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A Student PublicAtion of the univerSity of hAwAi`i • honolulu community college • october 2015

A NEW GARDEN

ON CAMPUS -- Page 5

KA LĀ • HonoLuLu Community CoLLege, university of HAwAi`i oCtober 20152

Ka Lā, the campus newspaper of Honolulu

Community College. Ka La publishes 800 copies

monthly during the Spring and Fall Semesters.

Ka L� and all campus publications

are funded by student publication

fees and advertising.

No materials published may be reproduced

or reused without permission of HonCC Student

Media Board.

Ka L� is published under the

supervision of the HonCC

Student Media Board:

ChairpersonAngelina Peralta

Board membersAlyssa Baligad

Krisangela JohnsonDevon-Jack Rosete

Ka L� EditorHillary Brown

Faculty AdvisersEmily Kukulies

Mike Leidemann

Staff members

Jared Paul BonillaBrian de Jesus Morales

Marla JenneMonica Lerma

Jackie LiuJason MarPaul Perry

Christian PestilliJames SedilloSean Takehara

Nakemiah Williams

Contact Informationhcckala@gmail.com

Student Media Board Building 2, Room 115 Phone: (808) 845-9213

Submissions Ka Lā invites letters to the

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refuse or edit submissions.

Student editors and writ-ers are responsible for content,

which does not necessarily reflect the opinion of HonCC

administration, faculty or staff.

Student Media BoardThe Student Media Board (SMB) is now seeking applications for student board member positions. This HonCC Chartered Student Organization oversees KA LĀ, the campus newspaper, and our campus Digital Signage team. This is a rare opportunity to shape student media and make a difference for the student community.

www. thekala. netStudent Media BoardHonolulu Community College874 Dillingham BLVD BLDG 2-115

KaLā NewsBecome a part of our KaLā News staff doing what you love to do! KaLā News offers various positions for everyone.

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Student government to rebuild

By Ka L� staff

Last month students voted to remove all current student government rules and regulations. The re-sults of this vote will allow HonCC students to start rebuilding the organization in a format and structure they desire.

Student Life and Development has said that all HCC students will

be invited to a series of planning meetings to work through ideas on what the new organization should entail. Once they have a prototype, there will be another vote to adopt the new organization. So students will get a chance to give feedback and review the new concepts.

HonCC arrived at this vote because in past years the structure and format of student

government had not been functional. Interested and excited students got frustrated with the layers of bureaucracy and felt student governance was not functioning as it should.

More than half of the students quit the organization each of the last three years. There was so little interest in the last student government election that we had no

election. This means that right now, there is no student government.

With this vote, Student Life & Development believes students can now create a better organization that serves as the voice of the students without burdening student leaders into apathy. We will see if this start fresh with the clean slate does create more functional organization.

Ka LĀ photo by Alyssa BaligadThe school year really got started in September with the Get IT! ) event in the school cafeteria. It was a chance to find out about all kinds of student groups and activities, like Phi Theta Kappa, on the campus.

KaLĀ • HonoLuLu Community CoLLege, university of Hawai`i oCtober 20153

Winners of the First UH Bookstore 15 to finish promotion who wererandomly selected from all eligible 2013-14 freshman who took

30 or more credits in their first year.

IMPORTANT LINKS15tofinish.com | www.star.hawaii.edu

Why 15 to Finish?1215

CREDITSPERSEMESTER

YEARSINSCHOOL

CREDITSPERSEMESTER

YEARSINSCHOOL

23

Just because you’re full-time doesn’t mean you’ll finish on time.

4.1YEARS

In Hawai‘i, on average,full-time students take

for a 2-year degree

Those who graduate on time with a degree willsave time and money.

By Taeler JavierKa La staff writer

Joshua Javier, 24, is a man who commands the room, not with his 5-foot-11 stature but with his personality. As a member of both the Filipino dance group Tekniqlingz and the Filipino Junior Chamber of Commerce, Javier is active within the community when he's not working at the Pearl Harbor shipyard.

After graduating Kamehameha Schools in 2009, Javier went to UH-Manoa to pursue electrical engineering. However, after two years, he quickly realized that he was not on his desired path.

"I switched majors twice and I had felt like college wasn't the right thing for me at the time. I just wanted to get started on my career," he said.

Stephanie Javier, Joshua's mother, suggested that he apply for the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Apprenticeship Program because "he was a very smart boy and he could pick up on things relatively easily." Thus began the process of application.

Javier tells of a seven- to eight-month-long application process which consisted of a test, an

interview, and a physical exam. The process for him began in April 2012 when he, alongside the 3,000 other applicants, took the initial exam. After waiting about four to eight weeks, those who passed were notified about the interview process in September, and, if successful, had a physical exam four to eight weeks later. Over the length of the process, the 3,000 applicants in April dwindled down to 150 men and women accepted into the program the following January.

