I will never forget the day I received my golden envelope with the words “The Big Envelope” in big purple letters on it. Soon after that I made the commitment to spend the next four years of my life as a Washington Husky. It was an extremely exciting time because I felt that I was ready for the next chapter in my life. However, as the date of the big move to Seattle approached, feelings of uneasiness began to overcome me. “Was I ready to be one of forty thousand?” “Would I be better suited for UH?” “Could I even make friends?” “Being from public school, would I be able to get along with classmates from Iolani and Punahou?” It was truly scary leaving Maui, the only home I had ever known.
When my parents dropped me off in Seattle and we said our goodbyes, I battled through some major “homesickness” for my first two weeks. I am grateful that my mom did not give in when I would plead with her to let me come home. It was not too long after that I found Hui Hoaloha Ulana, or UW’s Hawaii Club. After that feelings of homesickness quickly dissipated, as for a time I literally hung out only with people from home.
My moment of epiphany as a Husky came when our big, loving, tattoo covered advisor Alejandro “Val” Valdez Espana bluntly told me toward the end of freshman year that, “if you only hang out with Hawaii people you should have just stayed at UH because you are not getting the Husky Experience."
After that, I really thought about what I wanted my “Husky Experience” to be. I wanted to meet more people, learn about new cultures, and find issues that I could be passionate and excited about.
Since that defining moment in April 2012, I have served in the Dream Project in various capacities and have been active in the Freshman Interest Group Program. Branching out this way helped me make a bunch of new friends from Washington and from all over the United States and the world, and it also helped me to realize my passion for helping others and empowering others through education.
So you are probably asking yourself, “Why UW”? UW is a great place to attend if you are from Hawaii because of the “Husky Experience.” It is an experience that is not prescribed or scripted, but one that you craft for yourself through exploration, discovery, and innovation. There are not many places in the country where you can work and interact with faculty at the top of their respective fields, be a part of a vibrant and diverse student community, have the opportunity to join over 500 registered student organizations, obtain a degree from a prestigious academic institution, be a direct flight away from Hawaii, and also have a taste of home. We have one of the largest and most active Hawaii Clubs on the West Coast, and have a huge contingency of “local braddahs and sistahs.”
Our Hawaii Club is not exclusive by any means and we have members from as far away as Taiwan, and we encourage you to explore, meet new friends, and expand your horizons. We serve as a foundation for our members who are involved in any number of different activities, providing the security of knowing that, whenever you need someone, Hawaii Club will always be here to welcome you with aloha.
We are your UW Ohana. As the character Lilo from Lilo and Stich said, &ldquoOhana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” Come be a part of not only our Hui Ohana, but also our Husky Ohana. You won’t regret it. GO DAWGSSSS!!!!
Alex Chun, Class of 2015