Alumni News

We’ve all seen it grow with each passing year. And we all know that Hawaiʻi’s houseless crisis isn’t going away anytime soon. But if you care to better understand its root causes – how close some of our friends might be to actually living on the street and how we might prevent it – then check out Bridging the Gap, A short documentary about Hawaiʻi's houseless crisis, by Brooke Fisher. “This project helped me understand the importance of Human Development and Family Studies to support our families and children as a form of preventative work,” says the HDFS undergraduate and worker in mental health and addiction services.

Society, Brooke argues, cannot function effectively and efficiently when such a large percentage of the population is either experiencing homelessness or facing multiple risk factors that lead to this status, such as inadequate wages and the high cost of living. Her hope is viewers will gain a better understanding of this problem to pave a path that will lead to more support for this population. 

“The material I learned in the classroom, combined with the hands-on experience working alongside this population, allowed me to recognize the cause and effect that occurs due to a challenging upbringing,” she says.

“I am so proud of Brooke, who worked tirelessly to create an informative and meaningful film to help us understand the potential root causes of Hawaii's houseless crisis,” adds Sothy Eng. “As she points out, if we don't spend more time investing in our families and our children, we will never be able to overcome this crisis.”       

Watch the full 9-minute Bridging the Gap. This project was funded by UHM's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP).

The hardworking faculty, staff, and volunteers of Oʻahu Urban Garden Center know first-hand the continuous commitment it takes to keep the place clean. But lately, the weeds have been mounting a comeback. So the O’ahu 4-H, a CTAHR program, reached out to the Hawaiʻi Youth Challenge Academy. Commandant Saifoloi Filisi graciously agreed to partner on several service projects at UGC – and the manpower they provided has been priceless. During four Saturdays in April and May, about 60 cadets volunteered and completed some of their community service hours. These young men and women, 16-18 years old, weeded plots and around crops, picked up trash, and weed-whacked the overgrown slope along the border of Home Depot and its parking lot. They even cleared overgrown plants surrounding a monkey pod tree that covered the bus drop-off area. The tree had been compromised and arborists were not able to see the base and roots of the tree until the plants were pulled out.

With their own two hands, the work done by these youths compared to the capacity that UGC faculty, staff, and volunteers could do over weeks and months. In fact, the weeded plots gives UGC new opportunities to have field days and to start new projects.

Jari Sugano noted she was most impressed with the cadets’ positive attitude, dedication in doing a good job, and commitment to attending to their school work in their down time. 

Cadets’ Experience

While working, the cadets told us about an aquaponics system at their facility and how they’re looking to build a butterfly house. When Extension agents heard this, they educated the cadets about cover crops, pests, weed management, and pollinators. Josh Silva showed them how a static hydroponics system works. The agents gave the cadets mint, lettuce, and crown flower branch cuttings for their gardens.

The cadets were very respectful and enjoyed being outdoors. Some expressed interest in coming back to volunteer or whether they could work at UGC. What I saw at the end of the day as they left in their bus was a sense of accomplishment, pride, and priceless expressions on their faces – something I cannot put into words. I look forward to one day seeing them back at UGC.

Using a computer to create clothing designs and then view them on a virtual mannequin? That’s exactly what students do in Fashion Design and Merchandising’s 2D/3D Computer-Aided Design class. But how would their outfits look on the runway, in a business office, or a variety of other settings? To find out, FDM 338 collaborated this past semester with Theater and Dance’s Advanced Scenic Design class on 3D fashion runway design projects. And the result? Watch the video to find out!
“This project was a wonderful endeavor for our students, as well as a fun and fulfilling experience to collaborate with Theater students,” says Ju-Young Kang. “Students loved seeing how their ideas ‘came to life’ by sharing their collections and trying out different runways. We encouraged them to add their own specific ideas, which made the endeavor even more exciting.”

