Loyola Marymount University comes alive every spring with the aloha spirit to celebrate Nā Kōlea‘s, LMU’s Hawai’ian student organization’s annual lū’au tradition. This historic, long-standing tradition highlights Hawai’i’s hospitality, culture, and spirit. It gives a small taste of home for students and alumni who may be away from the island and represents a version of ohana, or family, here at LMU.
Nā Kōlea was initially created by five LMU students from Hawai’i who were looking for a community to call their own. The name Nā Kōlea was chosen because of a bird that migrates to Hawai’i from the mainland during the winter when it is too cold and back again during the summer. Its migration resembles how students from Hawai’i travel back and forth from the mainland.
The lū’au tradition began in The Lair in 1973 with 30 attendees and had a second event in 1975. Over the years, the attendance grew to almost 1,000 people. While other Hawai’i clubs in Southern California host annual lū’au events, LMU’s Nā Kōlea has hosted some of the largest celebrations in California. Nā Kōlea students dedicate most of their year to planning this event, and the most recent lū’au was particularly special as it commemorated a historic moment.
The celebration on March 23 on Lawton Plaza, with over 600 people attending, included a full Hawai’ian meal provided by Rutt’s Hawai’ian Catering, raffles, custom LMU Hawai’ian shirts, student hula performances on the Drollinger Family Stage, and a special performance from five-time island music award-winner Fia. In commemorating the history of Nã Kölea, the theme this year was Ho’omana’o, which encompassed the journey of Nā Kōlea and acknowledged the contributions of “those who have come before us.”
Jarret Furuta ’24, a mechanical engineering major, and Jordan Furuta ’26, a civil engineering major, brothers from Honolulu and members of Nā Kōlea, reflected on their journey helping to co-chair and plan this year’s lū’au. “It was obviously something we were all grateful to be a part of planning the 50th annual lū’au celebration, with Hawai’i being the 50th state in the union,” said Jarret Furuta. “And with it being such an important year, while it was not always the easiest process, we knew it was something we wanted to make really special this year for ourselves, the club as a whole, and the LMU community. There are so many great moments from this year’s event, but when I received the email back from Fia saying that they would perform at this year’s lū’au gave me a lot of excitement and a sense of relief knowing we would have a big performer, especially at the 50th. Finding the performer is always one of the most challenging aspects, and seeing him hop on the stage at lū’au. I finally got to see our work hit a full circle moment and enjoy the concert as well.”
From Ignite a Brighter World, read: Bringing Big Island Spirit to the Bluff.
For Jordan, the night before the lū’au was the most memorable for Jordan because a bunch of their family and friends had come into town the night before. “Everyone was together in one place, whether they had flown in for the event or drove, and we were able to share a meal together and have fun all in the same room,” said Jordan Furuta. “Overall, the experience was enriching to share a small piece of what it looks like to have grown up in Hawai’i. I’d describe my experience planning this year’s lū’au as inspiring. I had danced in last year’s lū’au, but this year I got to see all of the planning and the hard realities of what it takes to put something this special together. It’s also what inspired me to run for this position again to organize next year’s lū’au and it’s my goal to make each one I’m a part of something special.”
Building on its 50-year history of ohana, the annual lū’au tradition welcomes many alumni with open arms to LMU’s campus. Wesley Chun ’78 attended the celebration and reflected on how far the lū’au has come from its early days in The Lair. “It’s amazing to see how this event has grown from the first days to now hosting 600 people here for the 50th celebration,” said Chun. “It’s just amazing how time flies, and even after all this time, this is still a way to bring so many people together to celebrate the culture of Hawai’i.” Chun also came to LMU after his brother attended and participated in the first iterations of the annual lū’au. He remembered how he came to LMU with other students from the island, “We came up here and had a group of other islanders here on campus that made us feel more relaxed and comfortable. Meeting all the other students here at LMU, the group we just joined, is part of the Hawai’i spirit, the ohana feeling of family, and that made it feel so comfortable. And it’s the aspect that has allowed all of this to continue, each year more and bring more students into this club.”
The ohana theme also ran deep for many at the lū’au celebration, including Pua Higa ’91, an English major. “I was the lū’au chair during my senior year at LMU,” said Higa. “It was the first event in Gersten Pavilion and had 1,000 people in attendance. We used to ship all of our flowers from Hawai’i. Our parents would gather all the flowers, and we would ship them to L.A. We also made a lot of the food, did the dances, and sang all of the songs. I was also here for the 40th year when my daughter was the lū’au chair. This event is so special because it still connects people. Many people are proud to be from Hawai’i and to experience the aloha spirit here in California. It’s all about relationships and how you foster those relationships over time. But this is an experience we still talk about; it endures through time, and we all have wonderful memories.”
For Higa, LMU is also a special place where her family roots began. There, she met her husband and they served on the Nā Kōlea executive board together. It’s a place so special that Higa’s daughter, Jamie Higa ’17, a biology major also attended and served on the Nā Kōlea executive board. “My mom was involved in Nā Kōlea during her time here at LMU and I grew up hearing stories about her experience,” said Jamie Higa. “Being in Nā Kōlea is heavily rooted in LMU for me and I had a hard time transitioning from my school in Hawai’i when I got to LMU. And it was nice to have people here at LMU who had had the same experiences as me. I fell in love with the community I found in this group and I always tried to branch off, but home for me was really Nā Kōlea.”
