Kuilei Courageous Conversations

Send us Fan Mail We are in some tough times when it comes to financing....anything....really.  However, when it comes to attending college, there is financial assistance.  In this wonderful episode, we talked with the Kapi‘olani Community College Financial Aid team.  They provided a great overview of financial aid and also insights on how best to manage your money.  Questions about Financial Aid w...

Send us Fan Mail Learning and growth come in different forms.  In this episode, we walk along with Nolan Hong who shared his heartfelt journey with one of our beloved instructors, Lina Doo.  His message highlighted how education comes from places one would least expect.  It was instructors who instilled confidence when no one else would, it was those classmates who stood by your side no matter wha...

Send us Fan Mail What do you do when you are right at the finish line, about to take that next major step, but you discover a passion that has been brewing for some time?  Take a listen to this episode with Brandy Leigh Adams who takes us through her journey of hard work, dedication, and staying focused on her passion for science.  She even provides a snapshot into her world of anime.  Enjoy! BTW,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we interviewed another Kaimukī High School alumna class of 2019 Candy Yang who talked about her continuous journey with looking for ways to adapt, her willingness to accept new things, and taking on challenges.  She presented an interesting insight on how making connections was important toward her success in life and in college.  She also wanted to send a special...

Send us Fan Mail The roads in life are never a straight but a mix of twist and turns with opportunities along the way.  In this episode we had a blast talking story with Kapi‘olani Community College alumna, Colette Higgins.  This Kaimukī HS Class of 1984 graduate talks about her time at Star Market working full-time, to retracing the steps of Queen Kapi‘olani, to becoming the current Division 1 De...

Send us Fan Mail What does a Lamborghini, Lean On Me, and Linguistics have in common?  You guessed it!  An insightful interview with Dr. Louise Pagotto, Chancellor of Kapi‘olani Community College.  Join us as we learn about her passion for teaching; sharing of her student success stories; and her advice for students navigating through this pandemic.  Please enjoy! Original music by Joe Yoshida

Send us Fan Mail We have another exciting episode with a Kapi‘olani Community College alumnus, this time with Chef David Lukela.  What an amazing journey of change, taking risks, and following your passion.  The original plan was to pursue medicine, and he actually graduated from Occidental College with a Biochemistry degree with a minor in Economics, but currently wears his most recent degree in...

Send us Fan Mail Here we are, 2021!  Whew, 2020 was a whirlwind but we are ready for this new year.  In this episode, we welcome  back Aunty Coco, who was actually in our very first podcast on September 18, 2019, talking about Tips for Success.  Since life is VERY different, we thought to revisit our list to see if anything has changed.  Please enjoy as Aunty Coco, Alfie, and myself come together...

Send us Fan Mail It takes students to make changes that are relevant to students .  It takes brave and courageous students to step up a be that voice for students .  "You can't have a Student Congress without STUDENTS ."  In this episode, you will hear me say "wonderful" a gazillion times because this interview was just that, "wonderful."   We had the honor of in...

Send us Fan Mail Hard work, dedication, and taking chances pays off.  In this episode we are talking story with another Kapi‘olani Community College alumna, Tayler Pave.  Her journey from not even knowing about the field of engineering and what the profession entailed to holding a position with General Electric (GE) Aviation as a Software Engineer is just amazing.  Please enjoy listening to what i...

Send us Fan Mail It is always such an honor and a pleasure to reconnect with our former students to learn "Where Are They Now"?  In this episode, we spent some time catching up with our former student, Ray Cortez, who is currently a Registered Nurse.  He provided a candid perspective of the challenges and sacrifices he has made to achieve his personal and academic goals.  His top three t...

Send us Fan Mail Student support on a college campus also includes providing a safe place for students to learn and thrive.  In this episode, we have Brooke Conway, MPH, Student Parent Program Counselor and Devon Peterson, JD, Title IX Coordinator providing wisdom and insights on what students should know about their rights and resources around Title IX, sexual harassment, gender-based discriminat...

