Alex Chowen

White sand beaches and crystal clear water might be picturesque Hawaii, but it certainly isn’t all that makes up the natural, exciting phenomena of the state. The island of Hawaii is home to the world’s most active volcano: Kilauea. The volcano has been in an eruptive state for more than a thousand years.

Most college students start planning for their careers long before they graduate. Few of them, however, expect to become part of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a Grammy- and Emmy-winning, world-famous organization that has performed in over 28 countries and for ten U.S. Presidents. Of the current 360-member choir, ten are alumni from BYU–Hawaii: Lauren Tuft, Sharon Seminario, Ivalani Uluave Bradshaw, Desiree Marchant Syme, Janet Greenhalgh, Lewis Quinn, Siope Kinikini, Robert Lono Ikuwa, Jamie Bunker, and Sinoe Ika.

Approximately 460 students representing 39 countries will participate in the upcoming BYU–Hawaii Commencement exercises on Saturday, April 12, 2014. Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will address the graduates. Elder Christensen, a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in accounting. He also holds a master's degree in business administration degree from the University of Washington. Over the years, he has been a visiting instructor of business and religion courses at several universities, including Brigham Young University.

It may have been a day off from classes, but Thursday, March 20, 2014, certainly was not a holiday for the hundreds of BYU–Hawaii students who participated in both the Undergraduate Research Conference and the Empower Your Dreams competition.

March 24-30, 2014, is Choose 2 Give Week at BYU–Hawaii. The week will feature a series of events and activities that teach the concept and principles of giving – regardless of the amount – to support fellow students at BYU–Hawaii.

David Taufa, Heather Pohiva, and Selai Unga graduated from BYU–Hawaii with Accounting degrees in the summer of 2013. While they all had different career plans upon returning to their home country of Tonga, none of them expected the opportunity that opened up for them to use the skills they learned from BYU–Hawaii within the Tongan government.

In today’s rapidly changing economic environment, the old adage is truer than ever: “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” With the Great Ideas Conference, the Willes Center for International Entrepreneurship at BYU–Hawaii provides aspiring entrepreneurs that chance. Over 200 students participated in the 2013 conference, held November 21-23, joining in workshops and submitting more than 197 business plan ideas.

Four days, 30 companies and graduate schools, over a dozen workshops and networking sessions, 19 clubs, and hundreds of students. That is what occurred on campus during BYU–Hawaii’s annual Career Week. For Theone Taala and the rest of the team at Alumni & Career Services, Career Week is their busiest of the entire year, and this year was no different. With responsibilities that include on-campus recruiting and events, Taala oversees Career Week. But even with the demanding schedule, the benefits definitely outweigh the costs. “This is an opportunity for students to really engage with employers and to network with them, which helps significantly as they prepare for life after graduation,” she says.

Laie Bay is not an easy seafaring destination. High winds and rough ocean conditions make voyages here a challenge for even the most experienced sailors. Even with those difficulties, the Laie community had the privilege to host, for the first time, the Hokuleʻa sailing canoe, which is currently touring across the state of Hawaii in preparation for their expedition around the world next year.