Ke Alaka'i - Jan. 28, 2016 Issue

J a n u a r y 2 8 , 2 016 · Vo l u m e 113 : I s s u e 8

THE LEAD ER

Page 14-15

BULGARIAN ATHLETE

is a team leader on and off the court

is team leader on and off the court

Page 8-11 | Meet 5 Bens of BYUH Page 12-13 “Fiddler on the Roof” unites faculty and students

January 28, 2016 • Volume 113: Issue 8 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ADVISOR

E m i ly H a lls

Le e A n n Lambe r t

MULTIMEDIA

COPY EDITORS

JOURNALISTS

Jare d R o be r ts

Rachel Reed

A ly ssa T royan e k

Matthew Roberts

Samo n e Yu e n

Eric Hachenberger

Kevin Brown

Leiani Brown Megan Church

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Brittanie Vorwaller

Ke lsie C arlso n

Alex Maldonado

Lexie Kap e lie la

Alyssa Olsen

A u stin En ge man n

Taylor Polson

Sto p K h e mth o r n

Danna Osumo Michael Morton

INTERNS Samo n e Yu e n

VIDEOGRAPHERS

H e cto r Pe r iqu in

C a m ro n S t o c k f o rd Jo s h u a M a s o n

ART & GRAPHICS

D o ro t hy C h i u

A n dre a Marsh all

ART DIRECTOR

Macke n zie McLe o d Yu k imi K ish i

H e c t o r Pe r i q uin

Reflective flood waters in a cave in Florida repeat the jagged shapes and water lines. Photo by Abriel Mauerman, a sophomore from Florida studying business management.

CONTACT

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PUBLISHER

BOX 1920 BYUH

P r in t Se r vic e s

LAIE, HI 96762

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ON THE COVER: Ibrahaim Karmadzhe came to BYU-Hawaii on a tennis scholarship and has become one of the team’s top players.

Photo by Hector Periquin

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Share with us your photo of the week and we may feature it in our next issue. e-mail us your high resolution photos with caption at kealakai@byuh.edu

ABOUT US

The Ke Alaka‘i began publishing the first year the university was started and has continued printing for 60 years. The name in Hawaiian means “the leader.” It began as a monthly newsletter, evolved into a weekly newspaper and is now a weekly news magazine along with a website,YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram.

Today a staff of more than 30 students works to provide information for the campus ohana and community.

TABLE OF

CONTENTS 4

Ellen Bunker will give the David O. McKay lecture on teaching from a distance

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ICS Professor Dan Stout reviews movies on his blog

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BYU-Hawaii honors long-time employees years of service with gifts of their choosing

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Learn where to watch whales around Oahu

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FOLLOW US AROUND THE WEB Facebook: KE ALAKA’I

Five men named Ben have come to Hawaii with curious similarities in their personalities

12-13

Craig Ferre’s last musical at BYUH is “Fiddler on the Roof”

14-15

Bulgarian student, Ibrahaim Karmadzhe, brings dedication to the court and his studies

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Campus Comment: How do you want people to remember you when you have passed away?

Website: KEALAKAI.BYUH.EDU

YouTube: KE ALAKA’I NEWS

Instagram: @KEALAKAINEWS

JANUARY 28, 2016

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Ellen Bunker McKay Lecturer to focus on teaching from a distance B Y DA NNA O S UM O

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r. Ellen Bunker, a professor of TESOL, is scheduled to address the BYU-Hawaii ohana during the annual David O. McKay Lecture on Feb. 11.

“It’s a tradition they do every year only in BYUH just because President McKay is so important to this campus and to how we do things here. So it’s an honor to be asked and nominated by this department,” said Bunker.

Ellen Bunker plans on talking about how people can use their pasts to shape their futures during her McKay lecture on Feb. 11.

Photo by Stop Khemthorn

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Her topic for the lecture will be distance education or online classes and teaching language from a distance. Unlike devotional, the McKay Lecture is based on the academic background of the faculty member who is presenting, according to Bunker. “When we come together, we can begin to understand each other. “ She said people are used to campus-based learning or face-to-face classes.

“But there is a lot of education happening in other forms around the world. Because some people are busy working and can’t stop to be a fulltime student, or they can’t leave home because of family responsibilities, distance education is a popular option.”

But Bunker said, “How do we keep that same teacher-andlearner experience? How can we keep that same feeling that we have on campus?”

