dragon kidnaps a girl and takes her down into his underwater kingdom to live with him,” she said.

Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty,” “Snow White” and “Beauty and the Beast” have been widely shared with the world, but there are other, less

-Rebecca J. Carlson

well-known stories that are just as magical, she said. “I like having a way to share some of those stories and ideas with children.”

Carlson said many of her readers are fans of the brothers’ relationship in her story.

Although the two characters are not based off of her sons, the way they interact is, she stated.

“I try to make it feel authentic to what I’ve seen between my own sons. I have four boys in my family so they provided a lot of inspiration.”

Carlson said the character Rye reminds her of her uncle Mark because he always played tricks on his loved ones. Her family has a lot of funny stories about her uncle’s shenanigans, she recalled, and Rye is very much a trickster in her book.

If a reader likes stories about dragons, wizards, knights and farm boys turned heroes, then this book is the one for them, Carlson said.

“There are two brothers who lived in a village at the edge of the forest. In this forest, there’s a band of brigands who sometimes kidnap children and take them as slaves. So, when Rye gets captured, his younger brother, Barley, goes out to try and rescue him,” Carlson explained.

Carlson’s son Daniel added, “It’s a charming story that’s based on a lot of old folklore but kind of shifted to make a remix of it, like you would make a remix of a song. It’s got all the parts of it, but it’s put together in a new way.”

Fans and readers

Advice for aspiring writers

Yvonne Ah Sue, a teacher at Laie Elementary School who reads “Barley & Rye” to her students, said, “It’s not every day that you have a friend or acquaintance that authors a book.” She said she was excited to hear about the book and became even more excited to find it on Amazon.

Ah Sue said her class becomes very quiet as she reads. “I allow the kids to draw quietly as I read aloud, but some just stare at me and listen very intently,” she said.

Robertson said, “I became a huge fan of Carlson’s writing over a year ago when she hired me to edit a novel she was developing at the time.”

Robertson said she asked Carlson to visit Laie Elementary School to discuss her experiences with writing and publishing the novel.

During the visit, Robertson said Carlson read an exciting excerpt from “Barley & Rye” to the students, asked about the audience’s favorite books and talked about what it takes to write a novel.

She also used a laptop to show the children on the library’s big screen what her book looked like before it was published, and Carlson also answered all of the children’s questions.

To aspiring writers, Carlson suggests reading and writing as much as possible. She said the key is to set aside a few moments every day for writing. “If all you can do is write one sentence, that’s fine. Some days you’ll sit down and be able to write a whole page or pages and pages. Some days you just need time to think, but just make time every day to write.”

She also suggested writers submit their work to the Kula Manu, BYUH’s own literary journal. Students are invited to submit their poetry and stories for others to read and enjoy, Carlson explained. “Even though it’s not a big national publication, it’s still a value to you and your community members.”

She said, “Writing takes courage,” adding the best way to develop courage in writing is to put aside time for it and realize it’s important.

Carlson posted her short stories on her blog every day for nine months to help get her work out there, she said. At the time, she said only her mom, grandmother and a few friends would read it. “I didn’t care because I just enjoyed writing those stories and putting them out where people can see them,” she added. • Carlson is pictured with her book “Barley & Rye” and its sequel, “Curses of Lost Forest.”

Photos by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

‘TERN’ing the tide on extinction Hawaii Wildlife Center uses hand-felted ‘fuzzy foster parents’ to comfort white terns during their incubator stay

BY ANNA STEPHENSON

68 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

K

nown as the official city bird of Honolulu and one of the last native seabirds in the area, the mano o ku, or white tern (Gygis alba), is a handsome and charismatic bird with bright white feathers and strikingly black eyes.

Rae Okawa, a development coordinator for the Hawaii Wildlife Center, said Oahu is the only island of the main Hawaiian Islands that is home to the terns. However, she explained they are mostly found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Okawa said the already rare young terns are further threatened by cats, dogs and cars that may leave them injured or orphaned.

If a tern chick is found on the ground, Okawa said they don’t necessarily need to be taken to the HWC. “When a healthy chick is found on the ground, we prefer it be returned to its hatch branch and reunited with its parents whenever possible.”