During the 2020-2021 school year, CTAHR sought new and innovative ways to engage our students. What launched as a welcome-back-to-fall care package, turned into monthly care packages, followed by monthly cooking shows. With the help of our CTAHR Ambassadors and Scholarship recipients, the Academic and Student Affairs Office has given out over 1,100 care packages and 350 cooking show kits! Please check out this video highlighting these events. These care packages would not have been possible without the help of many individuals and organizations. Mahalo to CTAHR Alumnus Steve Sato for sponsoring the September and October Care Packages, as well as the Zippy’s Thanksgiving Meals Prizes. Thank you to ASUH for the support of the November Care Package and Cooking Show, as well as the May Care Package. Mahalo to SAPFB and the Coalition to Stop Campus Hunger for their support of the December, March, and April Care Packages. Additionally, thank you to the CTAHR Alumni and Friends for November Care Package Prizes of Hawaiian Pie Company’s Mini Pies, Costco Rotisserie Chickens and the December Care Package and Cooking Show. Furthermore, thank you to Assistance League Hawaii for sponsoring the January Care Package and Cooking Show and Lotus Hawaii for the February Care Package.

Many others also supported by contributing to the care packages. Mahalo to CTAHR’s Director of Development Audrey Hirayama for Halloween treat bags and for helping to prepare November and December Cooking Show kits. Thank you Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation Pacific Island Region for the instant rice. A big mahalo to Aloha Harvest, who contributed every month for a total of over 5 tons of goods!

In addition to the dry goods, CTAHR stepped up to provide fresh produce as well. Mahalo to our Cooperative Extension Agents for harvesting fresh taro from Waimanalo. Thank you to the Urban Garden Center Fruit Hui for harvesting monthly boxes of assorted citrus, papaya, avocado, mango, breadfruit, mountain apple, and squash. Lastly, thank you to GoFarm Hawaii. GoFarm students at both their Waimanalo and Waialua sites harvested monthly for a total over 500 lbs of cucumbers, limes, beets, swiss chard, cabbages, and carrots, which saved students over $1200!

Our CTAHR Cooking shows were a hit with not only students but also with Faculty, Staff, and Alumni. A special shout out to Dr. Jenee Odan, Dr. Kent Kobayashi, and CTAHR alumna Rose Saito for joining every month. The CTAHR Cooking Shows would not have been possible without our fearless leader, FSHN Instructor Lara Hackney for being our host. Missed a show? All recordings and recipes have been posted to the CTAHR YouTube Channel.

CTAHR Care Packages and Cooking Shows will be taking a break this summer but we plan to return for Fall. Interested in donating goods? Please contact Jessie Radovich at radovije@hawaii.edu. Students, the CTAHR FoodStack in the ASAO Office in Gilmore Hall 1st Floor will remain open from 9 am -12 pm. Stop by to say hi and pick up snacks!

Dr. Lei Sachiko Yamasaki, DVM, MS, passed away unexpectedly on May 8. Lei was born and raised in Honolulu, graduated from Roosevelt High School, and earned a BA in Zoology (with a Marine Options Program Certificate) at UHM. She completed an MS in Animal Sciences from the Dept. of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, and she received her DVM from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif. During her years as a student, she participated in many programs that led to cherished friendships and future collaborations, including Hanauma Bay, Oceanic Institute, HDOA Aquaculture Development Program, AquaVet I/II, Los Angeles Zoo, U. of Arizona Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory, USGS Honolulu Field Station, USDA APHIS/Veterinary Services, and the U. of Florida Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory.

Following graduation, she returned to Hawaiʻi to work at Moana Technologies and in 2012 joined the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture as the Aquaculture Veterinary Medical Officer. At HDOA, she supervised the Hawaiʻi Shrimp Health Certification Program and provided dedicated diagnostic and regulatory services to support the aquaculture industry that she loved. She worked on projects relating to the presence of Nile tilapia and Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis in Hawaiʻi, and molecular and histologic diagnostics for fish/shrimp/oyster pathogens. She supported education and aquaculture in the community as a Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair judge, Technical Committee member for CTAHR’s Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture, Advisory Subcommittee member on invertebrate and aquatic biota for the State of Hawaiʻi, and many other events – all with endless energy and a smile that lit up every room.

Lei was a lifelong scholar and never tired of pursuing new projects or learning new things. Yet, she still managed to carve time out to enjoy the natural beauty of the world through her hobbies of surfing, hiking, fishing, traveling, conservation, and animal rescue. She was a dedicated and respected veterinarian whose love of animals was evident in the menagerie of animals that she cared for over the years: her beloved Simon, Emma, Mao, Copper, Atsila, and many others.

Lei will be forever remembered and missed by her family (parents Michael and Joann, sister Ann), friends, and colleagues from around the world.