Eve Wang, a freshman from China studying biochemistry, did online classes before coming to Hawaii and thinks it’s an important aspect of education. “The online classes were different than when we are in class and interacting with the teacher and classmates. So I think that distance education is important and effective to get that outcome and expectation of the online class to be the same as in the normal class,” Wang said.

In the lecture, Bunker said she will tackle the history of distance education and talk about the methodology of learning that has been used before. “I wanted to talk about how we can take what we have from the past” and decide how to use it in the future, said Bunker.

She said she has built her lecture around a quote from President McKay’s dedicatory prayer. Bunker said she believes it’s very important BYUH stays true to President McKay’s vision. “This campus is different from the other campuses in a sense that the prophet gave us assignments to teach with the gospel, to build character, to make leaders and to help establish peace internationally. We have to do that even if we are going to use other methods of teaching,” she said.

Bunker said she hopes students who attend will be able to apply it in their future life. “For example, they might apply for graduate programs that are online or at a distance. Or they might get jobs to teach or tutor online. They will be using this technology in their jobs, so I think it would be very important if they attend,” said Bunker.

Alexis Joy Bongo-Igarashi, a junior TESOL major from the Philippines, had Bunker as a professor in one of her EIL classes and influenced her to major in TESOL. “I would want to attend the lecture because she is intelligent. She knows what she's saying or teaching. Also she's very engaging,” she said.

Bongo-Igarashi added that Bunker’s topic is important because learning language from a distance is an in-demand job right now. “Everyone is learning English: on missions, military bases, public and private schools, and business institutions. TESOL is an opportunity for us to teach English and become an instrument in making others competitive to survive in this world,” she said.

The McKay Lecture was established in 1962 and has been held regularly since. This year’s lecture will be held at 11 a.m. on Feb. 11 in the Cannon Activities Center. There will be a question and answer portion in the afternoon where students can participate.

Mormons in the Media Reviews of pop culture from an LDS perspective B Y M ICHA EL MO RTO N

“M

ormons into Media,” a commentary and review digizine on current pop culture and media, has drawn followers and visitors after just three months of online publication. Daniel Stout, professor in international cultural studies, runs the site with his colleague, Quint Randle, professor at BYU in Provo.

“The MormonsintoMedia.com digizine is something my partner and I created as a project for ourselves because we both love going to movies and watching television,” said Stout. “We both love writing reviews: book reviews, movie reviews, and popular music. We enjoy that kind of writing, so that’s how the digizine got started.”

Stout said he uses his blog as an example for students to view what he teaches in his class called multi-platform journalism.

Stout and Randle have experienced growth on their site from 425 views and 266 visitors in the initial month to 645 views and 270 visitors, two months later. They have had visitors from 10 countries including Mexico, the Philippines and Mongolia.

For four days a week, Stout usually writes starting at 10 p.m. and goes until 2 in the morning. He said writing is entertaining, but he hesitated to use the word “addictive.”

Stout doesn’t just write reviews, he also adds an LDS perspective to his commentaries. “Truth is where you find it,” he said. “There really are more moral messages in a lot of movies, and music, that we don’t talk about. Much of popular culture is seen kind of dubiously from not only our church but also other churches.”

Stout continued, “We wanted it to be from the faith standpoint of an LDS member. We wanted to do these reviews in a way that they could possibly enhance thought and contemplation, even someone’s faith.”

One of Stout’s recent reviews is about a new movie titled “Joy.” According to Stout, “Joy” is a “gritty” film about “whether the protagonist will get to the surface for a lifesaving breath, or drown in an ocean of adversity,” in the school of hard knocks.

Stout described the story line as lead character Joy having a divorced, unemployed husband living in the basement, a divorced mother who does nothing other than watch soap operas, and a father dumped at her door step by his second wife. Jennifer Lawrence plays the role of Joy and struggles to make ends meet working as an airline ticket clerk enduring complaints all day, described Stout.

Stout posted in his blog, “Do the protagonists make it? …Yet whether Joy makes it big is no consequence; it’s what she becomes

Mormons in the Media is written from the perspective of LDS member and BYU-Hawaii Professor Daniel Stout and his friend Quint Randle of BYU Provo.

Photos by Emily Halls

through the refiner’s fire that defines victory. It’s similar to Joseph Smith’s ‘rough stone rolling’ self-assessment. A powerful element of Richard Bushman’s biography of Smith is the realism of the prophet’s personal development.”

