Five of the 28 presenters at Na Liko Na’auao were dual-enrollment Early College students who are high school juniors at Sacred Hearts Academy.
“I am beyond proud of these girls for coming out and presenting here,” said Koreen Nakahodo, an English professor and mentor. “It’s exciting because there is not just one presenter today; the girls make up one-fifth of the presentations. It’s a huge accomplishment for the girls, and we appreciate the opportunity it provides our students.”
Nakahodo was the faculty member who nominated the five students — Lindsey Dimaya, Katelyn Salcedo, Tehana Maurice, Aileen Araujo, and Javilyn Francis — to present their research from their Expository Writing course on literacy at Na Liko, an annual research fair held at Chaminade since 2003 to celebrate student scholarship, research, and creative work.
“I wasn’t sure how to present since this is my first time,” Salcedo said. “I was really nervous at first, but once I was here and started presenting, I was OK and wasn’t as nervous.”
The five students worked on their research with Nakahodo for ENG 102 for months in the fall semester. Each of their presentations was related to literacy. Amongst the five early college students, they did research connecting literacy to mental health/general health, home environment, and immigrant/migrant population.
“We’re proud of Tehana,” said her father, Scott Maurice. “She’s worked hard these last few months, and her research is something she’s passionate about,” said Maurice’s mother, Dorothy Maurice.”This presentation is all she’s been talking about, and it’s amazing to see it finally coming together today.”
The 28 presentations varied from environmental-based research to scientific-health research. Three of the 28 were oral presentations, while the other 25 were poster presentations. This event allows students to present their research while getting feedback from faculty and scholars. This enables students to build resumes, gain presentation skills, and network with fellow researchers.
A recognition ceremony takes place to wrap up the event, where students and faculty are recognized, and the President Wesselkamper Award is presented. This year’s award went to Victoria Francois, nominated by her faculty mentor, Dr. Abby Halston. Francois researched chronic pain in young adults ages 18 – 24 and the effects of mindfulness.
This opportunity was created thanks to the SHA Early College Program, which started in Summer 2023. The union between SHA
and Chaminade allows students to take combined high school and college courses during their junior and senior years. This will enable them to simultaneously earn their high school diploma and Associate of Arts degree from Chaminade.
“We are already ecstatic that we have this partnership with Chaminade through the Early College Program at Sacred Hearts,” said the SHA Upper School Principal Carol Chong. “So, the fact that you all include our girls as part of the Chaminade peers excites us. We take pride in our students being advanced and able to compete with college students at a high school level.”