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The top-ranked Brigham Young University–Hawaii’s women’s tennis team came up short in its attempt to win a national championship on Saturday, May 19, 2012. The team lost 5-2 to third-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State, (Georgia) in the championship match at the NCAA II National Tournament. The Seasiders finished the season with a 29-1 mark while Armstrong finished at 29-0.

Just short of their first anniversary, the graphic design track at BYU–Hawaii has witnessed success in both the classroom and workforce. The design program’s foundation is based on a well-rounded understanding of the fundamental elements of art and design. Once students have met the required core media expectations they take 12 credits of design-based classes that allow them to fuse previous knowledge with a new competence for industry specific design software. This new knowledge has proved effective for a number of students on campus, allowing them to build their professional portfolio before graduating.

BYU-Hawaii Food Services won the 2012 Loyal E. Horton Dining Gold Award for the third time, outshining more than 550 other schools that participated in the competition. In the past, Food Services has won a bronze and silver award. The National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) recognizes top university programs in a variety of categories each year. In college and university culinary arts, one of the most noteworthy professional accomplishments is being a recipient of a NACUFS Loyal E. Horton Dining Award. BYU–Hawaii notched the win in the category of Residential Dining–Special Event.

“Given what needs to be accomplished, time is something you really don’t have a lot of here at BYU-Hawaii.” Alfred Grace, president of the Laie Hawaii Married Student Stake, focused on the way time is spent and how daily choices affect the final destination of life in his May 8 BYU–Hawaii Devotional address.

Each semester BYU–Hawaii celebrates diversity and culture at the tri-annual WorldFest. The event has more than 40 cultural, academic and special interest clubs for students to sign up for and participate in throughout the year. Each club or cultural chapter is given a space to decorate and represent the goals and plans for the group. WorldFest gives students the opportunity to expand their social circles by interacting and learning with students from a number of cultures and backgrounds.

The BYU–Hawaii faculty improv band, Crosscurrent, will perform on Friday, May 4, 2012 with special guest Jeff Narell, an internationally known steel drummer. Darren Duerden, music professor at BYU–Hawaii, who also serves as president of the Percussion Arts Society Hawaii Chapter (PAS), describes the music as “jazz mashed with Pacific cultures.”

“I would like to speak about your becoming builders – builders of strong marriages and faithful families; builders of wonderful communities and successful careers; and builders of the kingdom of God.” This was the advice given by President Steven C. Wheelwright in the opening Devotional of the summer semester at BYU–Hawaii. His main focus was to highlight the third element of the Learn-Lead-Build mission of the university by teaching the principles of “Building Now for Eternity.”

As with most ‘ends,’ a new ‘beginning’ is right around the corner from BYU–Hawaii's April graduation with the university’s new Summer semester starting on Monday, April 23. The Summer semester is a result of literally years of analysis of year-round calendaring and is a key component of the university’s three-imperative charge to serve more students, continue to improve the quality of a BYU–Hawaii education, and lower costs to students and the Church.

Mustapha El Akkari, Kesaia Kaufusi and John Fryhoff will take their positions as BYU–Hawaii Student Association (BYUHSA) President and Executive Vice Presidents for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year beginning April 16.

The 2012 Hawaii Women’s Conference will be held at BYU–Hawaii, June 15-16. Keynote speakers will be Julie B. Beck, Margret S. Wheelwright and Ardeth G. Kapp.

Approximately 450 students will participate in the upcoming BYU–Hawaii commencement exercises on Saturday, April 14, 2012. Addressing the graduates will be Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women General President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The event will be held at 9:00 AM in the George Q. Cannon Activities Center and will be streamed live online.

“The paper began as almost an experiment in journalism, but it became a reflection of the intellectual caliber of BYU–Hawaii students,” said alumnus Sean Ransom of the Honors journal Hokuloa. This year’s edition, with the theme “Lost in the Shadows” began collecting entries last semester. It normally publishes an issue in Fall and Winter semesters.

BYU-Hawaii’s annual business plan competition concluded its events on Thursday, March 21, after student finalists presented their final proposals, leading them into the awards ceremony. With mounting excitement for the results of the competition, the judges declared Akin Clothing the winners of the Social Entrepreneurship category for this year’s Empower Your Dreams event with Entraide Congo in second place. After the awards were distributed, an unanticipated act of generosity by Ben Howells, founder of Akin Clothing, stunned the crowd. Having already had the opportunity to establish a secure foundation for his businesses launch, Howells decided to switch checks with his runner up, Vulcain Yengo, giving his business plan the funds necessary to get their project off the ground right away.

Elder Kent D. Watson, first counselor in the Asia Area Presidency, was honored with the Global Leadership Award by the BYU–Hawaii student chapter of the BYU Management Society during a recent visit to the Laie campus. The award was presented during an event organized by BYU–Hawaii students, under the direction of Dr. Helena Hannonen, BYU–Hawaii professor and member of the BYU Management Society Global Steering Committee.

Creative writing journal gives students chance to share their talent.

“Whither Shall I Go? The question is not unusual. In an uncertain world, it is a question that each of us will ask and each of us will need to answer.” This was the message that Elder Kent D. Watson, First Counselor in the Asia Area Presidency addressed, as he spoke at the March 20 Devotional in the Cannon Activities Center at BYU–Hawaii.

The BYU–Hawaii Undergraduate Research conference on March 22, 2012, allows students to present work in their fields to peers and advisors.

Two performing groups from BYU–Hawaii’s fine arts department went on a four-day tour to the island of Kauai on March 8-11. The tour was carried out under the direction of Dr. Darren Duerden, percussion professor at BYU–Hawaii, and Dr. Dave Kammerer, brass professor and fine arts chair at BYU–Hawaii. Mounting excitement for the tour helped cultivate a great sense of enthusiasm as the students anxiously prepared for their trip with a single purpose in mind: to spread joy and the spirit of Aloha through the authentic sounds of the steel drums, and the contemporary arrangements of the Brass Ensemble.