He continues, “American realism deviates from the instant gratification of rags-to-riches films by shifting the focus from the rewards,… to human development, or how an individual becomes something. How a person is different at the end of the struggle compared to the beginning.”

Stout said like in “Joy,” keeping the faith is an ongoing exhortation by leaders in General Conference since the economic crisis of 2008.

JANUARY 28, 2016

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Rewarding work BYU-Hawaii employees receive recognition for years of service B Y ALEX MA LDO N AD O

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YU-Hawaii rewarded several staff members for their service with gift bonuses from an array of vendors in the Aloha Center ballroom on Jan. 21.

“The main purpose is to recognize employees and their years of services here. We are trying to empower employees by giving them a lot of options so they don’t feel like they have to specially pick one thing or another,” said Taliana Pasi, a Human Resources support temp.

Employees were given a voucher worth a predetermined amount of money depending on how long they had worked for BYUH. Once they received their voucher, the employees were turned loose on a ballroom full of local sellers and a few online stores.

The medley of merchants sold jewelry, art, and technology from Best Buy and Apple.

Lois Colton was a vendor at the showcase who sold photographic art she created herself. Her pictures depict images of Jesus Christ admiring the beauty of the nature in settings such as Laie Point and Gunstock Ranch.

Another trader present was Evette Loo from the BYUH Bookstore, who said, “One of the biggest sellers has been gift cards. We only have a little bit of what we carry here so they want to get the card either for themselves or someone else.”

Arapa Tameha has worked in recruiting and International Student Services for 20 years and said, “In previous years, the selection was much smaller, but it has grown significantly this year.”

One shop that was added this year was Lani Jarvis’ Tahitian pearl jewelry stand. Jarvis’ stand seemed to draw the most attention from both the female employees and the wives of male staff members.

Kanani Casey, wife of Billy Casey Jr., who is the BYUH Design and Construction manager, lightheartedly said, “I love the Tahitian pearl jewelry. I’m buying as much as his [allotment] will allow me. I’ll leave him $25 for him to buy his Hydroflask, though.”

The jewelry company Me Ke Aloha was meant to be in attendance as well, but their representative was unable to make it, so a laptop was set up in their place to show their available inventory.

Laptops were also set for staff to browse Apple’s website in case none of the present vendors were of interest to the employees.

According to Pasi, the showcase was also designed to be a set-up for the Ho'omaika'i Dinner in March, where staff will be honored with the prizes they chose on Jan. 21, along with a plaque for their years of work and any other honors they have been awarded.

Top: Technology expert Kimber Brothers and Accounting Professor Jennifer Chen look at Lois Colton’s photography depicting Jesus Christ in Hawaiian settings. Bottom: The BYUH Bookstore offered gift cards and merchandise for the attendees selecting gifts for their years of service working at BYUH. Photo by Austin Engemann

Where to

B Y M E G AN C H U R C H

There are 26 sites on Oahu for whale watching, according to the website of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. The organization functions under the National Marine Sanctuaries and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

There are two sanctuaries in the waters off the shores of Oahu for whales; one is by Waikiki, and the other wraps around much of the North Shore, including the waters beyond the beaches of Laie and Hauula. The Laie Point and Hauula Beach Park are two of the spots that are said to be prime for whale watching.

Alyx Stuehler, a senior psychology major from Oregon, was surprised to hear that the Point was one of the sites designated for whale watching, but said that if she were to

whale watching on the island, it would probably be there due to ease of access.

Other places along the North Shore include Turtle Bay and Shark’s Cove. These places are not just for whale watching, as people have reported seeing sea turtles and other unique wildlife. Haleiwa is another marine life hot spot, with Puaena Point making the list of whale watching spots.

Students said they are aware of the opportunities the island holds to go whale watching, but they didn’t know to go to see them.

Madi Hurd, a freshman majoring in exercise and sport science from Utah, brought up the idea. “It’d be cool if there were a whale watching club here at school because I think a

Turtle Bay Sharks Cove

Kaena Point

Puaena Point

Mokulea

Laie Point Hau’ula Beach Park Kualoa Ranch

Makua Cave

Pyramid Rock Maili Point

Mokapu Point

lot of people would like to go. They just don’t really know where to start.”

According to the Hawaiian Tourism Authority, humpback whales are most frequently seen in Hawaii, and the best time to go see them is between December and May. There are tourism companies that offer boat tours for those who would like to get a little closer to the creatures, but all boats must stay a minimum of 100 yards away from the whales.

