With approximately 400 graduates bringing family and friends, attendance at the now-traditional Alumni Association luau for the departing seniors nearly overflowed the Cannon Activities Center on June 17; but nobody seemed to mind, and many said it was the best-yet luau. A few old-time alum even said they wished they could have had a luau like this one when they graduated.

Polynesian Cultural Center manager Cy Bridges ('74) emceed the entertainment, provided by some of the talented graduates such as Kyuhyun Cho ('04, Exercise & Sports Science), a South Korean who managed to become an award-winning hula dancer while working at the Cultural Center. PCC musicians provided back-up, but the promo team was in Viet Nam.

An ensemble from the BYU-Hawaii Concert Choir also presented several numbers from their recent tour to Japan and Korea; and also as usual, Dr. Randall Allred presented the June 2004 University Honor Students: Scott Christley, History; Kathryn Higgins, History; Megan Lundin, Psychology; Natalia Martins, International Business Management; Andrew Miller, ICS-Communications, Political Science, who was also the valedictorian; P. Gordon McLemore, History; Tanya Morimoto, English; Katina Portie, Political Science; Debra Reynoso, ICS-Humanities; and Luke Saurman, International Business Management.

Pothinum "Mo" Vivithkeyoonvong ('04, International Business Management) of Thailand and Senitiki Vuetibau ('04, Information Systems/ Secondary Education) from Fiji spoke on behalf of the graduates.

Recalling she enjoyed making diverse friends at BYU-Hawaii, Mo compared her classmates to a masterpiece of art. "This is not the end of the masterpiece. This is the beginning," she said. Mo also encouraged the June graduates to "cherish our second home, BYU-Hawaii."

Vuetibau, a nontraditional student with four children, ages 7-14, said there are "no barriers to attaining an education." He asked his classmates to stand and show their appreciation to their parents and faculty. "I am also one of the many standing a little taller and prouder," he added in thanking those who have donated to BYU-Hawaii.

He especially thanked his wife, "the Mormon girl who changed my life [when he joined the Church]. For the first seven years of our marriage she was holding on to her faith. Tonight, I dedicate what I am to her."

"Going to BYU-Hawaii is like being brought up by goodly parents," he continued, adding his own brief rules for life: "Live simple, be humble and be respectful."

Dr. Caroline Kwok, '79

Dr. Man Yuk Caroline Kwok ('79, Business Management) from Hong Kong was this year's alumni guest speaker. After graduating from BYU-Hawaii, Kwok earned a master's and doctoral degree from BYU in Provo in 1984 and '88, respectively. Returning to Hong Kong, she founded Megabrain Institute to research the human brain and learning, and the nonprofit House of Learning. She has authored three books, the latest on stress and the brain, often speaks to teacher groups, and provides training on creativity and thinking for international corporations.

In introducing her, Alumni board member Dr. Peter Yee-Kong Chan ('95, Information Systems) of the School of Education pointed out Kwok's "adventurous spirit" led her to become the first female president of the Chinese Club and the first Chinese editor of Ke Alaka'i. He also described her as a "lifetime learner."

"I was told if I spoke for 15 minutes, I would get a free dinner," Kwok joked in response, but then compared her BYU-Hawaii experiences to "a feast of enlightenment."

"My eyes and ears were opened, my guts were filled, my mind blossomed and my heart was softened," she told the graduates. "During my years in Laie my eyes were opened as I learned to see who I really was...and I learned to see the goodness in others.

Kwok said attending devotional was one of her favorite activities. "Those speakers taught me how to go through life's challenges. I learned to listen more to the heart than to the words. I learned to listen to the vision behind the words, and I learned to listen to the spirit."

"It is the opportunity of allowing the students to excel that makes this school so very special," she continued, claiming that before she served as a Relief Society teacher in her student ward, she was "not a very verbal person." She said she wrote her first lesson out in long-hand and practiced it for nearly a month. When it came time to teach, Kwok said she "was filled with confidence. My tongue was unstuck, and since then it hasn't stopped. Now, as I have become involved in training, speaking has become one of the main tools of my trade."

