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The Valedictorians -
A look at HPU's top graduating students
by Kalamalama staff
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On May 16 from 6 to 9 p.m., viewers were able to see HPU confer
associate, baccalaureate, and master degrees on nearly 700 students
at the university’s 48th commencement ceremony.
On August 16, HPU conferred degrees on nearly 400 students
at its 49th commencement ceremony at the Waikiki Shell.
On each of these occasions, students, faculty, and assembled
families were able to hear from three valedictory speakers chosen
for outstanding academic performance and community service,
to represent the on-campus baccalaureate degree programs, the
satellite degree programs, and the graduate degree programs.
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Spring graduation Satellite speaker
Satellite speaker Diane Kostelecky, a native of Anaconda,
Montana, returned to college nearly 25 years after high school.
After following her husband’s military career around the world,
Kostelecky found herself hard put to persuade her three grown
children that a college education was important when she hadn’t
gone to college herself.
“How can I tell my children about the value of a college
education when I have yet to know myself?” remembers Kostelecky,
who moved her family to Hawai‘i in 1997 and enrolled at HPU
in 1998 as a full-time student. That decision, she said, to
represent the satellite degree programs at the spring commencement,
proved to be her best move yet.
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Kostelecky received a Bachelor of Science
in Computer Science and plans to pursue a master’s degree at HPU.
Interestingly, within days of her graduation ceremony, her husband
received a master’s degree from the University of Hawai‘i and
their oldest daughter received a bachelor’s degree from the University
of Montana.
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Undergraduate speaker
Andreas Andersson represented the undergraduates at HPU’s
main campuses. Andersson, from the small country town Falun, Sweden,
has always loved the ocean, so Hawai‘i was the perfect learning
environment. He enrolled in HPU’s marine science program in 1998
and has contributed significantly to Hawai‘i marine science research.
He pioneered a project to map the distribution of sediments found
on the ocean floor off Kane‘ohe Bay on O‘ahu using high technology
sonar acoustic equipment. Never done before, the project enabled
Andersson to better determine, for example, the relationships
between fish habitat, coral, and mud. The research intrigued Hawai‘i’s
coastal zone management office which funded Andersson $2,000 to
help with the project.
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Oceanic Imaging Consultants, a local company, also
helped by giving him access to their highly sophisticated equipment.
Andersson received a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science and
graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA. He plans to pursue a master’s
degree in oceanography and hopes to continue to devote his time
to ocean research. “The ocean covers 71 percent of the earth’s
surface, but we have only surveyed a tiny fraction of it. There’s
still so much to learn,” he said.
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Graduate speaker
Graduate valedictorian Kent Harrison was born in Fontana,
California and raised in Western Oregon. He worked in the private
construction industry as a land surveyor for four years before
attending college at the University of Utah, where he received
a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 1995. He
was commissioned in the Naval Reserve upon graduation through
NROTC Program, and served as an Engineering Officer in the SeaBees.
Harrison came to Hawai‘i in 1997 and for more than two years was
officer in charge of a unit of SeaBees. In January 2000 Harrison
moved to the Public Works Center at Pearl Harbor where he presently
serves as the environmental officer. |
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In 1999, he decided to continue his education, pursuing HPU’s
new Master of Arts in Diplomacy and Military Studies. In September
he will report to the Officer Candidate School at Pensacola,
Fla., as an instructor.
Summer Graduation
On August 16, the three valedictory speakers were Chris
Kastl, B.S. Computer Science, Kathrin Buettner, B.S.B.A. Travel
Industry Management, and Guilherme Albieri, M.A. Organizational
Change.
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Satellite Speaker
Chris Kastl has served in Hawai‘i for 15 of his 22 years
in the U.S. Navy. Originally from Orlando, Florida, Kastl is
a senior electronics technician and supervisor in the Navy Submarine
Force. He is responsible for the installation and certification
of Electronic Surveillance Measures technologies in support
of special submarine operations.
Kastl also oversees the operation and maintenance of a Fiber
Optic classified Local Area Network.
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In order to become more competitive in the job
market and intellectually rounded, he enrolled in HPU’s computer
science program. The convenience of taking classes on a number
of military installations on O‘ahu and the strong reputation of
HPU’s computer science program were key reasons that attracted
Kastl to pursue his education at HPU. Following graduation, Kastl
plans to enroll in HPU’s Master of Science in Information Systems
program and will also be making preparations for his retirement
from the Navy in November. A Microsoft Certified System Engineer,
Kastl is a member of the Information Systems Security Association
and a student member of the Association for Computing Machinery.
He enjoys swimming, sailing, playing golf, and coaching his daughter’s
soccer team.
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Undergraduate speaker
Born in Munich but raised in Pfaffenhofen, Germany, Kathrin
Buettner is a graduate of Merkur Akademie, a two-year tourism
school in Germany. Looking to further her education in the travel
industry field, she enrolled in Hawai‘i Pacific University’s
travel industry management program in fall 2000.
Throughout college, Buettner worked part-time in the International
Recruitment and Admissions office and was an active member of
the Travel Industry Management Student Organization.
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| Her outstanding work academically and in the HPU
community earned Buettner the title of President’s Host, a designation
reserved only for a select group of students at HPU. She is currently
an intern at the Waikiki offices of FTI North America, a tour
company catering to the European market. Buettner, who is fluent
in German, French, and Spanish, has traveled throughout the U.S.,
Canada, and Europe. Her passion for learning about different cultures
was further enhanced at HPU, which has a student body of 8,800
from the U.S. and more than 100 countries. “I’m grateful for my
experience at HPU,” said Buettner. “I’ve made so many friends
from all over the world, and right here in the islands." |
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Graduate speaker Since joining HPU in 1999, Guilherme Albieri
has carried a strong presence on campus through his involvement
in student activities. He is currently the president of the
Graduate Student Organization and the Organizational Change
Student Association. Additionally, he serves as vice president
of Polyglot Toastmasters and Students in Free Enterprise.
This year, Albieri was named a recipient of the Robert E. Black
Award for Excellence, an annual award given to outstanding HPU
students who excel in the classroom and are active in the community.
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Outside of HPU activities, Albieri facilitates the education
of inmates from Hawai‘i prisons through the Criminon program.
He also organized the 31st Annual Organization Development Institute
conference, where he won the Jack Gibb Award for most outstanding
presentation. Last year, his entry in Toastmaster’s International’s
humor speech contest earned him the name of “Funniest Guy on
O‘ahu.” He is also the founder of Doadores de Alegria, a charity
group in Brazil that distributes goods to homeless children
who are HIV-positive.
Although he plans to stay in the U.S. to pursue a career in
organizational development and change management, Albieri says
his eventual goal is to apply his leadership knowledge back
home. “Through my experiences at HPU, I realize more needs to
be done to improve Brazil’s educational system. After building
a good foundation for myself, I hope to transfer my knowledge
to those back home and continue making a difference,” says Albieri.
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