The spray from a whale’s blowhole can reach up to 20 feet, so watching from a boat or offshore provides a visual experience for everyone.

Cage diving

Adventure seekers can also go cage diving with sharks at the same location through North Shore Shark Adventures, which is based in the town.

Tristan Wagner, a junior majoring in English from Utah, has gone cage diving before.

She said about her experience, “They all surrounded the boat, most of them were 6 feet and the biggest one we saw was about 10 feet.”

Spear fishing

Spear fishing is another marine life pastime for BYUH students. Dio Su, a junior majoring in psychology from Japan, shared, “I enjoy catching eel, because in Japan we have a lot of eel. Also unicorn fish, but you don’t really eat those. They’re just fun to catch.”

Lanikai

Ko Olina Ewa Beach

Kaka’ako

Waimanalo Makapuu Hanama Bay Spitting Caves Diamond Head

Magic Island

Left: The illustration shows the locations of whale watching sites listed by the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. There are two sites at Keana Point, and three additional sites not on this map along the south shore of Oahu: Kahe Point, Lanai Lookout and Halona Blowhole.

Infographic by Andrea Marshall.

JANUARY 28, 2016

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Benjamin Dowda

Benjamin Kaivalvatana

Benjamin Coffey 8

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Benjamin Fa’oliu

Ben Papeo

The men named Ben A common religion and love of culture brought Bens from five countries to Hawaii B Y ALYSSA O L SE N

F the streets of Laie, a love of international ive young men by the name of Ben share

culture, the gospel, and gardening foods specific to their countries. From Tonga, Italy, New Zealand, Thailand and the United States, the Bens share one name but have gathered to this campus.

Ben Papeo, a junior from Italy studying psychology said in his experience, all people by the name of Ben are “good guys.

Whether it’s when I lived in Utah, in Italy, in Germany, any time I meet a Ben–Benjamin or another kind of Ben–it was always just a nice guy.”

Papeo was given the name Ben Enos.

“My name Ben is actually not Benjamin, and it’s not any Italian equivalent such as Benito, Benionito, Benvenuto. It’s actually just Ben.”

His Latter-day Saint father was studying Hebrew when Papeo was born, and “he felt inspired to give me that biblical name,” said Papeo. In Hebrew, “Ben” with “Enos” means “son of man,” he said.

Benjamin Fa’oliu, a freshman from Tonga studying math, said he was named after King Benjamin. “I’m trying to reach his standard because of my name.” For Fa’oliu and his Tongan heritage, a name has great importance.

“If I become a great Benjamin, then hopefully my kids can learn from that and not only try to become more like me, but exceed what I was.”

Benjamin Dowda, a former student of Pacific Island Studies from Florida working at the PCC, was also named after King Benjamin, though he said he doesn’t read very much into that significance.

Benjamin Kaivalvatana, a sophomore from Thailand studying accounting, said, “Benjamin brings two words together in Thai.

‘Benja’ means five and ‘min’ means great or power. A person who has five great things.”

Kaivalvatana said he loves his name for the convenience of English speakers and because it is Thai. “In Thailand,” he said, “it’s very unusual, but here all my teachers easily remember my name. I love it.”

Anything but unusual in NewZealand, Benjamin Coffey, a freshman studying psychology, said his dad had several friends named Ben, “so he kind of wanted to pass that on,” said Coffey. The doctor who delivered him was also named Ben, “and so my mom liked that name, and they decided on that there.”

Growing up, there were two other Bens in his close friend group. “I didn’t adhere to the name Ben as much as I did to my family name, so I went by my last name, Coffey.”

Coffey said, “It automatically instilled a greater attachment” to his last name, his family name.

Fa’oliu said a surname “identifies not only your family, where you come from, history, ancestors, lineage.”

Working at the PCC and dancing in the night show has been a chance for Fa’oliu to explore other cultures and learn each day. Fa’oliu said, “There’s something valuable that each person brings from around the world.”

Dowda said he has incorporated values he learned from the Fijian people on his mission. He said, “It definitely defines me more” than his own American culture.

Dowda uses three dialects of Fijian each day at the PCC as he talks with his co-workers in the Fijian Village. He plans on majoring in Pacific Island Studies, becoming a professor of Fijian culture, and possibly even moving to the islands.

Similarily, Papeo said he tries to “take the best from different countries and combine them together, eliminating all the rest that’s either not needed, or not something positive.”

