My professional background in marketing and management continues to be a great asset in incorporating real-life organizational experiences into the classroom. Applying real-life scenarios and the course content for marketing and management courses are fundamental and beneficial for students. I believe the application is vital for students to understand better by practicing each course's different concepts. This idea of application helps build a strong foundation for a student to become successful future business leaders. I continue teaching as a student and instructor in a traditional classroom setting and online forum. Among the most satisfying feelings of teaching are engaging students in creating business management and marketing initiatives by introducing real-life scenarios into the classroom. Witnessing their transformation first-hand over the semester is a rewarding and humbling experience.

I continue to invite and work with small business owners from our community to participate in my BUSA 300 Principles of Marketing class. I assign groups of no more than four students to the business, and they are tasked to develop a marketing plan for the business by following an outline provided to them at the beginning of the semester. Students also participate in a friendly challenge when developing their personalized marketing plan, with the business owner choosing the group that best represents their business at the end of the semester. Working in group settings is another critical aspect of business, teaching students the importance of building relationships with fellow group members like in a regular workplace setting. Also, group work helps students continue to develop their interpersonal skills, negotiation talent, time management, and conflict management/resolution during the semester. These characteristics also mentioned further emphasize my rationale for group work and are invaluable activities bringing the textbook to life by reinforcing the course content. 

The certificate in risk management and insurance provides training in risk management for personal and commercial insurance lines and prepares students for the CPCU examinations and other professional certifications. Courses cover personal property and liability insurance, life and health insurance, retirement planning, business law, loss prevention, risk retention, self-insurance, and risk financing techniques. Students completing the risk management and insurance certificate will be better prepared to obtain an insurance license and pass the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) examination and study course. UH West O'ahu partnered with Hawai'i's insurance industry to create this Risk Management and Insurance certificate to address the growing need for skilled insurance professionals locally and nationwide. The program offers both in-person and online modalities at UH West O'ahu.

Industry partnerships between UH West Oahu's Risk Management and Insurance Certificate program and HAIP are necessary because industry professionals are our eyes and ears. Industry partners provides an opportunity to gather the most up-to-date information about employment opportunities within the local industry. They also offer internship opportunities for students to participate in with the potential for a permanent position upon graduation. Many of our interns who have graduated have placement in the state's top risk management and insurance firms. Moreover, industry partners offer leadership in the classroom, with students learning from industry professionals during their coursework.

The Doctor of Business Administration degree allows me to be a practitioner in business academics and a positive role model for my students to aspire to complete their college education. The second opportunity this degree has on my professional career is to assist organizations enduring undue distress for whatever reason, and I know I can help them resolve an issue to be successful. Finally, this degree will address the Native Hawaiian community having a voice in recognizing our people's values and the diversity we can share with others from our ideas and culture. The beliefs and cultural values can quickly transfer to the business and academic setting when well-planned with clearly defined goals and manageable activities to achieve them. This reflective self-evaluation device allowed for self-reflection and how the fruits of my journey will one day contribute to the solution facing the Native Hawaiian community here and on the world stage.