For Kelli Chinen, a finance and international business student studying at Shidler College, her college internship was not only thousands of miles from home but it was also during a pandemic that could have derailed her plans to learn about finance abroad.Chinen left for her internship in January 2020 and with the help of alumnus Wee Loke Tang, BBA ’73, Hall of Honor ’18, who is the independent non-executive director of UOB Kay Hian, a global investment bank headquartered in Singapore, Chinen was able to stay until the end of her internship in July. 

Back in January, Alaska Airlines was operating 30 daily flights between four Hawaiian islands and eight West Coast cities, as usual in a typical month, providing passenger service to thousands of kama‘āina and visitors to Hawai‘i. By early April, COVID-19 brought worldwide travel to a screeching halt, disrupting the lives of travelers and Alaska Airlines employees as the company suspended all its flights to the neighbor islands. These days, the airline has a significantly reduced schedule into O‘ahu and Maui to allow for essential travel and the movement of cargo.

COVID-19 dashed the summer internship hopes for many students who saw their plans evaporate with the deteriorating economic conditions. Stepping up to fill the void, a group of 17 Shidler College alumni rallied with their time and resources to provide 19 students – six of whom were Shidler College students - with an unforgettable and meaningful summer. They engaged the Jordan & Cara Odo Scholarship Foundation to create a five-week Virtual Summer Internship Program to give students opportunities to obtain practical experience, expand their networks, and build on their service leadership in the community.

Hawaiian Airlines, like many other companies throughout the islands, is experiencing a difficult time in its history because of the COVID-19 crisis. With uncertain times ahead, the company continues to adjust its operations to keep employees and the public safe and since earlier this year, the airline has continued its flights to provide transportation for essential workers.

When Y. Hata & Co. Limited was faced with the new reality of its main customer base being cut off because of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, it quickly pivoted both its physical space and operations. The 107-year-old company is the largest foodservice distributor in the state and its customers include restaurants, the Department of Education, the military, institutional cafeterias and food trucks.

Chamber of Commerce Hawaii’s (COC) President & CEO Sherry Menor-McNamara, JD/MBA ’05, led her organization to make swift modifications to the way it does business. There have been internal pivots for staff, which include video check-ins in the morning and late afternoon, as well as a fun Friday activity to kick start the weekend. External changes have also been implemented, such as modifying a once-bustling events schedule to a new virtual format, as well as ramping up informational webinar opportunities for members.

When Malcolm Inamine, BBA ‘94, EMBA ‘00, reflects on his experiences as a student at the Shidler College of Business, he recalls a time of long hours and copious amounts of work that required steadfast determination. He says he was stretched to physical and mental limits but that the experience helped him to learn to persevere through tough situations.

Shidler alumnus Kevin Fung, BBA ’12, is a finance and property manager at Fung Enterprise and co-owner of Blue Planet Surf Gear. Lately though, Fung’s focus has shifted to the urgent community need to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline workers at Hawai‘i’s hospitals and health organizations.

Evan Leong, EMBA ’05, is using fundamental skills that he learned during his time at Shidler College to help Hawai‘i through the COVID-19 crisis.

Travis Ito, BBA ’15, is the chief amazement officer of Blue Logic Labs, a digital innovation agency that helps clients solve problems with meaningful digital solutions. He is sharing two information-packed resources to help Hawai‘i residents adapt to a new way of life which involves working from home and collaborating with colleagues digitally.

When Dr. Cedric Strong, EMBA ‘19, launched WePrescribe late last year, he was fulfilling a dream to start a telemedicine company. Since then, WePrescribe, which he co-founded with Dr. Neel Chauhan, has been providing services to more than 100,000 members as a telehealth company in Hawai’i. Now that he is working on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, the video chat service has seen a 30% increase in patients seeking assistance with general health conditions. 

The chatter was lively and robust amongst the ballroom, foyers and seaside lanai of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel as more than 500 guests gathered earlier this year for Executive Vineyards, the Shidler Alumni Association’s (SAA) premier fundraising event.