Following a brief trip back to ICU’s verdant campus for a Board of Trustees meeting, members of the Japan ICU Foundation staff were joined by ICU’s Dean of International Affairs, Shaun K. Malarney, for a special joint-recruitment trip to Honolulu in September. In total, they were able to make presentations about ICU to seven academic High Schools in the region, including Punahou, Iolani, Island Pacific Academy, The University Lab School, Kamehameha, Mid-Pacific Institute and Sacred Hearts Academy. Additionally, they were able to conduct key site visits to potential programmatic partners like the Japan-America Society of Hawaii, East-West Center and Pacific Forum CSIS.

Visiting the High Schools in particular was a really enjoyable way to reaffirm ties and encourage new bonds of friendship with teachers, administrators and students. Dean Malarney joined FoundationVice-President Paul Hastings and Program Director Mark Flanigan, covering all seven schools in just a few days. They presented the latest information from ICU to many interested classes of Japanese language students and networked with many of the teachers and counselors at the different schools. They were happy to learn that some of the schools, such as Iolani, Punahou and Island Pacific Academy, have alumni who are current ICU students.

But it was not all business, as approximately 40 guests and friends joined in a very nice Hawaii ICU Alumni Chapter Dinner Event at the lovely Willows Restaurant. Alumni chapter members were led and organized by the dynamic duo of Kazuko and Chad Love, as well as additional attendees and guests from diverse organizations like Rotary International, Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program alumni, Pacific Forum CSIS (including Nicole Forrester and Ellise Akazawa of the Young Leaders Program) and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS). Japanese language teachers from various high schools also joined from Punahou, Iolani, Sacred Hearts Academy and Kamehameha School.

Among the alumni present, there were several newcomers to the Hawaii Chapter community. Dr. Machi Fukuyama Dilworth (Class of ’67) relocated to Hawaii after a distinguished career with the U.S. government in Washington, DC. Dr. Dilworth is very much interested in staying involved and helping to build the chapter even more. Mr. Frank Smith, a recent retiree, had learned about the Japan ICU Foundation through the kind introduction from Ms. Setsuko Tani of the ICU Alumni Association. Mr. Smith spent one year as a kenkyusei(1962-3) at ICU and then transferred to the University of Virginia. His father was stationed at Yokosuka at the time, and he followed in his footsteps, serving eight years as a U.S. Naval officer and then settling in Hawaii in 1975. He and his wife were happy to join the dinner, and plan to stay involved in the ICU alumni community there as well.

This was a really great trip, due to the lovely weather and wonderful contacts made in Hawaii. Aside from helping ICU in their student recruitment and alumni outreach efforts, the combined ICU and Japan ICU Foundation team was able to make many new connections at schools and with partnering organizations as well. They will definitely be back next autumn for another visit, and look forward to building the bonds of kizuna further across the Pacific!