Papeo explained Italy “is very worldly. That’s something that’s very common around all of the countries of Europe.

It’s not a healthy environment, spiritually speaking.” Papeo said he had to find a religious connection amongst all the noise of an extremely modern society.

He said he has done that through his study of Aikido, Jeet Kune Do, Wushu, and Sanda–Chinese and Japanese martial arts. Since the age of 13, Papeo has been studying Asian cultures and martial arts. Papeo said his trainer required him to learn Chinese medicine, study Taoism, read traditional Chinese religious books and study the words of Confucius. “The religious books became a pleasure,” Papeo described. “It was so deep, so philosophical, so different from the western view of the world that I found it extremely fascinating and I just devoured the book completely.”

He also served a mission in Germany, the culture of which has also contributed to his identity.

Fa’oliu agreed with Papeo that it can be necessary to eliminate some things from your culture, especially those things that don’t conform to the standards of the church.

Fa’oliu said, “There’s a lot of good things and good values that you find in Tongan culture, but there are some things that kind of goes against the church and their beliefs.”

One such thing is drinking kava. Fa’oliu said, “It’s a really important tradition back home, especially with nobles and royalty.” But because the church advises against it, “none of us drink kava,” Fa’oliu said of his family.

One value in Tongan culture Fa’oliu said he misses is friendliness. “Back home, no one is a stranger. Even someone that you don’t know will talk to you, and when you talk to that person, it seems like you’ve known that person for your whole life.”

The Thai culture is similar in that it promotes showing respect to strangers, Kaivalvatana said. “Thai people are known as [one of the most] respectful people in the world. I’m pretty sure we respect everyone.” Kaivalvatana said regardless

of skin color or race, they are always kind and welcoming to foreigners. “So that’s one thing that really shaped me. That’s why I’m being nice to everyone.”

Kaivalvatana said his confidence–which stems from his knowledge of the gospel–and his culture has set him apart in his job as a tour guide at the PCC.

Fellow tour guide and friend Kilisi Finau, a freshman from Utah studying international cultural studies, said of Kaivalvatana, “He’s always fun, patting you on the back and making sure the day is going well. He’s willing to listen to you, no matter the problem. He’s one of my closest friends.”

“I grew up in Thai culture and gospel culture,” Kaivalvatana said, “so it’s like 50-50. Not like 100 percent Thai because I was born in the church.”

Fa’oliu experienced something similar in Tonga.

“Even though I grew up with a lot of the Tongan culture around me, what shaped me more into who I am now is more the culture of the church instead of Tongan culture.”

Coffey echoed Fa’oliu. He was raised near the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, and said he was influenced more by the LDS Church than by New Zealand cultural beliefs.

Besides being grounded in the LDS faith, each of the Bens share a special connection with their culture through growing things from the ground up.

Coffey said he would always help his Californian mom with her rose garden. He would also help his Maori dad with his traditional New Zealand vegetables. Coffey said he and his seven siblings would spend hours weeding the gardens.

“Hard work was definitely something my parents instilled in me most,” Coffey said.

Kaivalvatana said although he did not always enjoy it, he would spend hours weeding and watering amongst the mango, banana, lemon grass, Thai chili and basil in his family’s garden in Bangkok, Thailand. Kaivalvatana said he did it because his father asked him to.

Dowda said, “I’d be happy to go back [to Fiji] and have my own farm. Actually, I grow tomatoes here. I have a small garden.”

Fa’oliu grew up working hard with his family to grow yams. “We had like a what yous call a farm–we call a plantation–so we would always go to the plantation and grow crops. That’s what a lot of people like to get [in Tonga], so we grew yams.”

Papeo said he dabbles in gardening as well. He said everyone in Italy knows “how to make your own food–the whole process from gardening to serving on the table.”

He said, “Most people know how to make a basic sauce.

If you go back home–usually the mom–if she sees you not being able to do that, she’ll give you a nice slap and say ‘I taught you better than this!’”

Benjamin Kaivalvatana took care of his family’s garden in Bangkok. Ben Papeo is a martial artist. Benjamin Dowda served his mission in Fiji and plans to return. Benjamin Fa’oliu embraces his Tongan heritage. Benjamin Coffey grew up in New Zealand with a Maori father and a Californian mother. Photos by Lexie Kapeliela

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JANUARY 28, 2016

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Tzeitel (Sydney Nemrow) and Motel (William Arnett), center, are secretly engaged in a society where marriages are arranged by the papas. Photo by Austin Engemann

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Craig Ferre directs his last musical at BYU-Hawaii B Y L E I AN I B RO W N

Traditions teeter on the brink of total change in the musical adaptation of “Fiddler on the Roof,” a story by Joseph Stein and Sholem Aleichems.

