Sundaes with Students Spring 2015

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Event Summary: The Spring 2015 Sundaes with Students was a success! Attendees checked in upon entering, then helped themselves to a diverse selection of ice cream flavors and toppings at the sundae bar.

The guest speakers were also very diverse. Each of the speakers spoke for ten minutes about their backgrounds, undergraduate experiences and lessons learned along the way. The panel finished by sharing their tips for success (which have been added to this post below each panelist’s bio).

Panelists:

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Michelle Tagorda

Michelle A. Tagorda was born in Hilo, Hawai‘i and is a graduate of Kea‘au High School. Tagorda attended the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa where she received bachelor degrees in biology and psychology. As an undergraduate, she was a New Student Orientation Leader, Access to College Excellence peer mentor and a peer advisor at the Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center. She was also a member of the Pre-Medical Association, Psi Chi Honor Society, Mortar Board Honor Society and Office of Multicultural Student Services: Bin-I Program. Throughout the majority of her undergraduate years and into her first year as a graduate student, Tagorda was also part of the Campus Center Board.Currently serving as an undergraduate advisor for the UH Office of Public Health Studies, Tagorda is pursuing her master of public health at UH Manoa. She also assists the Manoa Peer Advisors as the program assistant, and is a member of the Hawai‘i Public Health Association and the Hui Ola Pono student group. Additionally, she volunteered with the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association to develop an educational toolkit for the film Ola.Tagorda is also part of the Health Behavior Change Research Workgroup. In her spare time, Tagorda enjoys playing basketball, running at Ala Moana Beach Park, reading and journal writing.

Advice:

  • Venture out of your comfort zone to find your passion and learn how to be connected and involved on campus. Challenge yourself.
  • Always remember that you are not alone in this.
  • Make wellness a top priority. Be sure to make time for yourself and take care of your mental health.

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Amy McKee

Amy McKee is a first-year Master’s student in Higher Educational Administration program at UH Manoa. She is from Kaimuki, Oahu and graduated from Kalani High School (2009). Afterward, she went to Kapi‘olani Community College and received her AA in Liberal Arts, then transferred to UH Mānoa and received her BA in English and Chinese in Spring 2014. She currently works as an Academic Advisor Assistant at the Colleges of Arts & Sciences Student Academic Services (CASSAS) and as a Mānoa Peer Advisor (MPA) at the Mānoa Advising Center. In the future, Amy plans to be an Academic Advisor and hopes to work in student affairs. Her on-campus involvement includes serving on the Mānoa Sophomore Experience (MSE) Committee; a Peer Advisor Leader (PAL) for the MPA Program; the Vice President of Membership for the Higher Education Student Association; a board member on the Student Activity & Program Fee Board (SAPFB); an ACE Peer Mentor for Fall 2013; and an Accepted Student Reception Panelist in Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and Hilo.

Advice:

  • Invest in a planner and look at your syllabus at the start of the semester.
  • Technology: Use Dropbox or Google Drive to back up files (computers crash!) and you can access them anywhere. Set up automatic sync for email on your phone.
  • Surround yourself with positive people (find people who care about the things you do and want to get involved). Make sure you speak up and let your student voice be heard.

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Jeff Chung

Jeff Chung started his college career 25 years ago at Occidental College where he pursued a Major in Physics. However, life circumstances intervened and he took a break from school, subsequently becoming involved in the Life Safety Industry (fire alarms, security systems, cctv and other specialty low voltage systems). Starting out as a technician, and gradually moving into sales, marketing, engineering and project management, Jeff was eventually given the opportunity to start and run a Low Voltage division at an established Electrical Contracting company. However, after 20 years in the same industry, he has returned to UH Manoa to explore the fields of Psychology and Social Work. While he’s still trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up, Jeff is enjoying life as a college student and is having fun being back on campus learning new things.

Advice:

  • If you have a direction, stick with it, earn your degree and make the best of it.
  • From experience, having a college degree shows that a potential job applicant had the tenacity to stay in college. It’s not all about school or your GPA–learn soft skills and don’t miss out on extracurriculars just to get A’s.
  • Make the most of your college experience: explore extracurriculars, don’t be afraid to take something fun, get to know your professors and other people on campus.

 

Thank you to the Student Activity and Program Fee Board (SAPFB) for funding our Spring 2015 Panel Series!

A big thank you to our awesome panelists, committee volunteers and everyone who attended Sundaes with Students!