Summer 2021
Russel John Alegre is entering the final semester of his undergraduate studies to obtain his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Health and his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philippine Language and Literature with a concentration in Ilocano. After graduation, Russel plans to continue to seek experience within the public health field before he pursues a Master’s degree in Public Health or Social Work. His topics of interest include environmental health, health disparities amongst minorities, immigrant health, healthcare availability, mental health awareness, and social and behavioral sciences.
Joshua Brown is currently entering his second year in the Master’s of Social Work program at the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Josh also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from California State University at Northridge. Josh has volunteered with the special Olympics, YMCA Atherton and the Susannah Wesley Community Center in Kalihi. After graduation, Josh plans on becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and working as a counselor while advocating for local policy changes.
Melissa Caballes is a second-year Bachelor’s of Social Work student. Her life revolves around school, and she worked for many years with the geriatric community and in event promotions across the island. She has a passion for community work. She has completed her Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts and Hawaiian Studies at Windward Community College and continues her undergraduate journey with the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Her interests include geriatrics, substance abuse, domestic violence, prison integration, mental health, low-income populations, and homelessness.
Melvin Dizon, a disabled combat veteran, is an undergraduate student double majoring in Psychology and Social Work while minoring in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology, Deviance, and Social Control. He is also in the process of attaining a certificate in Ethnic Studies at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. He is the current Vice President and Director of Community Service for Psi Sigma, UH Mānoa’s Psychology Club. He is a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity Omicron Zeta Chapter and currently the Community Service Chair, Fundraising Chair, and Risk Management Chair while being part of Merchandise, Rush, Pledge, and Public Relations committees. He is part of Mākālei, the Honors Program at UH Mānoa. He also participates at the Katipunan Club, which is a Filipino Club at UH Mānoa, and is a part of the Freemasons (Leeward Lodge), Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, and Aloha Shriners, part of the Shriners International. Lastly, he is the Mentor for GEAR UP Mānoa at the Wahiawā site for the Class of 2024. His goal is to move on to the Master’s of Social Work program and become a Licensed Social Worker. Soon after that, he will pursue his Ph.D. in Psychology.
Allison (Ally) Fernane is in her last year of the undergraduate public health program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Ally is passionate about water-related diseases and advocating for clean, healthy, and safe water through community health promotion in at-risk areas. After graduation, she hopes to volunteer with the Peace Corps before pursuing her Master’s of Public Health degree. Her topics of interest include global health, water quality, water accessibility, and health disparities in developing countries.
Brandy Hitchcock is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Health and a Minor in Business Administration at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She plans to gain work experience at the Department of Health after graduation before enrolling in a graduate program in public health or health administration. Her interests include community health promotion, global health, health equity and creating an inclusive environment for all, sustainable population health management, social determinants of health, and preparedness response and recovery.
David Hogan is entering his specialization year in the Master’s of Social Work program at the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. He is specializing in Behavioral Mental Health. He also plans on furthering his education with a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology upon completion of the Master’s of Social Work program he is currently in. He loves to travel and is well read. After going through a rather tumultuous period during his adolescence through young adult years, David decided he wanted to use his experiences to help and support others who might be struggling similarly to the ways that he did. He is currently on a healing journey and wants to help others heal as well. Topics of interest include but are not limited to: mental health, addiction, recovery, spirituality, mindfulness, psychotherapy, and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy.
Rachel Lehn is a Master’s of Social Work student at the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, specializing in Behavioral Mental Health. She is also obtaining her Certificate of Competence in Substance Abuse Counseling. Prior to UH, Rachel spent three years living and working in both Bangladesh and Cambodia. She is passionate about intercultural learning. Her main interests include mental health and alternative ways of healing, including somatic, transpersonal, and integrative nature experiences. She is also an advocate of the harm reduction approach towards healing.
Kamea Macusi is currently attending the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health as a second-year Master’s of Social Work student, with a specialization in Behavioral Mental Health. Her main interests are found at the intersections of mental health, racial disparities in access to care, as well as generational and cultural trauma. After graduation, she plans on becoming a Licensed Master Social Worker before moving to South Korea for a year to learn more about the causes of high suicidality of the South Korean population. She then plans to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker to go into private practice.
Madison Mihailuk is entering the final year of her dual Bachelor’s Degree program in Political Science and Public Health. Outside of the OD2A-C3 Workforce Development Program Fellowship, Madison is involved in the undergraduate student government, serving as the Senator for the College of Health Sciences and Social Work and chairing the Campus Life committee. She also serves as a Rainbow Ambassador for the LGBTQIA+ Center on campus. Her interests include human rights, global health, healthcare disparities, LGBTQIA+ health, and law. After graduation, she plans on moving to England to pursue a Master’s Degree in Global Health and/or a law degree. She hopes to follow along the path of completing her overall life goal of helping others while pursuing her passions at the same time.
Ashley Nelson recently graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health, and will be attending the Master’s of Social Work program this Fall. Although Ashley’s primary interest is mental health, she has many other interests such as substance abuse, suicide ideation, domestic violence, LGBTQ+ rights, Asian American history, healthcare, and nutrition/wellness. After earning her graduate degree, she plans to become a Licensed Social Worker and youth/young adult counselor with hopes of guiding those who will one day lead our future.
Keri-Ann Oshiro is entering her final semester in the undergraduate Public Health program. After graduation, she plans to enter the Master’s in Public Health program next fall. Her interests are community health, epidemiology, domestic violence, and social and behavioral sciences.
Julienne Saladino graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa last spring with her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Health. She will be continuing her education at UH Mānoa in the Master’s of Public Health program this fall with a specialization in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences. Julienne’s interests include learning about health disparities, chronic disease prevention, social determinants of health, health promotion, health education, and community engagement. Julienne aspires to become a primary care physician. In the future, she hopes to utilize her public health knowledge in clinical practice to provide community-centered, quality health care to underserved and disadvantaged populations in Hawaiʻi.
Kristine Samonte is currently an undergraduate student at the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. She is entering her fourth year in the social work program. Her interests regard mental health, advocacy for underprivileged populations, and policy work. After she graduates, she hopes to receive her Master’s in Clinical Social Work or Administration/Policy.
Chloe Stewart recently received her Bachelor’s of Social Work Degree from the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and will be continuing her education this fall in the Master’s of Social Work program as an Advanced Standing student with a specialization in Behavioral Mental Health. Chloe also holds a Certificate of Competence in Substance Abuse Counseling from Leeward Community College. She plans to become a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor and Licensed Clinical Social Worker to work with people who have substance use and co-occurring disorders. She is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to harm reduction education and awareness in her community as a OD2A-C3 Workforce Development Fellow.
Benji Zachariah is a Master’s of Social Work candidate at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, specializing in Behavioral Mental Health. As a first year graduate student, Benji explored and advocated for Native Hawaiian health and ‘ike as an intern with the Native Hawaiian Health department within Queen’s Health Systems. Before coming to UH, Benji worked with young adults struggling with mental health struggles on Hawai’i Island and in Southern Oregon. He led Rites of Passage, Wilderness Trips, and experiential learning groups that built living skills and purpose for young adults. Benji’s post graduation vision is to pursue an experiential learning and Wilderness therapy program that would increase accessibility of mental health services for communities of color.