The production was theater professor and Director Craig Ferre’s first choice for his last musical production at BYU-Hawaii.

“Craig asked me a long time ago if we could do ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ because that was his favorite, and he asked me if I would play Tevye,” said Music professor and Concert Choir Director Michael Belnap, who accepted the main role. “I told him I would if I could have my wife, Lila, as my Golde and Pononui Cabrinha as my Lazar Wolf, and he did and it worked out really well.”

The play is set in Russia, 1906, in a small town called Anatevka where Tevye, the dairyman, and his wife, Golde—as played by the Belnaps—struggle to raise their five daughters in a changing world.

This tight-knit Jewish community included memorable characters such as the rich butcher Lazar Wolf, played by Cabrinha; the nosy, forgetful matchmaker Yente, played

by Marissa Jones; the timid tailor Motel Kamzoil, played by William Walter Arnett III;

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and others. Cabrinha choreographed the dancing for the production.

Not only was ‘Fiddler’ notable for being Ferre’s last time directing a show at BYUH, but it was also one of his largest productions, said Belnap. “It was like 50 to 75 percent bigger than any of the other musicals we’ve done so far; more cast, more people, more community people involved,” said Belnap. “It was a lot larger effort for everybody to pull together to make it work.”

Playing the part of a village daughter named Rachel, Andrea West, a junior majoring in vocal performance from Alaska, said she has performed in nine musicals total, but this was her first at BYUH. “This was definitely a lot more professional, more upscale, more organized,” said West. “Dr. Ferre did a really good job keeping us on task and on schedule. It was super organized; the lighting, the sounds, the music, the costumes—I’ve never seen it so organized. It all went very smoothly.”

The cast said there was a friendly atmosphere on set. “I love the people,” said freshman English major Sammy Daynes from Singapore who played Anya, an ensemble vilage daughter. “I got to meet so many people from

all different parts of the school, and everyone is so unique and cool—it made me feel special just knowing and interacting with them.”

According to Daynes, rehearsals occurred twice a week and spanned over Thanksgiving and Christmas break. Daynes said much effort was put into remembering lines and cramming as much as they could in the little time they had.

“I was actually amazed how they prepared for the whole show,” said audience member Josh Jung, a senior studying TESOL from South Korea. “They have their school work and assignments, especially the students.

I’m having a hard time with time management and all that, but looking at them memorizing all their songs and cues and everything, it was super amazing.”

The musical’s story fell under the guise of comedy, with sarcastic dialogue and humourous bickering throughout. However, darker undertones of conflict and familial struggles remained emotionally attached to much of the play.

“I’ve experienced Concert Choir, so I know Brother Belnap,” said Jung. “So it was

awesome to see him perform. The emotions that he delivers–he was so into the character that I was thinking, ‘wow,’ even though I’d seen the DVD version before.”

Costumes, designed by Dani Dooley, and lighting and sets, headed by Bruce Duerden, all contributed to the success of the production. In one particularly memorable scene, Tevye fabricated a dream that included a host of zany characters from beyond the grave.

He told this fake dream to his wife as a way to get out of an agreement. Because of the lighting, loud squeals, and overall Halloween-like experience, audience member Mary Jane Austin from Wahiawa said she heard people actually got frightened.

“My favorite part was the dream,” said Austin. “It was beautifully choreographed.

It was fun, too. There were smiles all around, and some little kids even got scared.”

Austin said besides her niece, who she came to support, Tevye was her favorite character. “I love it when people really get into character and you can tell they studied, and it brings the whole production to life.”

For Belnap, the most rewarding part was being able to work with his students, “to watch them do such a really, really fun job and to be successful—to see where all the teaching has paid off.”

“As always, we struggle with technical difficulties,” continued Belnap, “like not being able to hear the recording of the music, mics not working or falling off, and costumes not fitting the way you thought they were supposed to. So there’s all these little technical things that can be very distracting. But they were all quite minimal, I must say, so it was pretty much just a great experience overall.

We had the best people to work with, the best directors, the best cast that we could possibly get and it was a lot fun. Really a lot of fun.”

