Rochelle Vidinha ’89 didn’t know what she wanted to pursue when she arrived at Pacific University in 1985. She just knew that she wanted to help others.
“I didn’t know what path I was headed down, but I did know that I wanted to work with people. I’ve always wanted to help people and work with people,” Vidinha said.
Vidinha discovered psychology and social work at Pacific, and those majors opened the doors for a nearly four-decade career in the criminal justice system in Hawaiʻi. She spent 24 years as a deputy prosecuting attorney in the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, working her way up from a trial attorney to supervisor of the office’s sex assault and human trafficking unit.
In April 2025, another door opened as Vidinha was appointed as a First Circuit (Oʻahu) District Family Court judge, continuing a journey that has taken her from parole officer to prosecutor to the bench.
As a family court judge, she presides over cases in the Special Division, which includes domestic abuse, paternity, child custody, adoptions and guardianships — working with families enduring their toughest moments.
“I’m hearing cases where there are challenges within families that need to be resolved in some way,” Vidinha said. “I’m hearing paternity cases. I’m hearing cases involving issues related to custody, child support, and visitation rights. As a prosecutor, I helped people in our community, and here I am now on the bench expanding on that desire to help people.”
Family — ʻohana in Hawaiian — is a common thread in Vidinha’s journey. Born and raised on Oʻahu’s Waiʻanae Coast, she grew up in a neighborhood beset with socioeconomic issues and neighbors who moved in and out of the criminal justice system. That upbringing sparked her interest in serving others.
When it came time to attend college, family was the tie that bound Vidinha to Pacific. Her brother, Richard Vidinha ’87, was already at Pacific. Her best friend, Naomi (Grundon) Morgan ’91, was the sister of Pacific admissions counselor Jeff Grundon ’80, and was on her way to Pacific herself. In essence, she said, Pacific chose her.
“My brother was up there and I had heard only good things,” Vidinha said. “I was very excited to join him there, knowing that were was already ʻohana up there by way of my brother, by way of Jeff and my friend Naomi, who was set to start her Pacific journey with me. So when I say Pacific chose me, it was just the natural thing. I knew I wanted to go there.”
Family was critically important when Vidinha arrived at Pacific. It was the first time that she had ever left Hawaiʻi, and that family made her feel right at home.
“Having never gone to the mainland before, to get off the plane and to basically be embraced by the ʻohana that is Pacific, with the Hawaiʻi Club, and the college experience that you can get in a small and safe college community like Pacific, and experience all of the things that the mainland has to offer. It was the perfect fit.”
The personal attention of Pacific’s faculty helped her discover her true purpose.
“I was able to have really good one-on-one time with my professors. If I had any questions, they were always available and willing to answer questions, to discuss concepts, to provide mentorship,” Vidinha said. “That helped to make the experience amazing. It allowed me to leave Pacific feeling like I’ve gained the experience that I needed to move forward.”
Graduating with a double major in psychology and social work, Vidinha returned to Hawaiʻi and took a job as a parole officer, inspiring her to explore further how the criminal justice system could help people. She graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law in 2001. She was admitted to the Hawaiʻi State Bar and hired as a deputy prosecutor soon after.
While Vidinha enjoyed her work as a prosecutor, she was interested in using her experience and knowledge to take the next step in her career. When considering a nomination for a judgeship, she leaned again on her ʻohana and her Pacific community.
“It was not an easy decision to make,” she said. “In fact, it was the encouragement of family and friends, very close ʻohana relationships, the relationships of those I met at Pacific, who encouraged me, supported me, wrote letters of support and were with me throughout the journey.
“The friendships that started in Clark Hall and grew during snow days, luʻau prep, and Thanksgiving on Mount Hood developed into ʻohaha. We still laugh and cherish fond memories of our time shared at Pacific. The Boxer ʻohaha is forever.”
Reflecting on her career, Vidinha acknowledges the role that Pacific played in her journey. The safe space at Pacific encouraged her to explore different fields of study, embrace new experiences and opportunities, and pursue her passion for making life a little better for people.
“It solidified for me that I wanted to come back (to Hawaiʻi) and do something in the field where I was going to give back to my community and help,” she said. “And that’s exactly what I did, thanks to the experience, education and relationships I gained while at Pacific.”