{"id":196500,"date":"2024-04-29T13:14:56","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T23:14:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=196500"},"modified":"2024-04-30T10:29:03","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T20:29:03","slug":"uh-west-oahu-commencement-speaker-dave-sebastian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/04\/29\/uh-west-oahu-commencement-speaker-dave-sebastian\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> West O\u02bbahu commencement speaker strives to be a ‘bringer of light’"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Sebastian
UH<\/abbr> West Oʻahu<\/span> 2024 Annual Commencement Ceremony student speaker Dave Sebastian.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>–West Oʻahu<\/span><\/a> student Dave Ian Domingo Sebastian will earn a bachelor of arts in humanities with a concentration in philosophy on May 4, the day after his birthday. He will also be one of two student speakers at the 2024 commencement ceremony<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“I hope that the graduates will remember all those who shared their light with them and be empowered to use their degrees to be a light in the world,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"Dave<\/p>\n

Sebastian, who graduated from Waipahu High School, earned an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from Leeward Community College in spring 2020. He enrolled in UH<\/abbr> West Oʻahu<\/span> in fall 2020, and began working as a peer writing tutor in summer 2021 at the Noʻeau<\/span> Center, where he still works today.<\/p>\n

After graduation, Sebastian\u2019s goal is to become a Catholic priest.<\/p>\n

“It was evident to me then (when he was a first-year student), as it is to me now, that Dave is a person of great compassion and conviction,” said Professor Li-Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee. “I am confident that Dave’s spiritual calling\u2026will not only help uplift the community of faith, but also provide much needed compassionate care to our west-side community at large.”<\/p>\n

Sebastian said UH<\/abbr> West Oʻahu<\/span> has prepared him for his next chapter in life by allowing him to learn from many different world views and perspectives\u2014through his philosophy studies and tutoring a diverse student body.<\/p>\n

Check out more stories of our UH<\/abbr> spring graduates<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

“So I feel like since I have been able to meet and learn from so many people who think or understand the world differently from me, I can use that knowledge to connect with others,” he said. “The hope is that a connection can be made from a place of understanding and that we can bridge the gaps between different communities and foster a sense of reconciliation.”<\/p>\n

For more on Sebastian visit Ka Puna O Kaloʻi<\/span><\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n