She noted the Hui Manu o Ku program keeps excellent records of where terns are hatching so they can bring the chicks back to the parents. If the chick is sick, injured or if the parents can’t be found, she said the chick is brought to the HWC. If HWC needs to take the chick in, Okawa explained, it is first brought to the Feathers & Fur Animal Hospital in Kailua for a checkup and treatment. Then, HWC’s volunteers at Oahu Wheels for Wildlife transport the chick to the airport where she said they’re examined for illness or parasites

by the Hawaii Department of Wildlife and flown to Kona.

The volunteers at the Big Island branch of the Wheels for Wildlife then pick up the chick from the airport and bring it to the HWC animal hospital. These flights usually take place on a commercial air carrier, but she said sometimes the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will lend a hand, or a wing, too.

The care the young birds receive at the HWC hospital on the Big Island is detailed in a HWC newsletter. To ensure the chicks don’t get lonely without their parents, they’re given a plush “mama bird” hand-felted by an Instagram follower of the HWC, @littletig2.

The newsletter says these “fuzzy foster parents” comfort the chicks during their stays in the sometimes-crowded incubator.

While the HWC website lists a few cases where injured terns had to stay in rehabilitative care for months, the chicks generally grow up in a few weeks, are given a bath and sent back to Oahu. When they arrive home, the website says they are introduced to the Honolulu Zoo’s soft release program.

A spokeswoman in a video released by the HWC said, “We can’t just send them out to sea and wish for the best like we do with other seabirds.”

So, she explained the terns are reacclimated to life among their own species by being placed in a designated soft release tree at the zoo. At the tree, they can see and interact with wild terns and learn how to be wild again themselves.

The project website says at the soft release tree, the terns are free to come and go, which is a typical part of soft release programs following wildlife rehabilitation. While the newsletter says it’s “always exciting” when a bird comes back for a snack, as time goes on, they return less and less to the zoo. Okawa said that’s a good thing.

Terns who haven’t quite figured out how to hunt for themselves yet are fed by volunteers from the Honolulu Zoological Society, the spokeswoman further explained.

Okawa said putting the chicks in the softrelease program is “actually the last step in a multi-step rescue process.”

She emphasized the zoo is still fully involved in keeping the terns safe and healthy by feeding and monitoring them, even though the terns become more and more distant from humans as they reintroduce themselves to a cotillion (the official collective noun for a group of terns.)

The newsletter says “they no longer need the extra help” when they begin to leave the tree. The baby tern, once orphaned, perhaps sick or even injured, who snuggled with a felt foster parent, has grown into an adult seabird who can take care of itself the way wild animals are meant to. • Graphics by Katie Mower.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 69

FUELED BY

Aloha

70 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Isaiah Walker says he is following God’s plan to share his aloha in his new position as academic vice president

BY ELLE LARSON

D

r. Isaiah Walker of the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts will be the first Hawaiian appointed as academic vice president of BYU–Hawaii.

His wife, Rebekah Walker, an adjunct member of the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts, said if there is anything that qualifies her husband for the job, it’s his aloha.

“He loves this place. He loves the students and he loves the people. I think that [love] will be what guides him.” Rebekah Walker said Isaiah Walker’s upbringing in Keaukaha, Hilo, Hawaii, has prepared him to give back to the Hawaiian community.

Isaiah Walker’s students said they recognize his aloha too. Malayah Thompson, an alumna from California who majored in history, said Walker is “definitely a great example of the aloha spirit. Even if you’ve just met him in passing, you can feel that energy from him.”

Sione Tu’ikolovatu, a junior from California majoring in Pacific Island Studies and hospitality and tourism management, said, Left & Above: Walker surfing and pictured with his loved ones and friends.. Photos provided by Isaiah Walker.

“Brother Walker is the man. ... He’s super intelligent but so caring. He comes off like a true local, super friendly and nice.”

Walker said he hopes students will be able to relate to him because of his experiences as a teacher and student. “I’m kind of still a student at heart.” He has a long board sitting outside his office he uses to skate to and from meetings. “A lot of students I will see at the beach or in the water [surfing], and will double-take and ask in shock, ‘Aren’t you the academic vice president?’”

Tu’ikolovatu said he thinks Walker’s Hawaiian roots will help him contribute to the school’s leadership in unique ways because he has “been a long-time member of this community. He was born and raised and lived in Hawaii his whole life, so he knows all the cultural protocols that will help BYUH be a place of refuge, not just for students here, but also for community members.”

The next wave Walker, a BYUH alumnus, said he was not looking to be vice president, but knows the Lord has a plan for him in the job. “To be honest, I feel like the Lord’s hand was in it.

