Aloha mai kakou!

Aloha mai kakou,

My name is Kory Solatorio and I am teaching cluster #36, a Manawa Kupono cluster.  Manawa Kupono is a scholarship for Native Hawaiian students in partnership with the College Opportunities Program. I have 8 students in my cluster and although their all of Hawaiian descent, they come from many different backgrounds.  Three of my students hail from the west side and graduated from Wai’anae High School, One lives in Waialua and went to Waialua High School, One lives in Kane’ohe and attended Castle High School, One lives in town and went to Roosevelt High School, and the two others are graduates of Kamehameha-Kapalama and Sacred Hearts and hail from all around O’ahu.  The classes that my cluster is taking is Hawaiian Studies 107 with Luke, English 100 with Bacchilega, and Theatre 221 with Hurtubise.  They enjoy their classes and the comfort and support of one another.

Cluster #35 and #36 combined classes and we talked about the “Take your Professor to Lunch” activity

Their are many events taking place on campus, but the one I enjoy most is attending the University of Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine Volleyball team matches at the Stan Sheriff Center.  They only lost twice, one to Penn State and one to UCLA, they haven’t lost a game since then.  They are ranked #7 in the nation and they are led by many key players such as senior, Jamie Houston from Alabama and freshman standout, Kanani Herring (Kamehameha Schools ‘08).  She led Kamehameha Schools to 3 straight state titles and now she is helping the UH Rainbow Wahine in making it far to the NCAA tournament, etc.

The University of Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine Volleyball team vs. University of Pacific. Good Match!

I am very happy to be a peer mentor because I believe that this program really helps freshman succeed in college and I am happy to provide that support to them in knowing that they will do wonderful in the years to come. 

The Manawa Kupono/COP cluster peer mentors at the ACE Welcome!

Service Learning and Take Your Professor to Lunch :)

Aloha from Cluster #23!

  ACE Cluster #23 has begun their Service Learning Project by getting trained for Blood Drive Recruitment tabling (at QLCSS in September) and canteen service (at Shidler College of Business and Campus Center) this week in October.   _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________   We also had breakfast with Anthropology Professor Joseph Genz for the “Take Your Professor to Lunch” activity. We all met at Paradise Palms and learned a lot about Mr. Genz as a teacher and a student. After 50-minutes of laughter and listening to his life story, Professor Genz left us with wise words of academic and personal success. He says that we should learn to enjoy college outside of the classroom and get involved on campus. Also, we should complete homework and projects as soon as their assigned and to not procrastinate. This will allow us to not worry and enjoy life a little easier.

 

Aloha,

Shamara

Howz it?

The students I am leading are apart of a pre-education cluster.  We are cluster number 20, and there are a total of 15 students!  Many of my students are local kine while others moved here from the mainland.  I was surprised to learn on the first day that not all of my students are in fact planning to go into education.  However, I have a great class that I look forward to seeing every week.  They are all friendly and appear to be in class for the right reason, to help themselves advance and learn how to become successful students.  None of my students are totaly afraid to speak up, and they are welcoming towards one another.
So a little about myself.  My real name is Robert Joseph Morris II.  I am named after my grandfather who was a big Notre Dame Football fan.  My father is also a big Notre Dame fan.  So consquently I am a big Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish Footbal fan.  One of the biggest quotes I live by was once said by a former Notre Dame Foot Ball Coach.

“Ability is what you are capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.  And attitude determines how well you will do it.”

-Lou Holtz

Besides football, I also enjoy playing tennis, basketball, and cards.  I spend most of my time hanging out with friends, doing homework, and studying.  I also enjoy going to the beach and hiking.

One of my favorite hikes on the island was up Wa’ahila Ridge.  Wa’ahila Ridge is located on our very own campus.  The entrance can be found between the faculty housing and Frear Hall on Dole Street.  It is on the side of the road with the faculty housing and the entrance is next to the yellow fire hydrant.  There was a fire on the trail a couple of years back and is now used in Biology 265L to learn about different types of vegetation.  For the first 15 minutes of the walk, trees are sporadic and black fire residue is still readily apparent.  After the area where the fire occured, the vegetation changes drastically.  For the rest of the walk there are trees and plenty of shade.  The view is also magnificent.    Other hikes I would recommend are the Audubon Zoo Sanctuary across from Waimea beach on the North Shore and the Pearl Highland Sumit Trail located at the top of Pearl Highlands.  For anyone new to the island, I would recommend checking out the beaches on the North Shore (Never go to Waikiki!!!).  Also check out Haleiwa and get yourself some shave ice.

[

]

Woohoo! Cluster #25

The students that make up cluster #25 are Adam, Gen, Eva, and Tracey. My students are from all over this island, as well as from Washington and the Big Island! All of my students share the same Chemistry 161 class and the Psychology 100 class. I had been anxiously anticipating my first cluster class the whole week, and I am happy to say that the actual experience turned out nothing like the nightmares I had envisioned in my head. My students were nothing like what I expected. As many of them are pre-med students, they are motivated and show excellent work and study habits. I was surprised by how eager and self-conscientious the students were and I look forward to helping them thrive here at UH.

