LIHU‘E — With schools in the Eastside Complex looming less than 20 days away, the Hawai‘i National Guard About Face! program celebrated their second successful year with a graduation program for about 70 of their participants, Thursday night. Col. (Ret.)
LIHU‘E — With schools in the Eastside Complex looming less than 20 days away, the Hawai‘i National Guard About Face! program celebrated their second successful year with a graduation program for about 70 of their participants, Thursday night.
Col. (Ret.) Teddy Daligdig announced that due to the success of the Kaua‘i pilot program, there is talk of expanding the offering to middle school students starting with the Kapa‘a Middle School this coming school term.
The success of the Kaua‘i program, due in part to the support offered by Kaua‘i Mayor Bryan Baptiste and the county’s Office of Economic Development, Workforce Investment Act division, has seen the program grow to encompass the state with programs now being offered in West O‘ahu and Hilo on the Big Island, Col. Daligdig explained.
Additionally, there are plans to start similar programs on Maui, Molokai, and East O‘ahu.
Funding for the project is provided in part by the Workforce Investment Act through the county’s Office of Economic Development.
Students were welcomed by participant speaker Josephine Cabresa who explained how being part of this program has made a difference for herself and her baby, and followed by the second featured speaker, Brysen Kualii.
Kualii said he dropped out of high school nine months ago, and learned about the About Face! program from his mother who encouraged him to look into its offering.
Taking his mother’s advice, Kualii pursued the program, and “tonight, I feel good about myself.”
Baptiste, one of the keynote speakers, congratulated the students who came from all three of Kaua‘i’s public high schools, and challenged them to keep utilizing the skills they learned to make the right choices on their road ahead.
“Choices are the difference between being successful, or not,” Baptiste said. “The decision becomes easier if you have education.”
Each step involves choices, and one day, they will become successful, he told the graduates.
Robert Zeigler, the program coordinator, explained that About Face! is like a job. “If you come late,…”
“Your pay gets docked,” was the response from the graduates.
“If you come late too many times,…you get fired,” the enthused students answered.
Ziegler said the students come into the program not knowing what to expect, and leave with life skills they learn while attending the program.
Brandi Parrish, one of the site leaders, thanked the parents for being the foundation for people’s lives. That served as a prelude to the announcement of special graduates who earned recognition for their leadership qualities, most improved, and efforts that went above and beyond the call.
Mary-Ara Manguchi, Che‘Lysse Fabro, Kyle Carios, Paris Mackey, Jonalyn Wright, Mallory Frey, Brandee Carios-Kahalekomo, Trixy Morris, Franklin Hiraoka, Olivia Fernandez, and David Keifer were the recipients of medals designating their special accomplishments.
Additionally, the students were grouped into teams to create and sell products for their Business Perspective awards which went to four teams: two from Kaua‘i High School, M.I.A, and RYG, and two from Kapa‘a High School, Laffy-Taffy, and an unnamed team.
Anthony Calves, Wright, Mia Monroe, Kuuipo Akau, and Aaron Ramelb made up the M.I.A. with Micah Matsushima, Jasper Pascua, Cher‘rae Fabro, Chandra Sakata, and Jimmy Zakour forming the RYG.
Britney Dawson, Kalnoa Ho‘omanawanoi, Russell Cabral, Eric Schiffer, and Felicia Kealoha formed the Laffy-Taffy with the unnamed squad made up of Carrie Carvalho, Kanea Dela-Cruz, Fernandez, and Melisa Daligdig.
Each of the graduates was congratulated by Col. Daligdig, Baptiste, and Laurie Yoshida, the governor’s Kaua‘i liason as they received their successful completition certificates from Gordon Doo and Parrish.
One mother of a graduate explained that her daughter learned how to fill out job applications, balance checkbooks, fill in applications for various agencies, and a lot of other skills that would help them in the work world.
“She’s amped now, because she just got her first $180 pay-check. Wait ‘til she gets the one for $300,” the mother said proudly.
- Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, 245-3681 (ext. 253) and dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