Not only in the Lord influencing the people considering me, but also the Lord convincing me to want to do [the job]. A lot of that had to do with my love for this school.”

He said he thinks of his appointment as a kuleana, or a stewardship and responsibility. “I feel like this school has given me so much, not only as a professor but as a student.”

Walker said he attended BYUH right after graduating from high school and was totally responsible for paying for his college. BYUH supported him by offering an affordable education in a place he could work to support himself. He said he got a Seminary Scholarship, which paid for his tuition, and lived with his hanai, or blood relatives, in Laie.

Walker said he thinks his experience as a teacher and student will help broaden his perspective and be a strength for him as academic vice president. He said it is exciting to tell students he remembers taking the classes they are in or took a class from a retiring professor they love.

Rebekah Walker shared why her husband being the first BYUH alumnus appointed as academic vice president means so much to Hawaiian locals. “We have always had people S E P T EM B ER 2021 71

come from the outside. To have people [in leadership] who feel and love this place is a big deal.” She said it helps local people feel seen.

Being the first is not easy, she noted, explaining how Isaiah Walker and President John S.K. Kauwe III both carry the weight of peoples’ expectations as the first Hawaiian leaders at BYUH. She said she is excited for the school to be led by two highly qualified, local leaders.

“The whole mission of this place has always resonated with me,” Isaiah Walker said. He described BYUH’s mission as a gathering place for people to come to gain an education and become leaders who establish peace. “To me, that story has meant a lot. I don’t think many people understand the impact the vision David O. McKay had on the entire Church.”

He explained further, “David O. McKay sort of represents a shift in the vision and trajectory of the Church.” Walker explained the Church was very focused on building Zion in Utah before the prophet established Laie as a gathering place.

“When McKay came to Laie in 1920,” Walker continued, “he saw the future of the Church. McKay saw a group of saints who represented what the Church would become.

Instead of just gathering in a city, McKay saw a gathering across the world in the stakes of Zion.

“Today we use the term ‘stakes of Zion.’ That sort of represents that shift in perspective, the idea of an international Church,” said Walker. “I believe David O. 72 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

McKay’s experience was a paradigm shift in how the Church saw itself in a global context instead of just an American context.”

Surfing “A lot of people think of me as the surfing guy,” said Walker, but he said his research presents a deeper meaning behind the sport.

Walker said he was not born and raised a member of the Church.

His parents were divorced, and he said he spent most of his time living with his father who was not a member. “My religion was surfing as a competitive athlete,” Walker explained.

Walker said when he was 15 years old, he won fifth place in the United States Amateur Surfing Championships. He competed against hundreds of surfers from the United States and came out on top.

The teenage Walker dreamed of becoming a professional surfer, he said. When he joined the Church at 16, he planned to prioritize his surfing career over a mission. He said he thought, “Well, when I win a surf contest, maybe I’ll bear my testimony or something.”

Walker explained, “When I was confirmed a member of the Church, I remember really clearly the person who was giving me that confirmation told me I was going on a mission. When he said it, the Spirit confirmed it in that moment, … It was cool because I was okay with it.”

Walker said from that point on, he focused on serving a mission. After his mission,

he said his emphasis became education, even though he said he continued surfing.

Walker said he consecrated his hopes of becoming a professional surfer to the Lord, and the Lord helped him live his dream in a more meaningful way. “In many ways, the Lord still granted me my wish, just in a very different way than I ever would have imagined when I was 17 years old,” he explained.

“Today, surfing is my profession in a way. I travel around the world. I’m known as kind of ‘the surfing expert.’” Walker spoke of calls from the New York Times and emails from hundreds of people wanting to interview him about surfing, especially now when surfing is making its debut in the Summer Olympics. He said he works as a commentator at professional surfing competitions as well.

“I’m still around professional surfing, just in a very different way, and it’s super cool. I think this version of my profession in surfing is way better than what it would’ve been,” Walker smiled. “I consecrated that dream that I had, but then [the Lord] ended up blessing me with a cooler one.”

Walker said he is glad he listened to the Spirit. “The Lord knows you. There are cool opportunities for blessings that maybe you don’t even envision for yourself.

Rebekah Walker said the ocean has always been a place of inspiration, peace and calmness for her husband. She said she loves that he shares his love for the ocean with their children. “When he is there with our children, they learn the ocean is a place for healing and peace and inspiration.”

