‘Choose Excellence’: BYU–Hawaii Leaders Open Fall Semester With Invitations to Act

This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

By Eastin Hartzell, Church News

Students from around the world streamed into the George Q. Cannon Activities Center on BYU–Hawaii’s tropical campus in Laie, Hawaii, on Tuesday, September 9, for the university’s opening semester devotional. 

University President John S. K. Kauwe III and his wife, Monica, urged students to keep their covenants, be led by the Holy Ghost and exercise moral agency with purpose, consecration and excellence. 

Read this related article from the Church News BYU–Hawaii president says he and his family are moving forward with faith, optimism despite cancer diagnosis

A Prophet’s Birthday and a Shared Testimony of Christ 

President Kauwe began by noting that the devotional was on President Russell M. Nelson’s 101st birthday and bore witness of his prophetic calling. 

“I testify to you that he is God’s prophet. We are blessed to be led by a wise, kind and devoted disciple of Jesus Christ. In his honor, my devotional today emphasizes many of his teachings,” he said. 

Purpose, Consecration, Excellence and Being ‘Quick to Observe’ 

President Kauwe framed the semester around three priorities: 

1. Purpose — preparing disciples who will live and lead in Oceania and the Asian Rim. 
2. Consecration — honoring covenants and university commitments. 
3. Excellence — developing talents to bless families and communities. 

Citing counsel from Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson’s visit to BYU–Hawaii employees last week, he invited students to emulate the prophet Mormon by being “quick to observe.” 

Drawing on his family history and scientific background, President Kauwe offered a brief lesson on Type 2 diabetes — a disease that took the lives of his father and grandfather. 

He taught that just as insulin enables the body to use energy, “it is Jesus Christ who enables us to use our agency righteously. With Him, our choices bring lasting joy and eternal life.” 

He invited students to make thoughtful, intentional choices in nutrition, sleep, stress and physical activity — and to use available resources to build healthy, lasting habits that support discipleship and future service. 

“We have the opportunity to exercise our moral agency to make choices that will change the course of our lives both temporally and spiritually,” he taught. “Choosing to exercise moral agency righteously is the purpose of our mortal experience.” 

President Nelson’s promise followed: “Every righteous choice that you make here will pay huge dividends now … and unimaginable dividends eternally.” 

President Kauwe counseled students to “elevate the way you exercise that moral agency to take charge of your testimony, to take charge of your learning and build your future.” 

Practical Ways to Seek Help and to Help Others 

Being “quick to observe (Mormon 1:2),” President Kauwe explained, means both to notice and to obey. He encouraged listeners to notice their strengths and needs, obey promptings and keep covenants and commitments. 

He invited students to take advantage of university and Church resources to help when struggles arise. 

He briefly shared his own recent efforts to course-correct his health — consulting with doctors, counseling with Sister Kauwe, praying for support and worshipping in the Laie Hawaii Temple. 

“Change requires humility, effort and persistence,” he said. “But I promise you that it is worth it — it is always worth being quick to observe.” 

Living With the Spirit — Five Daily Choices 

Sister Kauwe also spoke, beginning with a personal memory of her baptism and confirmation, describing “warmth, peace and love” as her father placed his hands on her head and she received the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

That moment, she said, set her on the covenant path — a path President Nelson has taught is the “only path that leads to exaltation and eternal life.” 

She emphasized that God’s promise to “always have His Spirit to be with us” requires “effort, consistency and faith,” and highlighted President Nelson’s teaching that charity and virtue unlock confidence before God. 

Speaking to returned missionaries and university students, she shared a friend’s reflection: “It is impossible to fully replicate [a mission] environment once we come home — but we can get closer by how we use our time and who we choose to surround ourselves with.“ 

How has Sister Kauwe made that choice? She gave five choices that “made the difference”: 

1. Attend and participate in both hours of Sunday worship and worthily partake of the sacrament. 
2. Accept and fulfill callings. 
3. Attend Tuesday devotionals. 
4. Read the Book of Mormon every day. 
5. “Stand in holy places” by choosing uplifting spaces, friends and media. 

“The Spirit is not something we stumble into accidentally. We must use our moral agency to choose to be in the presence of the Holy Ghost,” she said, adding: “I invite each of us to make these righteous choices each day and enjoy the promised blessings.” 

Copyright 2025 Deseret News Publishing Company.