Edward-James Adachi and Andrew Ancheta were two complete strangers before meeting at a student retreat in October 2017. Since then, their mutual love for serving their communities has guided them on a journey through Hawaii’s low-income neighborhoods, Washington D.C., and finally on a path hoping to reach their Chaminade University’s student body executive positions.

Adachi, who is a junior from Kaimuki, is running unopposed for Chaminade Student Government Association president (currently held by senior Kawena Phillips) with Ancheta, who is a junior from Aiea, as his vice president. Voting was originally set for March 16, 18, and 20, but due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Office of Student Activities and Leadership announced that voting will be rescheduled to April 6-10 for all day undergraduates via e-mail. The election results will be announced the week after voting.

The two became close friends in their freshman year and have since partaken in Chaminade’s community services, like Campus Ministry’s Feed the Hungry and Christmas on Campus visits, and conferences, like their trip to Washington D.C. representing the university at the Catholic Relief Services Student Ambassador Leaders Together forum. Now, they aim to use their shared experiences to help create a school environment where communication between students and Chaminade’s officials is prioritized.

“We hope to continue to build a path for future generations to enjoy, improve, and expand on,” said Ancheta, who is majoring in Biology and minoring in Data Science. “We want to create deeper networks between students, offices, faculty, staff, and organizations in order to hear and act upon the concerns of our students. Our goal is to start the conversion that starts the change.”

Through Adachi and Ancheta’s participation in Chaminade programs and their everyday interactions with students, they noticed areas that they feel need development if the university wishes to promote a unique ohana feel that bigger Hawaii colleges may lack. The two believe that the school’s undergraduate count of 1,099 leans toward it being clique-heavy, citing the lack of interaction in the Vi & Paul Loo Student Center and the absence of general publication for club events by student clubs whether it be through online posts or fliers.

“I want to definitely try to make sure that everybody is involved and everybody has a say and that we’re communicating that to everyone,” said Adachi, who is majoring in Environmental Science. “If there is a club thing happening, people need to know. We shouldn’t be summarizing, we should be passing that information entirely.”

To combat these issues, the two are looking into ways that would promote student initiation. One example Adachi wishes to carry out if elected would be to re-establish Chaminade’s Civic Engagement Club, which puts its members on a community service reserve list and if other clubs need volunteers for certain events, those students would be available to help. The organization was disbanded in 2017 due to a diminishing roster.

Coming up with ways to improve student life was a conversation Adachi and Ancheta had since the beginning of their relationship. Adachi’s upfront and idealistic mindset and Ancheta’s meticulous and calculated approach fed into each other.

Adachi credits his ability to get along easily with people to his grandparents, who would always bring him along whenever visiting family and friends, and his time attending 9th-12th grade at Saint Louis School, where he served as student body president during his senior year. Ancheta’s attention to detail stemmed from his experiences meeting new people and listening to their stories.

The two are recognized by the school when it comes to their personalities and work within the school. A mutual friend of theirs, Symone Perez, who is a junior form Guam and current Director of Finance for CSGA, reflects on her time getting to know the pair.

“A lot of the things they do on this campus isn’t just solely for themselves,” said Perez, who is majoring in Business Administration and English. “It is a hard thing to do at times with this being a commuter campus, but everything that they do is for the betterment of the student body.”