From April 1 to 2 at BYU–Hawaii, the 2026 Ed & Shauna Smith Empower Your Dreams Competition made waves among the students. Created to mentor students and equip them with the right tools, the Empower Your Dreams Competition encourages participants to identify real-world problems and develop sustainable solutions.
The two days were filled with fresh ideas from the students who courageously accepted the “Open to All” invitation from the Willes Center for International Entrepreneurship. The competition included three stages that would not only give students the opportunity to present their hard work and innovative thinking, but also determine the innovative winners of grand prizes. The placements were considered and judged based on the project’s proposal, business model, value, and professionalism shown during their presentations.
After the first day, forty finalists were selected from over 100 participants to continue to the awards ceremony the following day, where three winners would be awarded. This showcased some of BYU–Hawaii’s most innovative students.
Technology Tracing Across the Pacific
Majoring in information technology, Norman Uili, a senior from the island of Samoa came in first place, and received the $6,000 scholarship. Uili struck gold when he proposed his company, Koko Pass, with the ambition to use a new scannable technology to trace the full supply chain of crops from Samoa throughout the Pacific.
“This is the very first one [for my country], so I had to develop a platform for it,” Uili explained. “I researched, and there are a lot of new regulations in the global market that say most products are required to have full traceability– and that’s what my company is for. It traces every journey of every crop from the farm, all the way to people’s shops.”
The idea and purpose of Koko Pass were personal to Uili, as he was inspired by his own heritage. “What inspired me was my grandfather’s example; he owns a cacao farm back home, and he works so hard. When I started thinking about creating this company a year ago, I just wanted to make something useful for my family.”
After receiving the recognition and first-place prize, Uili’s inspiration and motivation only grew stronger. “I graduate this semester, and I’m working with people who have personally reached out to me about my company so we can develop it more. So, we’ll propose it to the government [in Samoa] later this year, and meet with the Prime Minister to discuss this new technology.”
Developing Education with the Delemoses
Coming in second place with the additional prize of $5,000 was senior Dolly Delemose, majoring in information technology, along with her husband, Sebastian Delemose, a sophomore majoring in hospitality and tourism management. The two hail from New Delhi, India, and came to BYU–Hawaii with the intention to return home and make a change in children's education using artificial intelligence with their company, Ek Nai Pehchaan.
“We come from a place where so many students are struggling with education... You see others who want to study, but there is no guidance because education can be too expensive,” expressed Dolly Delemose. “That’s why we came here; we understand that AI can be a tool, so we came up with the idea of an AI teacher to help [those students].”
The pair has already put plans into motion following Dolly’s graduation. “My wife has already created a website, and our next action is to create a mobile app that is easily accessible for the students back home since not everyone can afford a laptop,” Sebastian Delemose reported. “Our purpose is to make education a friend to everyone. This is not an idea; it is a reality of life.”
Doorstep Delivery with Dava Seva
Third place overall, with the added $4,000, was Chhaya Yadav, a senior from India majoring in social work. Yadav, with her husband Kundan Yadav–an alumnus from BYU–Hawaii—cofounded the winning company, Dava Seva. Their company’s main purpose is to provide generic medicines to people in rural West Bengal, where medicines can be too expensive or inaccessible. With walkable distances and doorstep delivery, Yadav wants to improve her people's health care.
“We already have a store under renovation and are hoping to open three more in the next five years,” said Yadav. “We want people from our home to know that generic medicines work, and we deserve access to them, as well!”
Empowering a New Life
The 2026 Empower Your Dreams Competition served as a launchpad for visionaries, where their faith-driven ideas met opportunity and gave them the chance to dream boldly and create meaningful, lasting change.