Emily Sinkovic

A piece of paper taped to the far wall of the BYU–Hawaii University Archives office can easily be overlooked upon entering. To the senior missionary couples and students who have been working tirelessly since 2007, however, the small printed scripture on this paper encompasses their motivation for spending hundreds of tedious hours scanning, cropping, and sorting thousands of records. The scripture urges, "Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause?" (D&C 128:22). The great cause in which these individuals are taking part includes digitizing almost 120,000 labor records documenting the migration of each Filipino that came to work on the Hawaiian sugar plantations during the early 1900s. The digital collection makes it possible for users to access information such as name, age, gender, date of arrival and/or departure, and plantation assignment on workers and their dependents, according to the collection description.

"Completion is not about checking a goal off a list; it's about enduring to the end," said Joy Monahan, the 2008 ASP Women's World Longboard Surfing Champion. Monahan, along with nearly 50 others, spoke at the recent Hawaii Education Week, hosted at the campus of BYU–Hawaii in Laie, Hawaii.

“It’s difficult to be a leader without solid employment; that is why we are doing everything possible to ensure that our students are prepared with the connections they need before graduation,” says Corbin Thomander, BYU–Hawaii’s Alumni Relations Manager. Aware of the career challenges that graduating students face, and understanding the prophetic vision for the university, Alumni Relations and Career Services have collaborated in their efforts to help students become leaders in their communities and countries. The Professional Mentorship Program is the result of months of collaboration.

According to its mission statement, “The BYU–Hawaii Women's Organization is a service-oriented institution seeking to provide intellectual, cultural and social opportunities for its members and to promote a spirit of harmony and unity among the members of the university and the community.” Founded in 1955, the same year BYU–Hawaii was founded, the organization has served as a support group and service organization for women in the communities surrounding the university.

Writing about special forces and military operations has often created popular literary works, but sometimes real-life events can propel these works to even greater notoriety. Such is the case with BYU–Hawaii alumnus Stephen Templin, who co-authored the newly-released book SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper (published May 2011). The book has achieved significant attention and popularity within a short time because SEAL Team Six was the same unit that recently killed Osama bin Ladin.

Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the First Quorum of the Seventy addressed BYU–Hawaii students, faculty, and staff at a campus devotional on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. His talk was entitled, “The Power of Personal Prayer.” Elder Pearson began his talk by saying, “I am convinced that personal prayer is one of the most significant challenges facing members of the Church, particularly youth and young adults. Because they struggle with prayer, they struggle spiritually.” He then addressed the following three basic questions about prayer:

Brother Michael Murray, former president of the Pennsylvania Philadelphia mission, shared his thoughts on true happiness at a BYU–Hawaii devotional on May 3, 2011. Brother Murray’s words centered on the following message that received regularly from his missionaries during his time as mission president: “Dear President Murray, I’ve never been happier in my life.”

Brother David Allsop of the Presidents' Leadership Council and the David O. McKay Circle spoke to students, faculty, and staff at devotional on April 26, 2011. He quoted Elder Neal A. Maxwell in choosing the theme of his talk: "I thank him for helping me, even forgiving me, when I fall short, when I testify of things known but which are beyond the border of my behavior, and for helping me to advance that border, bit by bit. His relentless redemptiveness exceeds my recurring wrongs."

The BYU–Hawaii art department’s recent addition of a graphic design emphasis has resonated well with students. Brandon Truscott, a faculty member in the art department, was hired one year ago with the special task of assisting in the creation of the graphics track. He currently teaches three of the four required classes in the track. “Fortunately or unfortunately,” Truscott laughs, “anyone going through this track is going to learn [graphic design] from me and from their own investigation.”