David Y. Ige

View this news release online here. For photos and video, please click here.

KAPOLEI – The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) held its inaugural Campbell-Kapolei Student Career Expo today at Kapolei High School for 1,200 freshmen from Campbell and Kapolei high schools.

“Through the hard work of our partnership with the Kapolei Chamber of Commerce, we had 80 employers offer their expertise to our students,” said Sean Tajima, interim Campbell-Kapolei Complex Area Superintendent. “This effort supports the academy school design by introducing our freshmen students to a plethora of careers in order to help them make an informed decision on which academy to pursue. The idea was originally envisioned by Assistant Superintendent Heidi Armstrong, when she served as the Campbell-Kapolei complex area superintendent.”

The Expo consisted of three sessions, organized and timed accordingly for groups of students to interact with business representatives, ask detailed questions about career paths and options, and complete activities in their special CK Student Career Expo workbook.

“It’s a good opportunity to see different careers and how they work,” said Favian Johnson, a ninth grader at Campbell High School. “The expo will help us to understand what we need to do to prosper and grow as individuals, and find a career that fits us the best.”

Fellow Kapolei High School freshman, Pieshence Awong, also thought the CK Student Career Expo was beneficial. “I’m really happy that they had this because, as ninth graders, we’re coming into a new world and starting to explore our career options,” said Awong. “It also allows us to practice our communication skills and help us to get ready for a job interview.”

Today’s event was also supported and sponsored by a partnership with Kamehameha Schools. “Together with partners like the Department of Education Campbell-Kapolei Complex Area and the Kapolei Chamber of Commerce we’re working to build systems that connect learning with real world application and career pathway mentorship,” said Kamehameha Schools Community Engagement and Resources Ewa Regional Director Nalani Blane Kealaiki.

Tajima agreed and said, “We are truly grateful for the community partners and businesses who helped to make this event a success as we continue to work together to educate, empower and equip Hawaii’s future leaders with the necessary skills for the workplace.”

Click here for more information on HIDOE’s Connect to Careers (C2C) program.

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About the Hawaii State Department of Education
The Hawaii State Department of Education is the 10th largest U.S. school district and the only statewide educational system in the country. It is comprised of 256 schools and 36 charter schools, and serves about 180,000 students. King Kamehameha III established Hawaii’s public school system in 1840. To learn more, visit HawaiiPublicSchools.org.

Sherie Char
Communications Specialist
Hawaii State Department of Education
Ph: (808) 586-3232
Email: [email protected]