Service Thompson said a few years ago, she listened to Isaiah Walker present a paper he wrote about surfing history that showed her he is a passionate educator. “I remember the vigor with which he presented, and it impacted me.”

When she listened to the presentation, she said it was her first semester in college, and she was still deciding if she wanted to study history. “I remember getting the strongest impression that … remembering and honoring history is important.

His vigor and enthusiasm for the topic motivated me to care about it.” She said the way Walker taught made his classes enjoyable and impactful. “You felt like you

were really learning about important things,” she elaborated.

In the classroom, Thompson said Walker invited student discussion. She explained he garnered strong relationships with his students by talking with them instead of at them.

“The way he teaches is so focused on the material, but he teaches in a way that makes you care.” Thompson said people think of history as dates and events that don’t matter, but Walker “makes you care about it and makes you care that it happened.”

Motivated by Walker and other history professors who mentored her at BYUH, Thompson said she graduated with a bachelor’s in history and is applying for law school.

Thompson said she believes Walker will excel in his new position, and added she thinks he embodies the University’s motto “Enter to learn, go forth to serve.”

“We are blessed to have an amazing school in Hawaii and to have a Hawaiian [vice president] who really loves his job and loves what he does. I think it is the epitome of the school’s mission. Not only does he serve the students by teaching and fostering an enjoyable education, but also he’s serving the community around us,” Thompson said.

Rebekah Walker said their family does a lot to involve themselves in the Laie community to teach their children about their ancestry. “There are some things we just really believe in. We felt it was important that our kids be able to speak Hawaiian, that they could have access to their ancestors.”

She explained their children have all gone through the Hawaiian immersion program. “We too have taken every opportunity to support their education, which means we’ve been involved in working [with the school]. … I’m doing some volunteer cultural research management.”

Thompson said she believes the Walkers serve because they have aloha.

“They don’t do it for recognition or a paycheck. They do it because it’s the right thing to do.”

She said Walker will go the extra mile in his new position because he is fueled by aloha. “Love of the community fuels you on a different level,” she explained. • Left: Walker with family and friends at Mauna Kea. Below: Walker pictured with his wife, Rebekah, and family.

Photos provided by Isaiah Walker.

“LOVE OF THE COMMUNITY FUELS YOU ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL.” -Malayah Thompson

Caption of photos goes here.

S E P T EM B ER 2021 73

“BeOne”

COMBINING TALENTS TO CREATE

BYUH students and alumni from Mongolia say they began a media production company from nothing and use it to build the Church

BY SERENA DUGAR IOANE

W

hat started out as a hobby for childhood friends in Mongolia eventually became a media production company called BeOne, designed to bless the lives of Mongolian Church members.

Members of the company consist of BYU– Hawaii students and alumni.

“BeOne still exists because of their friendship,” said Khulan Davaakhuu, a sophomore from Mongolia majoring in exercise and sports science and the wife of a member of BeOne, Bayasgalan Bayasaa Sukhbaatar.

“They have been friends for almost two decades and know each other very well. When they do something together, they become like one person. Just like their name, BeOne.” BeOne’s current members are Sukhbaatar, a junior from Mongolia majoring in business management; Batbaatar Baagii Norjmaa, a

74 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

junior from Mongolia majoring in information technology; and Tuvshinjargal Tomche Lkhagvadorj, an alumnus who graduated in June 2020. They established BeOne after they returned from their missions in 2011.

Sukhbaatar said their friendship was the beginning of their future business.

Nasanbold Sukhbaatar, an alumnus from Mongolia who majored in supply chain operations, said, “Besides their talent, their friendship shows people how important it is to lift and strengthen each other. Their friendship is a perfect example of President Gordon B. Hinckley’s invitation to be friends with every convert, listen to them, guide them, answer their questions and be there to help in all circumstances and in all conditions.”

After returning from their missions, Lkhagvadorj said they all had their separate jobs

and started BeOne as a way to develop their skills. “Our goal was not to earn much money, but to improve our skills,” he explained. They didn’t have proper equipment, so they took photos and videos with their phones, he said.

Ganchudur Batgerel, an alumna from Mongolia who graduated in December 2020 and majored in supply chain operations, is married to Lkhagvadorj.

“We had to be very frugal to save up to buy good tools. To save money on rent, we all lived together in one house and had to decrease our food budgets. They start every production with a prayer. So, God blessed them a lot,” she said.

