Aloha,
Hundreds of Hawai‘i Community College students earn associate degrees and certificates each year, and their success would not be possible without the support of excellent faculty, staff and community partners.
Craig Okahara-Olsen earned his associate in arts degree from Hawaiʻi Community College a week before earning his high school diploma from Waiākea High School. Okahara-Olsen is the first Hawaiʻi Island student to earn his associate degree through Early College classes taken as a high school student. And he did so with distinction, earning a 4.0 grade-point average in his Hawaiʻi CC classes.
State Senator Kai Kahele encouraged about 250 Hawaiʻi Community College graduates to chase their dreams at the college’s commencement ceremony on Friday, May 11, at the Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo.
The ancient Hawaiian method of communicating and recounting stories by creating string figures, known as hei, was the focus of a series of workshops during the spring 2018 semester at Hawai‘i Community College and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.
“In the Hawaiian language, the word hei means to net, ensnare, entangle — and furthermore to be adept and absorb knowledge or a skill,” said Rebecca Jacobs, an English instructor at Hawai'i CC, who helped lead the workshops. “Hei is also the term for a string figure.”
Hawai‘i Community College accounting students applied their classroom learning in the community by volunteering to help residents with tax preparation through a collaboration with Goodwill Industries of Hawai‘i.
“The best part about the entire experience was just being able to help people complete their returns and seeing the gratitude they show towards you,” said Hawai‘i Community College student Dylan Sofia Lee. “It’s incredible. This was definitely the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done in any class.”
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Hawai'i Community College's mission statement affirms "we are committed to serving all segments of our Hawaiʻi Island community." This applies to the different demographics of our diverse community and the different regions of Hawai'i Island. In order to fulfill this mission, the long-term development plan for the College aims to ensure a 21st century learning capacity on all areas of the Island.
Representatives from Hawai‘i Community College, the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, the County of Hawai‘i, and the Big Island Filipono Club traveled to the Philippines in February as part of an effort to establish a sister city relationship with Cabugao, Illocos Sur.
Sandi Claveria, Assistant Professor of Human Services, represented Hawai‘i CC.
The main purpose of the trip was for Mayor Harry Kim’s Executive Assistant, Rose Bautista, along with County Council member Valerie Poindexter, to sign the documents to create a sister city relationship between Hilo and Cabugao.
Hawai‘i Community College is pleased to announce that two faculty members are the recipients of Wo Learning Champion awards for 2018.
Rebecca Jacobs, English instructor at Hawai‘i CC in Hilo, received the Change Agent award. Richard Stevens, Humanities lecturer at Hawai‘i CC – Palamanui, received the Community Building Award.
The Electronics Technology program at Hawai‘i Community College is undergoing big changes. There is new equipment, a revised curriculum, exciting projects and renovation work has just begun on the Electronics classroom and lab.
“So the emphasis in the program has been changed to be more industrial,” said Electronics Instructor Bernard “Chip” Michels. “So the whole idea here is to focus more on the telecommunications and on the process and controls arena, or automation.”