The number of applicants is high for good reasons, Javier explained.

"They offered a set schedule, it's a federal job, and they pay for your schooling. In addition to these benefits, there's room for upward mobility, good pay with step increases, and access to certain military facilities like Bellows and Hale Koa," he said.

Once accepted into the program, apprentices take courses at Honolulu Community College that are transferable to UH-Manoa should they decide to further their

education there. Javier reminisced about taking courses in drafting, physics, and even American Studies, all of which were paid for by the federal government.

However, Javier said the real training didn't occur until he was on the job.

When asked what a typical day is like for an apprentice, Javier said the day begins with an interactive briefing at 6:30 a.m. followed by working on assigned jobs until 11 a.m. After their half-hour lunch break, workers go back to their jobs and ensure that the area is secured and ready for the second shift by 2 p.m. However, these workers occasionally have training days, separate from on the job training, that gives them the needed qualifications to move up in ranks and pay grade.

As for advice for those who want to apply, Javier joyfully responded, "Even if you don't make it the first time, keep trying because it's a great place to work."

Apprentice found his place through HonCC

By BRIAN De Jesus MoralesKa L� staff writer

Steven Montijo is a construction worker who has been working hard to reach his goals. He also fell once from 16 feet when his boot got caught in the ladder. He fell backwards hitting the ground, breaking his clavicle, smashing three disc in his back, and the cartilage of both knees.

Montijo was born in New York in 1969 and grew in Brooklyn and in Puerto Rico. At 14, he dropped out of school and found a job as a mechanic dropping down transmissions and disassembling them.

After a few months, he quit -- "I hate grease" -- and found a job in construction. That's when the fun started.

"I took a job doing demolition and I loved it. It was more than a job; it was an adventure," he said. "I like to break things. It's a good stress relief," Montijo said.

"Smashing down walls with a sledge hammer was fun, and I got

paid well for it," Montijo said. The hard part from that type of job was cleaning up and lifting lots of weights over 100 pounds. Montijo had a great experience working in demolition

However, demolition is considered high-risk construction work and is characterized by hazardous working environments. "I have friends that have physical problem like lower back problems, and knee problems," Montijo said.

Montijo also has been injured on the job. After he fell from the ladder, he couldn't work for over 3 monthz or use the left arm. "But I am a survivor. Three years I was out of work, but now I'm back," he said. These days, Montijo says he has learned a lot from construction work, and he can do plumbing, electrical, welding, rebar, and concrete work.

Today, Montijo is 46 years old, and he owns his own company called TFC Inc.

From demolition manto company owner

Joshua Javier,, a HonCC graduate, found his place in the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Apprenticeship Program.

For more information on apprentice program::

http://www.honolulu. hawaii.edu/node/770

KaLĀ • HonoLuLu Community CoLLege, university of Hawai`i oCtober 20154

By Jared Bonilla Ka L� staff writer

Students engulfed with a passion for fashion and aspirations of becoming a designer have the opportunity to join the Fashion Technology program offered at Honolulu Community College. “Fashion is the chameleon of art, it can morph into whatever the wearer wants,” says Joseph Aguon, who is enrolled in the program, which gives students a hands-on approach to working with different materials and textiles, industrial sewing, illustration, and much more. With the techniques learned in this program, students can successfully transfer what they learned to the fashion industry after graduation. The final project for students enrolled in the program entails designing a collection to be showcased at the school’s annual fashion show at the end of the Spring semester. “The fashion show is a very big event with news teams coming to cover the show,” says Billie Lueder, executive assistant to the chancellor and director of communications & external affairs at HonCC. Three former alumni of the

program have gone on to compete on the Lifetime television series “Project Runway,” where participants vie each week for a grand prize of having their collection showcased at the next New York Fashion Week. Before joining the fashion program, students should do a lot of research and thinking about whether “sitting behind a sewing machine for hours is really your thing,” Aquon said. “If you mess up, you've spent $30 just on practice materials.” Aguon, a second-year student in the program, said that after graduating he hopes to take his talents to New York. “I’m planning on attending Fashion Institute of Technology to further develop my craft,” he said. Fashion Technology is an approximately two-year program in which students receive an associate degree, and certificates of achievement and competence after they complete the program. If students decide fashion is something of interest and that want to pursue a career in the fashion industry, they should talk to their counselors and register for the necessary classes, Aquon said.

Fashion programcontinues to attractcreative students

Learn to study smarter, not longer By Jason Mar Ka L� staff writer

Upcoming exam and no idea how to prepare for it? Well keep on reading, because you can learn how to study smart.

As assignments pile up, everyone tends to procrastinate because we all think that we can spend two to three days of cramming to catch up. But while last-minute cramming may allow you to pass a test, you won't remember the material for long, as proven through many scientific studies.