Kwok explained she used the phrase "guts were filled" because it ties to "gut feeling. I honestly believe that it was here that I began to learn to follow the promptings of the spirit. Later in my life, I have followed the promptings of the spirit on many occasions."

"It was here, in the library, that my love for learning took a quantum leap. I remember the first time I walked into the library and found books by LDS authors. I never knew LDS wrote books. We never had any of those in Hong Kong. I started reading books by Sterling W. Sill, Elaine Cannon and Marvin J. Ashton. They provided me with great insights into living the gospel. Then I graduated to the heavy stuff: Hugh Nibley, Neal A. Maxwell. My mind couldn't be stopped. This was the first time I had a taste of the power of combining spiritual with secular knowledge. That's become a lifetime theme for all my learning endeavors."

"I wish every student who comes to BYU-Hawaii would focus not only on their coursework, but they would also learn to integrate, synergize and quantimize the power of spiritual and secular knowledge," she continued.

Kwok said "something else magical happened" at BYU-Hawaii. "My heart softened. It was this gradual change of heart that I learned to be less critical of myself, that I would be more empathetic to others, and that I would be more sensitive to the spirit."

"One of the greatest lessons I learned at BYU-Hawaii is to trust in the Lord in all of our doings. With that, I have been able to face any challenge — in the Church, in my family, in my profession."

"My years at the feast of enlightenment began at BYU-Hawaii," Kwok said, "and I am still sitting at the table. The different dishes are getting better and better. Today, all of you graduates are not graduating...you're being promoted educationally, for those who are going on to graduate school; for those going on to work, you're being promoted professionally...and you're being promoted spiritually as you become leaders of the Church throughout the world."

President Shumway

"As the years go by, you will find that what you had here is one of the best experiences you will ever have. There is a Chinese saying, when you drink water, remember from where the water cometh. I hope all will remember from where our blessings come."

President Shumway responds

"Caroline, I must confess I can never remember when you were at a loss for speech," President Shumway responded to her "wonderful, heart-felt address."

President Shumway then shared some of the Concert Choir tour highlights in Japan and Korea, which he accompanied, explaining that Church leaders have asked BYU-Hawaii "to establish contacts, make friends, win the confidence of the people of Japan and Korea...and inspire and motivate the Saints."

"The theme of the choir was 'Holy, Radiant Light.' They sang with radiance, they looked holy and lovely, and they won the hearts of the people. Many of the things that happened on this tour were miraculous. Every hour seemed to be a peak moment."

"One of the special concerts we did was at the Meiji Shrine — the 'Temple Square' of the Shinto religion in Japan," he said, pointing out that it was a "very, very unusual invitation for a foreign group, a Christian group, to sing not just in the outer circles of the shrine but in the inner sanctum, before their 'holy of holies, as it were.' It turned out that we received that invitation because the chief priest wanted to return the favor a few years previous when he had taken a small delegation to visit America and stopped in Salt Lake City. He said he met the 'tall prophet,' who gave a souvenir to him. It turned out the 'tall prophet' was none other than Elder [L. Tom] Perry, who is sitting here tonight."

President Shumway said the priest was "so touched, that when he was approached by a member of the Church to have our choir sing in the shrine, he readily accepted. It caused a stir throughout Japan. It was a subject matter of talk show hosts on TV and radio: Why would the shrine, which represents all that is traditional in Japan, accept this foreign, Christian group to sing, no less, in the inner circle? The answer was, 'Because we have a special relationship with the Church.'"

"In order to sing in the Meiji Shrine, we had to go through a kind of cleansing ceremony with water," President Shumway said. "The priest blessed us. Led by Elder William Walker of the Area Presidency, we made our presentation at the altar, then Elder Walker and I and our wives sat to the side as the choir sang Holy, Radiant Light — which is one of the great anthems of the Son, Jesus Christ — and Come, Come Ye Saints, which concluded with the last verse in Japanese."

"It was a stunning moment, an electrical moment; and as they sang, the head priest leaned over to Elder Walker and said, 'I feel that they are singing to God. Indeed, they were."

"Every concert, every interaction with the people in Japan and Korea was the same. There was a holy, radiant light about this tour," President Shumway said, adding he enjoyed meeting alumni. He showed some of their pictures as well as a slide show of the tour highlights to the audience.