Pictured (left to right): Lacy Razor, Jennifer Bandy (SNA 2023 'Be the Match' Ambassador), Joy Bliss, Robyn Teruya and Juliet Llarenas were awarded the Community Cord from Be the Match. The 'Community Cord Award' recognizes the dedication of 20-plus volunteer hours to the Be the Match national marrow donor program by matching patients with donors and advancing healthcare research. The award demonstrates commitment to community service, compassion, and supporting life-saving initiatives.
HPU’s pediatric nursing students embraced the spirit of honoring our heritage during Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Heritage Month, which reminds all of us of the diversity in our Hawaiian Islands and the importance of generosity, compassion, and empathy.
HPU is known for its diversity in its student population; it is a hallmark of our university. This month pays tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.
Allan Mark Polendey (right) was the SNA VP 2024 'Be the Match' Ambassador.
Forty-seven percent of the nursing students in pediatric classes taught by HPU Assistant Professor Joy Bliss Ph.D., RN, honored their heritage and highlighted their diversity to help future AANHPI generations by participating in a “Bone Marrow Drive” to become registered bone marrow donors. Students are encouraged to look beyond their own needs and reach out to others in the spirit of love and goodwill, realizing that their donor contribution will have a positive impact especially in the Asian and Hawaiian islanders’ communities where this is needed.
“Be the Match” is a nonprofit organization in the U.S. that operates the largest and most diverse nation bone marrow registry in the world. The primary mission of "Be the Match" is to help patients with life-threatening blood cancers and other diseases find a matching donor for a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.
HPU students’ act of volunteerism was just one way to give back to the community and make a positive impact on the future lives of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific islander populations. The spirit of giving involves spreading joy and kindness by becoming a donor through acts of kindness beyond material gifts. HPU students exemplified community and unity this month by fostering a sense of community and unity as students come together to support those in need. It strengthens social bonds and creates a shared purpose for these unique communities that make up our pacific islands.
The "Be the Match" event highlighted HPU’s values of aloha, kuleana and pono.
