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Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation Awards Grant for Scholarships
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It helped that the pair was already so close and had such a solid partnership to begin with. “The fact that we were already so comfortable with one another made a huge difference—it would have been very difficult to excel if we had just met one another,” admits Harbin.
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But they did excel. Combined, the two put in over 600 hours to perfect the design of The Glacier. And when the project was completed, they submitted it for the ASID award, and won.
“Winning the ASID Hawai'i Award of Excellence is a pinnacle moment for Jaci and Aurelia,” says Joan Riggs, the director of the Environmental + Interior Design program and a cherished professor and mentor. “This pair of emerging professionals hit the ground running with wanting to learn everything about design, taking risks with ideas and stretching themselves from day one.”
The two credit a lot of their success to the mentorship they received from both Riggs and their professor, Liza Lockard.
“I don’t think [Professor Lockard] ever told us we couldn’t do something—she just guided our explorations in the design process,” says Vining. “I loved when we’d ask her if we could do something and her response would be, ‘I don’t know; can you?’ That was so encouraging and refreshing.”
Though they will both graduate this semester, this is likely just the beginning of the duo’s journey together.
The day after submitting their final design of The Glacier, they received an email from Joan Riggs saying she had a paid summer project for them if they were interested. The project was to design the tour check-in and retail area for Magnum Helicopter Tours at their Honolulu Airport facility. The space was being constructed, and they were looking to the design students to help them execute their vision.
“It was fascinating to watch a project happen in real time,” says Harbin. “There was a real sense of urgency regarding this project, but they were looking to us as the professionals and trusted our opinions and recommendations.”
Now, with graduation just a few weeks away, Harbin and Vining are trying to work out the logistics of a long-term professional partnership doing real estate development in San Antonio, Texas, where Vining will be moving next summer.
“I think hands down, you have to find someone that you can work with and trust they will put in the same amount of effort,” says Vining. “Jaci and I have been pairing together whenever we can, and have done multiple school projects, service-learning and freelance projects together. She is by far the best partner!”
CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY RECEIVED A $50,000 GRANT FROM THE SAMUEL N. AND MARY CASTLE FOUNDATION TO FUND ITS EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (ECE) TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. THE GRANT WAS USED TO AWARD
OVER 20 SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS FROM CHAMINADE’S
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES WHO
ARE MAJORING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.
“The ECE Castle Scholarship funding will play an instrumental role in supporting quality early childhood educators qualified to teach in the public sector throughout the state of Hawai'i,” said Dr. Lynn Babington, president of Chaminade University. “With the generous support from the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, Chaminade will continue to provide quality education to those who have a passion for educating our young children.”
ECE teachers continue to be in high demand across the state and the nation. Chaminade provides ECE programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These programs provide not only degrees but also state teaching licensure and internationally accepted Montessori credentials.
The Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation is a proud supporter of improving the lives of Hawai'i’s children and families through the improvement of early childhood education and development.