The cast included members of faculty, such as Dr. David Kammerer as Avrahm the bookseller and Randal Allred as the Russian Constable, as well as other experienced students and community members both on and off the stage.

Above: Professor Michael Belnap and his wife, Lila, played married couple Tevye and Golde.

Below: With a short amount of time to rehearse, BYUH students and faculty members participate in the comedic musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Photos by Austin Engemann JANUARY 28, 2016

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IBRAHAIM KARMADZHE

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ON & OFF THE COURT Player’s dedication inspires teammates B Y RACH E L RE E D

Ibrahaim Karmadzhe, a junior from Asenovgrad, Bulgaria, studying computer science, has been playing tennis since he was 6 years old. His friend introduced him to the sport and he went on to play for the Advantage Tennis Academy before coming to Hawaii. Karmadzhe said he liked tennis because it was a competitive game.

“It’s very fun because you can do a lot of interesting things while playing,” he said. “If you watch the pros, they have very interesting and long rallies and it’s fun to be able to do it.”

Karmadzhe first learned about BYU-Hawaii from one of his coach’s brothers. Through him, he came into contact with Coach David Porter and applied for the team through emails and video recordings of his gameplay. Having identified potential in Karmadzhe, Coach Porter told him to apply to the school.

“He recommended me, and I got a good scholarship,” said Karmadzhe. “Also, the school is in Hawaii and I’ve never been.”

BYUH has benefitted from Karmadzhe, as he is one of the best players on the team and now team captain this year.

Friend and tennis player Colton Pate said, “I know his work ethic and I know he’ll be good for the team.”

Fellow teammate and friend Grant Zukeran, a junior studying accounting from Kaneohe, said, “He stands out because of his game style. He’s very aggressive and attacking.”

Coming to Hawaii, Karmadzhe said he has traveled with the team from California to Florida and has made close friends with his teammates. “[They are]

some of the closest friends I’ve had,” he said. “I love practicing with them when they’re all dedicated to the team and they want to win.”

Zukeran added, “Not only is he a very prominent player on our team, he’s also a very good friend. And the fact that he has that kind of leadership quality that allows us to follow his example, it kind of draws us to him and makes us want to be more like him.”

According to his friends and fellow tennis players, Karmadzhe is one of the hardest workers on the team, working hard both on and off the court. He helps his friends stay on track, “and asks if we are caught up in our classes,” said Pate. Pate added whenever they get together to study in the Aloha Center as a team, Karmadzhe finishes his homework and then will have fun. “He’s on top of his coursework more than anyone else.”

His friends also said since Karmadzhe has been here, he has improved mentally in tennis. “He has this desire to be really, really good at this sport, and in the beginning, that got in the way of his improving because he was so focused on things that he couldn’t do at the moment,” said Zukeran. “Over the years, Coach has been able to calm him down.”

Karmadzhe said he has missed his family and friends. He hasn’t been back to Bulgaria since 2013.

But his connections with his teammates is strong. When it comes time for them leave, he said it “gets pretty tough sometimes…It’s not about where you are.

It’s the people.”

Ibrahaim Karmadzhe started playing tennis at age 6. He come to BYU-Hawaii on a tennis scholarship. Photos by Hector Periquin and Lexie Kapeliela JANUARY 28, 2016

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Campus Comment: How do you want people to remember you after you die?

B Y E R I C H AC H E N B ERGE R | P H OTO S B Y STO P K H E M TH O RN

Chie Ogawa Freshman majoring in TESOL from Japan “I served a lot of people.”

Anna Nadley Sophomore majoring in social work from Texas “I brought about goodness, was super Christ-like, charitable and nice.”

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KE ALAKA I

Kit Nadado Alumni working for career services from the Philippines “I was the craziest teacher ever.”

Teneia Aliki Junior majoring in political science from Honolulu “I don’t want to be remembered for anything bad, but I want to be remembered for being adventurous.”

Brylee Bromley Freshman in public health from Utah “I was always happy and positive and loved life.”

Velora Huntsman Freshman studying marine biology from California “I want people to remember me as a loving mother and someone who made time for others and made them laugh.”

Besser Davila Junior majoring in exercise and sports science from Utah “I was an awesome soccer player.”

Conner Ah Sue Freshman and undeclared major from Laie “Having the most random talent; like to write a poem while riding on a unicycle backwards. Something nobody cares about but thinks is really cool.”