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HPU Provost and Senior Vice President Alan Shoho (fourth from right), Sharky, and HPU student athletes welcomed new students to campus.
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A new student receives a lei.
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HPU Provost Alan Shoho and an HPU student greeted new students and their families to campus.
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New students celebrating at the student welcome gathering at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
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Dean Brenda Jensen (standing) and HPU academic deans spoke to new students and their families at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
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Students aboard the Star of Honolulu for a breathtaking lunch cruise.
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HPU President Gotanda spoke at the candle lighting ceremony to new HPU students and their families.
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HPU Provost Alan Shoho spoke to new students and their families during the candle lighting ceremony.
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The luau featured fire dancing.
HPU recently celebrated and welcomed its newest Sharks to campus for new student orientation on Friday, August 28, and Saturday, August 29. Students and their families gathered at the HPU’s Aloha Tower Marketplace campus for two days of information, connection, and celebration to kick off the fall term.
Orientation day began bright and early with student and family check-in. Students walked to Pier 11 for the “Aloha Sharks” student welcome, where they heard from the Student Government Association (SGA) president and were introduced to the Campus Activities Board, registered student organizations, peer mentors, orientation ambassadors, and community advisors.
New HPU students celebrate the evening before the luau performance at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
Meanwhile, parents and family members gathered at the Aloha Tower luau space for a welcome to the HPU 'ohana gathering, featuring HPU President Gotanda and HPU Senior Vice President and Provost Alan Shoho, Ed.D., along with campus safety, counseling and behavioral health, and the HPU academic deans.
Throughout the day, interactive breakout sessions gave students valuable information on academic success, advising, financial aid, student accounts, wellness, safety, study abroad, and basic needs, as well as a walking tour of the HPU campuses. Parents and families attended concurrent information sessions on financial aid and student accounts, academic support services, and housing and residential life. Individual appointments with financial aid and academic advising were also available.
As evening arrived, students and their families gathered on the Aloha Tower promenade near the water for a luau, beginning with pre-show activities and dinner. The day slowly faded into night with a stirring sunset of orange and pink searing across the sky, reflecting into the gentle tides of the harbor.
Dusk quickly settled and the annual candle lighting ceremony began at the waterfront stage. President Gotanda and Provost Soho led the reading of the new-student and university pledges, a ritual that symbolizes the beginning of a new and exciting journey and all the experiences that await students during their years at HPU.
On Saturday, the weather was just a beautiful as the students gathered for "Island Life through the Eyes of HPU Students," where current students shared their experiences, local tips, and campus life insights, and where new students received their Shark gifts.
Parents and families joined the provost and academic deans for A Hui Hou, a closing question-and-answer session over light pastries and refreshments, where they also had the chance to write a letter to their students. Wrapping up the two-day flurry of activities, parents lined the waterfront to wish students well as they boarded the Star of Honolulu for a lunch cruise, where students took in the views of Honolulu.
Being a student at HPU is certainly filled with exhilaration, and these first two days at HPU were a wonderful start to their academic journeys. There are fresh friendships to be made, novel adventures to embrace, and well-earned degrees to attain, all within the educational expedition that defines life at HPU.
Welcome new Sharks and have a great, rewarding fall term!
All photos by Anastasiia Vlasova.
