Business Comes to Campus at Kamehameha Schools Maui Career Day

Fashion designer Manaola Yap and Manaola Group, LLC CEO Zachary Pang were among the 83 career information speakers. Manaola also keynoted the Career Dayt 2018 closing assembly. PC: Maui Business Brainstormers

Kamehameha Schools Maui held a Career Day on Feb. 15, 2018 that featured more than 70 exhibitors and 83 professionals from the community who spoke to approximately 500 students, sharing information and advice about their respective careers.

Students brought questions to ask the visiting professionals as part of the five-hour event, which promoted active learning and the opportunity to link classrooms to careers and workplaces.

Exhibitors at the event included Maui Medical Group Radiology Department, Hawaiian Airlines, Sixth Sense Archeological Consultants, Old Lahaina Lūʻau, Maui Ocean Center, Goodfellow Brothers, American Institute of Architects, Auwahi Wind Energy, and Andaz Maui at Wailea.

Several non-profit and governmental organization exhibitors included Maui Family Support Services, Maui Invasive Species Committee, UH Maui College Nursing & Allied Health Programs, Maui County Bar Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the County and State Airport Fire Departments, Hawaiʻi Small Business Development Center and Maui Business Brainstormers, a nonprofit think tank created to help local entrepreneurs.

Organizer Priscilla Cabanilla Mikell and her team also recruited an array of career day speakers, including representatives from Maui’s police and fire departments; the medical, computer and environmental management fields; and professionals from local businesses, local unions and government agencies.

Speakers in the 33 career information sessions included fashion designer Manaola Yap, local documentary film producer Dawn Kaniaupio, award-winning culinarians Chefs Sheldon Simeon, Ivan Pahk and Isaac Bancaco, engineers and Kamehameha Schools alumni Troy Ching (Kapalama) and Ryan Keola Mountcastle (Maui), and many others. Several other Kamehameha Schools alumni participated as speakers or exhibitors, giving back to their alma mater.

Maui artists, Ry-n Shimabuku (make-up & hair), Marilyn Jalayahay (photography)and Koa Johnson (fashion). PC: Maui Business Brainstormers

“Our future is in good hands,” said Nicole Fisher, MBB member and owner of Skywriting by…nico, a small business social media marketing company, who also helped at the MBB exhibit. “I came to that conclusion yesterday after meeting with several students from both junior and senior high at the Kamehameha Schools Maui Career Day. The students were bright, inquisitive and eager to learn about what it takes to do one’s job. I had so much fun asking them if they had any idea of what they wanted to do after college. Many of them had ideas about being an attorney, a veterinarian or an engineer. What surprised me was the amount of students considering starting their own business.”

Teri Freitas Gorman, president of the Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, returned to Kamehameha Schools Maui for yet another Career Day. “This generation of young Hawaiians is very impressive and they inspire so much optimism for the future,” Gorman said. “Many of the students, especially the young ladies, have plans to become entrepreneurs. This is what our chamber loves to hear—smart and capable students who want to establish and successfully operate their own businesses in their own homeland.”