As for me, my name is Aaron. I was born on the mainland, but mostly raised in Hawaii. I am a Junior at UH and I hope to graduate next spring with a B.A. in Chemistry. Things I love to do include: listening to music (all kinds), playing tennis, playing basketball, playing poker, watching movies, and hanging out with my friends. My favorite hang out place would be Waikiki, I like to run to the beach there when I have time.

Our cluster is planning to bring their psychology professor to lunch and also planning to volunteer at the Career Fair at campus center. What a great way to get involved with the campus. On a closing note, I’d like to share this video, mostly for the pre-med students and biology dorks like me. =)

-Aaron

How I Came to be a Peer Mentor

I remember I was in seventh grade and bedridden with the flu when my mother first read me an autobiography called “Gifted Hands” by Dr. Benjamin Carson that would jump-start the story of my life.  The story is a reflection of Dr. Carson’s childhood, the life struggles he faced when growing up, and his determination to overcome adversity so that he could achieve his childhood dreams.  Dr. Carson, who was raised by a single mother in a family that suffered from extreme poverty, was known as the “dumbest” kid in his class in sixth grade, but he never stopped believing in himself.  He kept on working hard.  Eventually he made it into Yale. Today, Dr. Carson is an internationally renowned pediatric neurosurgeon and the current Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Carson has inspired me to overcome the adversity in my life and has sparked my interest in also pursuing a career in pediatric neurosurgery.  But more importantly, he taught me to never stop working towards something I believe in.  He helped me realize my professional dreams, but in turn, has also inspired me into helping others reach their professional dreams.  That is why being involved in the ACE program is truly an honor for me.  Especially when you are working with a cluster like mine.  What a blast!

My cluster, pre-health cluster #26 consists of eight students from various places inside and outside of the United States.  I have students from Guam, California, New Jersey (my favorite state!), and New York.  Students in my pre-health cluster are biology and medical technology majors.  Many of my biology major students are looking to attend medical school after graduation. Many of them want to become pediatricians, which is very cool!

The students of my cluster were also very involved with sports and other extracurricular activities while in high school.  They were in marching band, air riflery, soccer, swimming, and student government.  I’d like them to continue to stay involved while in college.  Many of them are in the Pre-Medical Association, so that’s a fantastic start. Guys, what ever you loved doing in high school, keep doing it in college!  I am a session drummer, and I know I sure kept playing!

Lastly, oh wonderful students of my cluster, good luck on your chemistry exam!  To help you out, I have solved the first of your problem set.  Boy, was it a tough one.

But in all seriousness, after your exam, go celebrate at Yogurt Land.  It has an amazing array of fruits and yogurts to make your day awesome.

Have a fantastic semester,

Andrew Ken Itsuno

Just a moment. I hear people wanting something…ME! :)

Hello Ladies and Gents! Well here’s the skinny on your ACE Student Coordinator, Tiffany Yoshida!

I am in my LAST year at UH as an undergrad (super senior!) majoring in (BS) Biology w/a concentration in Cell & Molecular Biology. No med school for me, I’ll just stick to watching Scrubs

I have an array of interests including surfing, bodyboarding, photography, cinematography,

me flying...kinda

Broadway theatre, music, running, and most recently…SKYDIVING! I own a small private video production company, Omoide Productions, which specializes in weddings and graduations. I often frequent New York and hope to go to grad school there sometime in the near future. I am full Japanese, but my friends tease me that I look Filipino I guess, too, because I took 2 years of Tagalog at UH to fulfill my 2nd language requirement. (I’m always up to new things!)

the AWESOME CAS kids of Cluster #22

I was a peer mentor of a Pre-Health and Life Sciences cluster in Fall 2008. My students were AWESOME and I still see them from time to time walking around campus. It’s great to see your students succeed, especially when you know you played a small part in it.

I was also a freshman in the ACE Program in Fall 2004. I was in a secondary education cluster, but really, the only reason I signed up for ACE was because I had no idea how to put together my schedule. Plus, I had no idea what I wanted to major in! I’ve kept in touch with 4 of the people in my cluster, and we’ve remained best friends ever since. We even had a reunion at D&B once we all turned 21!

I truly believe in this program and have since dedicated my time to seeing the continued success of ACE. If you have any questions, problems, concerns, or just need to vent, please feel free to contact me! I am here as a support and encouragement for you all. I hope you all have an awesome experience just as I have had with the ACE Program!

Rajah, my kitty

I LOVE CLUSTER #7

Hey there! Thanks so much for taking the time to learn more about my cluster. We are a general education cluster, so we have members from all different disciplines at UH from sports photography to biology.  Half of us are from out of state (including Colorado and even Arkansas!) and the other half were made here in the beautiful state of Hawaii. Here are some interesting facts about our cluster:

-2 students are a bit older than typical college freshman (22 and 25!)

