The following is a blog entry from special guest writer Kourtney Goya! Thanks for submitting this, Kourtney! –mko

Aloha blog buddies!! My name is Kourtney Goya and I am one of the TOUR Coordinators in the Office of Admissions. I am currently a junior majoring in History and also working on a French minor. I am from Mililani, Hawai’i and serve as the co-fundraising coordinator for the Hui-O-Hawaii Club.

Last Saturday, April 26th, the club held its 53rd Annual Lu’au. The Lu’au is the main event we put on every year, entertaining 800-1000 guests from across the nation. A traditional Hawaiian dinner is served along with a student organized show consisting of the various types of hula and other culturally specific dances, followed by a concert performed by a well known band the club flies in from Hawai’i.

Planning for this event began about five months ago. The officers held weekly meetings, which soon turned into biweekly meetings once Luau began to draw near. This year’s lu’au was a great success! I felt like we were definitely more organized than last year, which could only result in positive effects; there were more than enough volunteers in every committee, the food was great and the show and concert were even better! Check out the photos below.

We try our best to bring the love, warmth, and spirit of Aloha of the islands to Oregon, and I encourage you all to attend at least one Hui-O-Hawaii Club Lu’au. If you are interested in finding out more about the club, our events, or have any questions, please feel free post a comment below.

Also, our organization is not a student fee funded group so donations are more than welcome and appreciated! Please email hawaiiclub@oregonstate.edu if you are interested in donating.

Me (left) and Charity in our Tahitian costumes

Women’s Kahiko (traditional hula) waiting to go on stage

Part of the finale dance

Hui-O-Hawaii Officers

Lahaina Olsen-Kuroda before the intro

Children’s dance

Also, check out this great video created by Leslie Shirai who asks OSU students what the lu’au means to them!