Lkhagvadorj added, “In the beginning, [Norjmaa] usually worked with cameras to do photo and video shootings, and I mostly did the editing. Sukhbaatar found the ideas and did the marketing and paperwork.”

the editing. Sukhbaatar found the ideas and did the marketing and paperwork.”

However, over time, they all developed their multimedia skills, Sukhbaatar said.

“Now any of us can do all the stages of media production. We are not professionals [who] studied it in school, but we learned it from practice.”

Blessing BYUH with their talents Dean of Students James Faustino, said he first met with BeOne in Mongolia when they were doing a video of one of his firesides. “I found out later that they were trying to go to BYUH. But, while they were working on the videos of my visit, they didn’t say a single thing about their interest in BYUH even though they had chances to talk to me. I was impressed by their work ethic and how task oriented they were,” he remarked.

Faustino continued, “When they were [at BYUH], I found out they were custodians at the CAC. I wanted them to utilize their talents to help our department, so I invited them to work with us. They accepted and started to create great videos and photos for us.”

Sukhbaatar said there were nine of them who started BeOne. “So far, three of us graduated from BYUH and two of us are currently studying. The rest are pursuing their own careers in Mongolia. But the ones who are [currently working with BeOne] are us three.”

Serving God in Mongolia

“Singles Ward,” “The Errand of Angels,” “The R.M.,” “Fireproof,” and more, said Lkhagvadorj.

Sukhbaatar said they taught themselves to produce photos, videos, movies and commercials for the Church and for other organizations. Ochirjav said BeOne has recorded many moments of Mongolian Church history, which would have otherwise become lost in time.

“Since 2012, BeOne has captured many photos and videos of the Church events in Mongolia. … People can see the complete [Mongolian] Church history from [BeOne’s] work. … To do such great work and not take any money from the Church, it was their sacrifice for the Lord,” he said.

Batgerel said, “At the beginning, they didn’t know they were contributing to Church history.

But now when we look back, their contribution was great and they were blessed abundantly through their service. … I am always proud of them.”

Sukhbaatar said BeOne’s media production talents have blessed Mongolian saints. “Through their Church productions, they invite people to Christ and help them to focus on the Savior.”

One of their biggest ongoing projects is Mongolian Especially For Youth, which is a media production project where talented Mongolian youth create Church songs in the Mongolian language, Norjmaa said.

He said they do MEFY music videos every year and plan to continue making them.

Sukhbaatar said MEFY has one album already,

and they made one music video in Hawaii showing the lives of Mongolian students at BYUH. They did not get paid, and it was their service for Mongolian saints, Sukhbaatar said.

Sukhbaatar explained there is not a lot of Christian music in the Mongolian language, so they decided to fill the gap through making this project.

Additionally, he said they made a two-hour documentary movie for the 25th anniversary of the Church in Mongolia in 2019. “We made videos and photos of the most major Church events organized between 2011 and 2019 in Mongolia.”

Norjmaa said they have also documented Church leaders’ visits in Mongolia, such as Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, former BYUH President John Tanner, Faustino and others. “We followed them and documented their speeches and lessons for Mongolians,” he explained.

BeOne productions has also worked with SION, an LDS multi-stake choir. Sion reached the semifinals of the second season of Mongolia’s Got Talent. Together, they have helped to create 18 songs with music videos for the Church, he said.

In June 2015, BeOne produced all of the videos and photos for SION’s choir concert tour around Mongolia, Norjmaa said. BeOne was also in charge of the media production of SION after the tour, he added.•

BeOne members Sukhbaatar, Norjmaa and Lkhagvadorj.

Photos by Ulziibayar Badamdorj.

Odgerel Ochirjav, a Church Educational System coordinator for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mongolia and a former stake president of the Ulaanbaatar West Stake, said he can see how God sharpens his people’s talents through BeOne. “When I compare their first productions with their later ones, the improvement is amazing. Now they are professionals. They are very talented. They come up with special and original ideas and create it with a high level of professionalism.”

Norjmaa said they have now produced music videos, commercials, short films, documentaries, translations, movie voice-overs and photos. So far, they have made more than 500 videos, movies, music videos and countless photos, he said.

They translated and made voice-overs for several Christian movies, such as “The Best TwoYears,”

S E P T EM B ER 2021 75

76 KE AL AK A‘I 2021