-ALL our students are either kinesthetic or visual learners

- 1 student has a daughter and even brought her to class one day

- 4 students are either in the military or are from military families

- we’ve already finished our Professor Lunch

Although we do have a lot in common, we are a very diverse group. But, the one thing we definately share is our common love for animals. So, we’ve decided to do our community service project at the Honolulu Humane Society. We’re all really excited to work with the animals and learn about how we can help find them happy, loving homes. So, I won’t be surprised if I end up with another animal by the end  of this project.

I also wanted to tell you guys a little bit about myself. I am a Senior English major here at UH. I was born in Alaska, but I grew up in New York state. I transfered to UH from Northeastern University in Boston because it was way to cold in Boston during the winter.  In my free time I love to go to the beach, listen to the local radio stations (because they don’t have Reggae like this on the East coast), do yoga, and just generally hang out with my people and be silly. But, I don’t have much time to be silly lately because I’m taking the LSAT next month, working on my senior honors project, and being a student services representative at our Law School.

I am also the SPECIAL EVENTS coordinator for ACES! YAY! So, I also wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all how AMAZING our ACE Bash is going to be at the end of the year and how excited I am to be working on it. We’re also in the process of planning other acitivities for us and the students to get together outside of class. How does everyone feel about a beach BBQ?

Let me know

Well, I have to go. I’m going dirt biking on North Shore this weekend so if I’m not in class on Tuesday, you’ll know why. haha.

THANKS for reading! Have an amazing Weekend!!!

<3 Kristin

ALOHA!

HI! My name is Liana Daugherty and I am a co-peer mentor for cluster #3. I was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii in the small town of Kealakekua. Most of my childhood was spent running wild on my family’s three-acre Kona coffee farm with my three younger brothers, our dog and five+ cats. I was excited to move to the “big city” when I graduated from high school many moons ago, and am almost finished with my BS in Travel Industry Management! I’m not sure where I will work after I graduate this December or where I will even be living…. but I have three months to figure that out right?

My cluster is mainly made up of local students with two transplants from the mainland- with the grand total at 14. I co-teach with Magdiel and we are definitely quite the pair (think lame jokes and crazy artwork during class periods). Our class has decided to work in a lo’i in conjunction to the Hawaiian Studies Department here on campus for our service learning project. I know that it will be a lot of hard work but definitely fun at the same time! Also we are going to take their Psychology professor out to lunch at Paradise Palms next month. This will be a very interesting experience as I have never eaten lunch with one of my professors before.

 One of my favorite things to do is travel! It doesn’t matter where or when, I just like to meet new people, see new things and take tons of fun pictures of the “adventures” I tend to get myself into. The top five things to do on Oahu (well, in my opinion) are as followed:

- Hike Diamond Head like a true tourist and take lots of postcard worthy pictures! Then, for a refreshing snack afterward stop at Waiola Shave Ice on Kapahulu Ave. (get it with ice cream inside its the best everrrrr)

- Head over to Waimea Bay to hurl yourself off “The Cliff” a couple times… before falling asleep on the beach and getting a MAJOR sunburn. On your way back to town stop by Storto’s and get a sub sandwich that leaves anything you can get at Subway in its dust.

- Kayak Lanikai, one of the most beautiful beaches on earth. On the way there, stop at the Pali lookout for an amazing view of Kaneohe and Kailua.

- Need a change from going to the beach week after week? Check out the Honolulu Zoo or the Waikiki Aquarium- lots of cool stuff to see!

- Host a BBQ in Kapiolani Park when there is a concert happening at the Waikiki Shell (ie Kokua Fest). There is tons of space to spread out, start a game of ultimate frisbee, and just relax.

 

~Liana

Wonderful Cluster #18

Hello everyone! My name is Hannah Vallejo and I was born and raised here on this beautiful island of Oahu.  I currently reside in Frear Hall.  I am a Social Work Major and I’m a junior in the Bachelors in Social Work Program.  

I am a peer mentor for Cluster #18 with my partner Garritt.  Cluster #18 is a Pre-Business cluster that meets once a week in the Viewing room #4 of the Sinclair Library from 10:30-11:20 am. All students take these two classes together: ECON 131 (Principles of Economics) and ICS 101 (Tools for the Information Age). My students are from different states in the mainland, other hawaiian islands, and one is even from japan. I find it a privilege that I get to be a peer mentor because I was once a confused and lost freshman like my ACE students.  And because of ACE, I was able to make the transition from high school to college a smooth one And I also formed friendships that I still have to this day. 

On my free time I like to surf at queens beach in waikiki or drive all the way to white plains at barbers point.  But after that, I make it a routine to eat at my favorite sushi spot called “Genki Sushi”.  Out of the 5 locations that they have here on Oahu, the Kapahulu location is my favorite. They have excellent service! What makes eating at Genki Sushi fun is how the sushi is served.  Actually, its not served, the sushi are on little plates that are on a revolving conveyor belt.  Prices range from as low as $1.50 to $4.75 per plate.  But it depends on what you get.  I recommend getting the “Spicy Tuna Bowl” for $2.80 and the “Tuna Salad” and “Edamame” for $1.50! 

Thanks for reading this blog, and make sure you try Genki Sushi if you haven’t Yet! ALOHA!

 

Yours Truly,

Hannah Vallejo