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Alumni Leaders

We are very proud of our alumni leaders! They served as student leaders while at UHM and have gone on to graduate school and/or diverse careers positively impacting our local, national, and global communities.

“Take a chance. Keep an open mind. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try things. UH is a learning lab”

Organization(s) & Position(s): ASUH President, CCB and AC member


Current Employer and Position: Managing Director, County of Kauaʻi

How did your involvement with this/these CSO(s) help your development and preparation for your post-graduate career?


“Confidence, public speaking, organizational

skills, communication”


Mike Dahilig

Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi

“Being a part of CCB was very fulfilling; it provided me the opportunity to work with a multi-million dollar budget, network with various college administrators, see what it’s like to be on a governing board, and be able to advocate for the student body”

Organization(s) & Position(s): CCB President


Current Employer and Position: Employment Specialist, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, State of Hawaiʻi

Do you have any advice for UHM students considering CSO leadership opportunities as a way of getting involved on-campus?

“Just do it! CSOs will enrich your college experience unlike any other; under the watchful guides of amazing advisors and administrators. Good luck!”


Alycia Kiyabu

Maui, Hawaiʻi

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it were not for my participation with ASUH. The exposure and connections I made as a student were invaluable and the leadership skills I garnered during my time on Senate (such as communication, coordination, organizational alignment, strategic planning, diplomacy, tenacity) set my foundation and equipped me to succeed in the work I do each day”

Organization(s) & Position(s): ASUH President, Vice President, Senator (College of Arts and Sciences)


Current Employer and Position: Director, Strategic Communications, Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA)

Do you use any of the skills or knowledge gained while a CSO leader in your professional interactions and work experiences?

“All the time. Working in the strategic communications field requires me to use critical thinking to develop tailored solutions for customers and clients dealing with a variety of issues and priorities. Every day, I need to use clear, concise oral and written communication to explain my position, which is sometimes different from others. Diplomacy and levelheadedness is required here. As a bonus, I get to use Robert’s Rules of Order in many meetings. I’m glad I paid attention – I didn’t realize how useful that would be in my professional life!”


Anna Koethe

Mililani, Hawaiʻi

“Being a CSO leader is time consuming and does not help you graduate, but it does give you skills that other people your age will not have. Everyone who graduates has a degree, but not everyone has experience writing a budget or running meetings. These extra skills make your resume stand out”

Organization(s) & Position(s): GSO Member at Large, Treasurer, and President


Current Employer and Position: NOAA, Physical Scientist

How did your involvement with this/these CSO(s) help your development and preparation for your post-graduate career? What skills did the leadership experience expose you to and/or contribute to your development?

“Budgeting experience, management experience, running meetings, public speaking, meeting with important people and not getting nervous”


Tom Robinson

City, State

“It was a real crash course in how decisions are made at a board level. This helped me understand how to communicate my work effectively for similar audiences in my professional career”

Organization(s) & Position(s): SMB, Vice Chair


Current Employer and Position: Exponent Consulting, Senior Data Scientist

Do you use any of the skills or knowledge gained while a CSO leader in your professional interactions and work experiences?

“Identification of metrics for judging the success (or failure) of various initiatives and using that information to drive future strategies”


Steve Scherrer

City, State

“My experience at ASUH taught me so much that I couldn’t get in the classroom alone. I learned about how vital processes are in government and politics. I learned valuable skills in event planning, fundraising, budgeting, people management, club funding, and philanthropic funding”

Organization(s) & Position(s): ASUH Secretary, Senator-At-Large,enator of the College of Arts & Sciences; ASUH Committee Chair: Investments & Long-Range Planning Committee, Cultural & Ethnic Diversity Committee; ASUH Committee Vice-Chair: Academic Affairs Committee, Internal Affairs Committee

Current Employer and Position: 50+1 Strategies, LLC, VP of Creative

Do you have any advice for UHM students considering CSO leadership opportunities as a way of getting involved on-campus?

“If you want to make a direct impact on your fellow students’ lives and for the future, this is it! It’s an incredible way to learn a varied amount of skills, and it helps you stand out in the job market! When I first joined the workforce, my resume included my ASUH experience, and I’ve gotten jobs in the entertainment, tech, and advocacy worlds. In my interviews they have specifically brought up that my ASUH experience was something they wanted to hear more about and that it made me stand out in the crowd”


Candice Dayoan

Mililani, Hawaiʻi

“My involvement with ASUH and SAPFB were excellent ways to contribute to my community. Not only did my roles in ASUH and SAPFB help develop my leadership skills, I also believe it is a huge contributing factor to me being awarded the NSF GRFP”

Organization(s) & Position(s): ASUH (Senator for Colleges of Arts and Sciences Oct. 2015 – May 2016, Senator-at-Large May 2016 – May 2018, Chair of the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Committee May 2016 – May 2018 ), SAPFB (Board Member Feb. 2017 – May 2018)


Current School and Degree: Harvard University, Graduate Student (PhD program in Virology)

Do you use any of the skills or knowledge gained while a CSO leader in your professional interactions and work experiences?

“My extracurricular activities during my undergraduate education helped me with managing my time and event planning. I noticed in my research that I utilize those same skills when planning for large experiments (often times this requires help from other members of the lab) or scheduling numerous experiments in the day. The skills you develop and refine during extracurricular activities definitely transfers over!”


Jessica Chen

Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi

“My involvement helped me prepare for further engagement with students, providing space and support in their development in leadership in our Nā Koʻokoʻo: Hawaiian Leadership Program in the College of Social Sciences. It was a learning experience to meet with other student leaders with different opinions and backgrounds, but shared the same desire to be a servant leader”

Organization(s) & Position(s): ASUH, Senator of Hawaiʻinuiākea and School of Pacific & Asian Studies


Current Employer and Position: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Educational Specialist

Why did you decide to be a CSO leader at UHM while in college?

“I started to get involved in Hui Aloha ʻĀina Tuahine and saw that there was no student representing at the time, the School of Hawaiian, Pacific and Asian Studies (SHAPS) and senator positions depended on the student enrollment. SHAPS later became two different schools – Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge and the School of Pacific and Asian Studies and the when I became senator, I represented both schools. The following year, each school had its own senator position”


Kamakanaokealoha M. Aquino

Waimanalo, HI

“I think being involved with CSOs really taught me a lot about working with others and how much leadership skills really matter in your career. Regardless of what your career will be, having leadership skills really makes a difference in how you perform, handle conflict or tough situations, and work with those around you. Team building, mentoring, facilitating, and communication are some of the skills these experiences taught me which I still use to this day because of my involvement with CSOs”

Organization(s) & Position(s): ASUH President (2012-2014), Secretary (2010-2012), Campus Center Board Alumni Member (2017-2021)


Current Employer and Position: Hawai’i State Senate, Legislative Assistant

Do you use any of the skills or knowledge gained while a CSO leader in your professional interactions and work experiences?

“Yes, being a part of ASUH really has helped me in my work at the Hawai‘i State Senate, which is where I gained a lot of knowledge about the legislative process and how government works. Besides the relevancy in what I am doing in my professional career, the skills I’ve gained from being a CSO leader are all useful in working with my colleagues and serving constituents. Everything you do and learn through being a CSO leader is just elevated when you enter your career — so what you put into your involvement with CSOs really is given back to you in more ways than you can imagine.”


Richard Mizusawa

Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi