About

Our Story

At the dedication of BYU–Hawaii in 1955, then President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, President David O. McKay, said, "From this school ... will go forth men and women whose influence will be felt for good towards the establishment of peace internationally." BYU–Hawaii's Asia-Pacific Career Conference (APCC) is one of the catalysts to bring that vision to life. Thanks to generous donations from the Yamagata Foundation, BYU–Hawaii has been able to host this amazing one-of-a-kind event here on campus for four years. With employer and university partnerships in Oceania and the Asian Rim, we will connect our students with international organizations that will help them work, lead, and contribute to peace internationally. By being able to bring employers and universities to campus to meet with our BYU–Hawaii students, we can expand our school's influence to workplaces and other educational institutions around the world as our students find sustainable work opportunities at home and continue their post-graduate education.

Within the Laie community on the North Shore, we have rich history and traditions that have remained a part of our culture for many years. The hukilau being one of those events, which stems from a Hawaiian tradition of fishing, described as "the process of pulling (huki) the ropes from the fishing nets, women with leaves (lay) along the outside, in from the sea." Just as our students cast their nets into the ocean, they are seeking those opportunities to catch sustenance that will influence their future lives in their careers and graduate-level studies.

What is APCC?

The Asia-Pacific Career Conference is a three-day, annually recurring event focused on improving the lives of our students in Oceania, the Asian Rim, Hawaii, and the mainland through professional career development. Employers, graduate school representatives, students, faculty, and other expert professionals from across the region convene at one of the earth’s most beautiful universities—BYU–Hawaii—to network with, learn from, and recruit one another into great jobs and graduate programs.

The conference is focused exclusively on our students. Participating employers and graduate school programs should have hiring and admissions needs throughout Oceania, the Asian Rim, Hawaii, and the mainland US. All BYU–Hawaii students, faculty, and staff are welcome and expected to attend.

When will this conference be held?

APCC 2024 will be held from April 2 to April 4. Conference attendees coming in from out of town are encouraged to stay at the beautiful Courtyard by Marriott Oahu North Shore hotel, located a short walk from BYU–Hawaii.

Where are our employers from?

Since 2018 we've had participants come from Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and the U.S. mainland. This provides our entire student body with resources and opportunities that will help them be successful throughout their studies and beyond graduation. We're excited to partner with organizations that are interested in our diverse, domestic, and international student body.

The Objective of APCC

Through this experience, we are focused on creating as many touchpoints for our students as possible with our visiting professionals. These interactions on campus at the career fair, in passing at an event, info session or panel discussion, lunch or dinner meetings, and or an interview opportunity provide our students the chance to use their elevator pitch, and practice, practice, practice what they are learning in class. Our APCC conference is a three-day opportunity for our students to put into practice their professional skills.

Campus Partnerships

We are grateful for the opportunity that we have this year to partner with the Empower Your Dreams and Undergraduate Research Conference here on campus. Both of these events will allow our guests to see firsthand our student's academic and business success. These events combined with the Polynesian Cultural Center, the "Behind the Scenes" tour, and the career and graduate fair will provide guests with a broad view of what students are immersed in as they study at BYU–Hawaii.