Institute of Hope: Sharing the Love of Christ in Hawai‘i and Beyond

At Hawai‘i Baptist Academy, we have the privilege of shepherding future generations to become leaders of our island community. The Institute of Hope endowment will enable us to extend our reach beyond the campus and support our students, parents, staff, and faculty in living our school motto, “Christ for Every Nation.”

God has called us to “go and make disciples of all nations,” and the Institute of Hope will integrate that calling through faith, innovation, and leadership. By building student disciples strong in their faith, equipping them with an innovative mindset, developing their God-given gifts and talents, HBA can raise up a future generation of leaders who will make an impact in Hawai‘i and our world.

The Institute of Hope will:

• Develop Christian partnerships with businesses, organizations, and educational institutions to offer current and graduate students a variety of internships, seminary college partnerships, and gap-year programs. These programs will provide career development pathways for our students as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of life outside of HBA.

• Encourage student exploration; through leadership opportunities, students will be mentored in developing a social entrepreneurship mindset, which empowers them to create positive change in the Hawaiian Islands and beyond.

• Provide parent and educator outreach opportunities both internally and externally. By expanding our Parent Cafe offerings, we build relationships with families as they navigate our fastchanging world. HBA will also lead a professional development program to offer workshops for other Christian educators to learn innovative ways to incorporate faith and academic excellence into their curriculum.

The Institute of Hope is foundational to HBA’s mission. It will help prepare our students, parents, and the greater community to be beacons of Christ’s light in the world.

Trislyn Maeda

HBA, Class of 2023

Attending Pacific Lutheran University

Trislyn came to HBA as a high school freshman who did not consider herself a Christian. “I was always surrounded by good people and good values, but prior to high school, I never thought about religion and Christianity the way HBA had challenged me to do,” she says. To Trislyn, being a Christian meant having everything figured out, and her doubts about God made her feel unworthy to follow Christ.

It was during her junior year that Trislyn had a breakthrough. After her basketball team won the State Championship that year, Trislyn felt empty while her teammates celebrated. She prayed for the first time that night, pouring out her questions and fears at the feet of Jesus. It was in that quiet conversation with God that Trislyn found a moment of clarity: that no achievement can bring fulfillment without having Christ in her life. “I realized that I couldn’t do things on my own anymore; that I needed to be broken down to realize what I needed, and what I needed was Him.”

Trislyn now embraces her direction with a quiet contentment. She understands that her faith journey is ongoing, and that HBA has given her the strength to find her own path. As she continues to navigate life’s challenges, Trislyn walks forward with intention, finding solace and joy in her evolving relationship with God. Her time at HBA has taught her that faith isn’t merely a set of rituals or rules to follow and boxes to check, but rather a deep and intimate relationship with her unconditionally loving God.