HANAMA‘ULU — The buzz of graduation was definitely in the air Friday at the Kaua‘i Beach Resort &Spa as teachers/advisors Char Revelo and Keith Yap rehearsed the graduates of the Leadership Kaua‘i Class of 2022 through their final steps before doors opened that morning.
Alanna Bauman, Chandra Bertsch, Jeremy Burns, Frank Cruz, Shana Cruz, Sarah Dooley, Kaija Eastman, Anthony Espinoza, Mark Gregory, Tracie Jacintho, Judiah McRoberts, Erin Millard, Tyler Saito, Alejandra M. Sanchez, Margaret Sanchez, Ian Souza, Chantal Zarbaugh, Mistee Bailey-Myrick, Judy Hayducsko, Janis Kimata and Bryan Tedesco are the graduates of the Leadership Kaua‘i Adult Program that moved its first class in 2007 before becoming a nonprofit organization.
The annual adult leadership program takes a class of between 15 to 20 adults through an intensive, 10-month, mobile-classroom program that consists of leadership development, value-based cultural learning and networking through a guest-speaker series, professional skills building — critical thinking, decision-making and communication, inter-generational and multicultural bridging in Kaua‘i’s unique island culture, global leadership, mentoring, collatoration and community service, states the Leadership Kaua‘i website, leadershipkauai.org.
Some of the highlights of the Class of 2022 involved working hands-on with Malama Hule‘ia at the Alakoko Fishpond site, implementing and dedicating the all-inclusive playground adjacent to Kamalani Playground at Lydgate Park, formation of a QR-based connectivity platform for ‘aina-based products, and more.
Registration for the Leadership Kaua‘i adult class scheduled to start on Aug. 24 is currently being accepted at leadershipkauai.org.
Leadership Kaua‘i, since its start in 2003, has been dedicated to cultivating strong and committed leaders on Kaua‘i by engaging a cross-section of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds and developing their leadership skills to serve the community collaboratively.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
