Summer Travels and EWC Happenings

Visit to the Mainland
I spent the second half of July visiting the continental US: to reconnect with friends and family in California and Texas.

Echo Park in Los Angeles. The neighborhood,
slightly north of downtown LA, is rapidly gentrifying.

As the US economy recovers from the Great Recession, these two states are often cited as examples of opposing approaches to governance and economic growth. While most attention focuses on the success of Texas at present, and that could be well deserved, I came across a recent Washington Post opinion piece that makes the case for California. I had a great time in both states, although at this point I have stronger connections to California because of where I completed my undergraduate studies. 

Opie's BBQ in Texas Hill Country, outside of Austin.
Texas BBQ is well known, and Opie's is considered among the best.

East-West Center Education Page on LinkedIn

The EWC now has its own LinkedIn school page. This means, among other possibilities as the page becomes fully active, if you add "East-West Center" to the education section of your profile, the EWC logo will appear and you can easily network with other EWC alumni. 

Example of what your LinkedIn profile will look like (generally speaking) after
adding your EWC program affiliation to the education section of your profile.

Please visit the EWC company page and the newly created EWC school page (work in progress), and consider including your EWC affiliation in the education section of your LinkedIn profile. 

Hawaiian Islands Experiencing Intense Weather 
I'm writing as Hurricane Iselle is passing south of Oahu, after hitting directly into the Big Island last night, and we are expecting a second storm system, Hurricane Julio, to pass by the Hawaiian Islands in the coming days.

Tropical Storm Iselle approaches the Hawaiian Islands
Photo: Honolulu Star Advertiser

CBI on Monday; Secretary of State to Speak on Wednesday

More than 150 students/participants, including APLP G14, will begin their CBI experience on Monday 11 August. John Kerry is scheduled to deliver a speech at the East-West Center on Wednesday 13 August.

John Kerry, 68th and current U.S. Secretary of State.
Photo: United States Department of State

I will be away next week and look forward to sharing with you again during the week of 17 August. Aloha!!

August Greetings

An admission: one reason I selected this month was because I figured, whatever happens, I will have departed Honolulu by August 2014. That would mean that I could use this blog post to share with G12 about the new community where I am living. Well...greetings from Honolulu! I'm still living here...more on that below.

Around Honolulu: Hendrick from APLP G11 is involved in various entrepreneurial activities.
We are pictured here with Oko Guys, the Japanese food truck that he co-owns.

I pursued graduate coursework at UH Manoa in economics, accounting/finance, and urban planning through December 2013. During this time I also completed a marketing initiative for APLP staff. The project focused on increasing awareness of the APLP with top US colleges and universities. One outcome was that more than a dozen top US universities, including Princeton University (http://www.princeton.edu/oip/fellowships/others/) and the University of Miami (http://www6.miami.edu/uglobal/research/external/) decided to incorporate information on APLP into their website.

Around Honolulu: I've been trying to cook more frequently.

I purchased a one-way ticket off of Oahu to roughly coincide with the conclusion of my graduate studies and consultancy work. However, a few days before departure, I was offered an unsolicited full-time opportunity with the EWC president's office. I took the flight off of Oahu, but purchased a ticket back to Honolulu to begin work in a newly created role: Associate for Strategic Plans and Communications, Office of the President.

Departing Oahu: I did not expect to return to Honolulu
when I purchased a ticket to fly on the above plane.

In this new role I work on a variety of initiatives that focus on building understanding about the East-West Center with current and prospective supporters. I look forward to sharing selected thoughts and experiences with you throughout the month of August. 

Please stop by my office and say hello
if you happen to visit Burns Hall in the near future.