Alumni Articles

Lillian Pagaduan Villamor graduated from BYU–Hawaii in 2002 with a degree in Biology. Today, she is a devoted mother and a Ph. D. biotechnologist in Agricultural Science with the National Livestock Cryobank of the Philippine Carabao Center, Department of Agriculture. Her livestock genetics research feeds the Philippines and has earned her national and regional recognition across Southeast Asia. Through success and adversity, including a ten-year journey to earn her master's degree while raising young children, Villamor's story is one of discipline, sacrifice, and unshakable faith.

Verna Tukuafu graduated from Brigham Young University–Hawaii in 1999 with a degree in business management. Today, she serves as Area Manager for BYU–Pathway Worldwide across the Pacific region. A devoted mother of three, Verna's journey has been shaped by faith, resilience, and an unwavering belief that education can transform lives. Through seasons of joy and heartbreak, she has learned to trust God's hand in her life and to help others discover their own divine potential.

Val Aquino Okimoto graduated from Brigham Young University–Hawaii in 1999 with a degree in accounting. Today, the devoted single mother of two daughters balances family, faith, and public service while representing District VIII on the Honolulu City Council. From ten years as a special education teacher to serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives, Okimoto’s journey reflects her courage, conviction, and spirit.

Elder Peter M. Johnson, a BYU–Hawaii alumnus and former basketball student-athlete from Queens, New York, rose from a difficult upbringing to a life defined by faith, purpose, and service. At BYU–Hawaii, he first came to know Jesus Christ and, after converting from Islam, developed a deep love for the Savior. As the first African American General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he continues to lead and uplift others.

Richie Norton, a 2004 Brigham Young University–Hawaii International Business Management graduate from San Diego, turned a punk rock past and a vision bigger than himself into a global career as a bestselling author, entrepreneur, teacher, and keynote speaker. Along the way, he built a loving family rooted in faith and discovered through profound grief that the most important work is the work we start today. Now reaching millions across the globe, Norton has never stopped influencing the world for good.

Aley Kahaawi Auna, Jr., a 1979 BYU–Hawaii graduate who grew up in Hilo, Hawaii, dedicated his life to faith, family, and service. Professionally, he served as Deputy Attorney General and as a State of Hawaii District Family Court Judge. He also served as a bishop, high councilor, stake president, Area Seventy, and mission president. Today, he continues as a Sealer in the Laie Hawaii Temple and as a Patriarch in the Kona Hawaii Stake. Together with his wife, Danelle, they raised six children and have seventeen grandchildren. Guided by spiritual impressions, he built a life devoted to uplifting others on the foundation of his BYU–Hawaii experience. 

Thomas Paʻakaiokahonua “Paʻa” Sibbett, a BYU–Hawaii, Hawaiian Studies graduate, discovered his love of culture and storytelling through his family and mentors. While attending BYU–Hawaii, he met his wife, found his purpose, and strengthened his faith. Now a groundbreaking creator, writer, and producer, Sibbett is best known for projects such as Chief of War, Aquaman, and Braven, sharing powerful stories with audiences around the world.

Baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 19 in Hong Kong, Elder Chi Hong “Sam” Wong brought a new testimony to BYU–Hawaii. His experience there forged a lifelong path of discipleship. Sustained as a General Authority Seventy in 2014, he has applied the same steady faith he learned in Laie to helping shepherd the Church throughout the Philippines. 

From a small village in Guam to the halls of BYU–Hawaii, Rosalind “Rose” Ram’s journey is one of persistence, faith, and service. A 1989 graduate of BYU–Hawaii, Ram’s story began in a place where hard work was a way of life and helping others was a daily expectation, yet it led her to opportunities and experiences she never imagined.