HPU News:
Posted: April 7, 2004 at 10:52:00 AM

HPU to Honor Three Alumni at Paul C.T. Loo Distinguished Alumni Awards

Hawai'i Pacific University will recognize three outstanding alumni for their achievements at the fourth annual Paul C.T. Distinguished Alumni Awards the evening of Friday, April 16, 2004 at the Waialae Country Club. The awards, named in honor of Paul C.T. Loo, one of the University's founders, honors HPU alumni in three categories: Professional Achievement Award, Alumni Service Award, and Young Alumni Award. The awardees for 2004 are as follows:

Senator J. Kalani English (B.A. 1989) will receive the Professional Achievement Award, an award recognizing the distinguished career accomplishments of graduates. Sen. English has dedicated years of exemplary service to the 6th Senatorial District and the state of Hawaii. Prior to that, he served as council member for the County of Maui. Some of his career highlights include being appointed to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Local Government Advisory Committee, heading a delegation to Rapa Nui, and serving on numerous organizations, including the Hawaii Cultural Foundation, New York City; Maui Chamber of Commerce, the Honolulu Media Council, Maui Visitor's Bureau, Maui Arts and Culture Center, among others. English is also the founding president of Hui 'Aina O Hana, a native Hawaiian land conservation organization. In the 1990s, Sen. English has been active in United Nations activities, participating in conferences on environment and development, human rights, and sustainable development of small island developing states. In 1999, he was appointed by the U.S. Department of State as a U.S. Permanent Mission advisor to the U.N.

Iven Sugai (B.A. 2001) will receive the Alumni Service Award, a recognition reserved for graduates with outstanding service to their community and to Hawai'i Pacific University. 1st Lieutenant Sugai, a graduate of Campbell High School, has helped to rebuild elementary and secondary schools in Iraqi as part of his 377th Field Artillery Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. As part of his campaign, he led donation drive, requesting schools, such as HPU, to donate school supplies to neglected schools in Iraq. His initiative has garnered interest in the local media and in the community. Today, organizations continue to donate school supplies to Iraq as a result of Sugai's efforts.

Blagovets Stephanov (B.S.B.A. 1998, M.B.A. 2000) will receive the Young Alumni Award, an award given to an individual who have graduated in the past five years and who has served as an outstanding role model for future alumni. Stephanov is currently managing operations in Bulgaria for American Optical and Pharmaceutical Co. Already in his professional career, Stephanov worked as vice-executive director of the State Agricultural Fund for Bulgarian government, worked as an assistant in Foreign Trade and Industry Directorate for the Parliament of the European Union in Brussels, and served as vice-chairman of the Board of Directors for VINIPEX Co., the largest wine-exporting company in the nation.

The corporations who have sponsored tables to support their HPU alumni include: AIG Hawaii/Hawaii Insurance Consultants, Ltd.; Bank of Hawaii; Central Pacific Bank; CTA; First Hawaiian Bank; GEICO Direct; Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.; PBS Hawaii; Tesoro Hawaii; and Verity Solutions.

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