Congratulations to everyone who ran the Honolulu Marathon on Sunday, December 11! Several members of the HTIC ohana were among the more than 19,000 finishers – LA student Shion Takizawa crossed the finish line in 4:42:05, TES Liaison Officer Koji Nakamura finished the marathon in 6:05:20, and former CP student (and current TES staff member) Shimpei Oooka clocked in at 7:05:43. Great job, guys!

HTIC held its Fall Commencement ceremony on Saturday, December 10, 2011, celebrating the achievements of twenty-six students scheduled to receive their Associate of Arts degree in Fall 2011 and Winter 2012.

Trustee Jerry Burris and Chancellor Naoto Yoshikawa gave congratulatory speeches to the graduates, and Dr. John Barkai from the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law delivered a humorous and insightful keynote address. Oyundari Enkhbat (Fall 2011), from Mongolia, and Asako Nishi (Winter 2012), from Japan, were chosen by their classmates to speak at the ceremony. Both speakers encouraged their fellow graduates and the members of the audience to look beyond their immediate surroundings and remember the importance of global citizenship in an ever-shrinking world.

During the ceremony, four students received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes individuals who achieve more than 100 hours of service over a 12-month period. The four awardees for Fall 2011/Winter 2012 were Oyundari Enkhbat, Yuka Sugiya, Midori Sakamoto and Marya Puttkammer. Awardees were presented with a congratulatory letter from President Barack Obama, a personalized certificate of achievement, and an official President’s Volunteer Service Award pin.

Congratulations, Fall 2011 and Winter 2012 graduates!

(See our album of Fall 2011 Commencement pictures on Facebook)

During Winter Term 2012, HTIC will be offering an evening TOEFL iBT course. Enrollment is limited, so register today!

The Polynesian Club performed at the Ala Moana Beach Park’s McCoy Pavilion on October 28, 2011 at the annual candlelight vigil to raise awareness about domestic violence. This event, hosted by the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, is held each October, which is designated as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month." The HTIC Polynesian Club, along with Halau Ke’ala O Ka’iliahi, had the honor of performing two hulas at the candlelight vigil for the family, friends and supporters of survivors and victims of domestic violence. The message of the night was “Who can stop domestic violence? You can!”

This event honored the survivors and victims of domestic violence and asked those in attendance to light a candle to remember individuals who have lost their lives. It was an emotional night as survivors of domestic violence shared their stories to bring awareness, accountability and hope to this issue. Domestic violence does not discriminate; it affects individuals from all socioeconomic groups.

Guest speakers at the vigil included prominent individuals in the local community, including the keynote speaker, KHON news anchor Jai Cunningham.

On October 6, 2011, three HTIC students, Tomomi Hibikiya, Mikako Kuruma, and Asako Nishi travelled to Las Vegas to perform in the 2011 Fall Pure Aloha Festival with the women of Halau Ke’ala O Ka’Iliahi under the direction of Kumu Hula Tammy Ipolani Silva.

This was an inaugural performance where the women of Halau Ke’ala O Ka’Iliahi Las Vegas and the women of Halau Ke’ala O Ka’Iliahi Honolulu graced the stage together under the starry Las Vegas skyline. The halau opened their performance with a kahiko that captivated the Las Vegas audience. Everyone was then treated to a special performance by the keiki’s of Halau Ke’ala O Ka’Iliahi Las Vegas. The women once again graced the stage and danced to Ipo Wai A’ala and Pola’ila’i with a live music performance by Eric Lee. Next a hapa haole hula was performed by two lovely ladies of the halau; Saydee Pojas and Fia Silva. For the finale, the women ended their Las Vegas debut dancing together to "He Will Carry You," which was sung as a duet by Eric Lee and Tammy Silva.

The next day the Hawaii Tokai International College students took a day trip to one of the world's natural wonders – The Grand Canyon. This 10-hour drive was made special as the students danced a hula at the North Rim of the canyon.

Many wonderful memories were made during this Las Vegas trip. The Polynesian Club would like to thank the HTIC community for all its support, especially with our fundraisers, Tammy Silva for the opportunity to dance w/ Halau Ke’ala O Ka’Iliahi, the Las Vegas Halau for the warm welcome and sharing the stage with us, and the Honolulu Halau for great memories of life as a Hula dancer!