Send us Fan Mail Every single episode has a very special place in my heart and this one is no different.  In this episode we have two Kapi‘olani Community College counselors, Brooke Conway from the Student Parents Program and Cindy Melim from the Ka‘au Program for Student Mental Health and Wellness share insights on how to navigate through these challenging times.  Resources that were shared in th...

Send us Fan Mail The pandemic has drastically changed the landscape for education by moving practically everything online.  Please enjoy this insightful conversation with History and Ethnic Studies Professor, Dr. Kelli Nakamura, who has been teaching online well before the pandemic.  She reminds us that in these times of change to move forward with positivity, empathy, and patients.  We also have...

Send us Fan Mail We are excited to share that in this episode, Erica Dias, Librarian from Kapi‘olani Community College's Library talks about the wealth of resources provided to students and employees.  The College's Library has always been a major pillar with student success by offering tutorial support, access to technology, and resources for academic and personal growth, but that is on...

Send us Fan Mail Happy Fall 2020!  Here we go with our latest podcast for this new school year.  Please enjoy this insightful conversation with Dr. Shannon Sakaue, who is the coordinator and counselor for Kapi‘olani Community College's Pāhihi Program for Returning Adults.  If you have questions for Dr. Sakaue, she can be reached at sks78@hawaii.edu.  Enjoy! Music by Joe Yoshida

Send us Fan Mail Thanks again for tuning into the Kuilei Courageous Conversations.  Today's podcast was a little different in that it was recorded in the middle of the College's Great Lawn .  Myself along with Alfie and Lisa (from Kapi‘olani CC Marketing) walked around campus probably for the first time since everything went on-line.  We wanted to seize this moment and document our obser...

Send us Fan Mail Kapi‘olani Community College faculty Tony Silva and Shawn Ford shared the kind of resources available to English language learners at our College.  They also shared opportunities for prospective students who are interested in becoming teachers in the arena of second language teaching.  The Zoom version of this interview can also be viewed on our Kapi‘olani CC Community Workshop se...

Send us Fan Mail "Opportunities to make new memories." This podcast put the spotlight on a couple of student leaders at Kapi‘olani Community College who are designing things in these times of change and adjustment.  Tifanny and Brandon who are students and also active members of Student Activities shared valuable insights and words of motivation on pushing through adversity and staying t...

Send us Fan Mail Our campus continues to support each other during these uncertain times.  COVID-19 has been testing us at all levels but it has brought us closer together...of course with the 6ft rule.  We asked our campus to provide insight on their coping strategies and the responses were uplifting, amazing, and funny.  In certain these heart felt response can definitely make a positive impact...

Send us Fan Mail COVID-19 has created a different kind of reality, which has greatly impacted all educational institutions.  On March 22, 2020, the City and County of Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced his emergency orders that has the tone similar to an island wide lockdown.  The University of Hawai‘i has returned from Spring Break today, March 23, 2020, but to a very different campus culture...

Send us Fan Mail The Kuilei Courageous Conversations strives to highlight the benefits of attending a Community College.  We recently had an AMAZING opportunity to team up with the Wo Learning Champions , which is an excellent professional development opportunity for UHCC employees to broaden their leadership skills, to piggyback on their recent campaign called #WHYUHCC.  We asked the current Wo L...

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year!  It is around this time of the year when there is increase anxiety around next steps, especially with graduating high school students.  We, the Kuilei Outreach Program (with a new URL at https://kuileioutreachprogram.kapiolani.hawaii.edu ), surveyed some of our staff and faculty asking them to provide words of wisdom as students transition into higher education.  T...

Send us Fan Mail Kapiʻolani Community College offers a variety of online classes, degrees, and certificate programs. An online class might be right for you if you want or need a flexible school schedule, know how to student independently, have self-discipline and motivation, and are ready to actively engage with the online class content, instructors, and classmates. Distance Education, or otherwis...

Send us Fan Mail Alfie is back!  Special congratulations to Alfie and his family....growing family.  Happy times and sleepless nights.  Awesome!  In this episode, Alfie talks about his insights working with high school and college age students around self discovery and how it can lead to academic success...personal too.  He reminds us the importance around self reflection and to hold strong to you...