“Decades of research have demonstrated that spacing out study sessions over a longer period of time improves long-term memory. In other words, if you have 12 hours to spend on a subject, it's better to study it for three hours each week for

four weeks than to cram all 12 hours into week four, ”according to the American Psychological Association.

Instead of doing all-nighters thinking that you’re being productive, it’s better to get a couple hours of sleep instead of squeezing in a few more chapters. We all know that feeling where we feel dead tired at 6 a.m., wondering if this all-nighter is going to pay off. Then you also know that during the exam you probably aren’t thinking straight

.So it’s better to remember a few chapters well thanks to sleep instead of “learning” every chapter in the book thanks to your all-nighter.

An alternative, if you honestly feel like you didn’t learn enough material, is to sleep a little bit and wake up early so you have time to study a bit more and actually

wake up. Now that you know when

to study, let’s move on to how to study. There are three main types of learners. They’re visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Visual learners learn by seeing, auditory learners learn by hearing, and kinesthetic learners learn by doing it.

According to researchers at Purdue University visual

learners uses visual objects such as graphs, charts, pictures, and seeing information, can read body language well and have a good perception of aesthetics. They are able to memorize and recall various information and learn better in lectures by watching them.

Auditory learners retain information through hearing and speaking, prefer to be told how to do things and then summarize the main points out loud to help with memorization.

Kinesthetic learners would rather demonstrate how to do something rather than have it verbally explained and likes to use the hands-on approach to learn new material.

“I study better by hands on, I prefer to see it,” said HCC student Jenisha Aguon.

HonCC students cap their time in the Fashion Technology program with a fashion show each spring. These are student works from last semester's show.

Ka LĀ photos by Alyssa Baligad

KaLĀ • HonoLuLu Community CoLLege, university of Hawai`i oCtober 20155

A new garden grows on campus For the last year, longtime

cosmetology instructor Phil Hervas has been developing a secret garden at HonCC.

. Under his watchful eye and nurturing hand, the garden sur-rounding Building 27 has ex-ploded into a peaceful paradise that includes a variety of orchids, ground coverings, palms, suc-culents, and gorgeous water lilies

with playful fish. “I love our school: the faculty, staff, students and all those we serve," Hervas said. "And I have gained greatly and grown from working here. It is because of this appreciation for all that our school is and does that I wanted to give back in some small way. The garden is for me a gift that will always go on giving.”

KaLĀ • HonoLuLu Community CoLLege, university of Hawai`i 6 oCtober 2015

UH news briefs KCC starts work on culinary school

Ground-breaking ceremonies were held this month for Kapiolani Community College’s Culinary Institute of the Pacific, which will be located on the slopes of Diamond Head at former site of the Cannon Club.

The $25 million first phase of the culinary facility includes two single story laboratory buildings, outdoor cooking area, landscaping, the first of two parking lots and all the offsite utility infrastructure for the project. Future phases of the project will include an administration/faculty building, auditorium, classrooms, advanced patisserie and confisserie laboratories and a teaching restaurant.

“The Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head will be the epicenter for culinary innovation and education in Hawaii,” said UH President David Lassner..

Hawaii CC's ranked 14th best Hawaii has been reported to have one of the best community

college systems in the country.That's according to the personal finance website WalletHub,

which conducted an in-depth analysis of 2015’s Best & Worst Community Colleges, then drew upon its results to identify the states with the best and worst community college systems.

After comparing 670 community colleges across 17 key metrics, ranging from the fees to student-faculty ratio to the cost of in-state tuition and fees, Hawaii was considered to have the 14th best system in the U.S. HonCC was rated 464th on the list. KCC led local schools at No. 147. Enrollment up 6.7 compared to last year

More students are choosing to come to Honolulu Community College because of its convenient location in metro Honolulu.

Some students interviewed on campus said they picked HonCC because it is near where they work or live.

“It’s close to my Grandma’s house,” said Jade Rogers, 19, a first-year student at HonCC.

“It’s by my house. I like the campus and the people there,” said Marisa Wong, 20, another first-year student at HonCC.

School officials said that enrollment was up 6.7 percent over the previous fall, with a total of 4,129 students registered at the start of the semester.

Regents nominations being soughtThe Candidate Advisory Council has initiated the recruitment

process for four seats on the University of Hawaii Board of Regents and will be accepting applications and nominations for two Honolulu seats, one Hawai‘i County seat, and one student seat.

Application materials, procedures and descriptions of regent’s responsibilities are available online at http://www.hawaii.edu/rcac.

Members of the UH Board of Regents serve voluntarily and are not paid.

Students take part in Cyber Camp Approximately 60 Hawai‘i high school students took part in

participate in a week long GenCyber Hawai‘i camp at HonCC this summer.

. These camps were designed to educate and excite high school students about career pathways in cybersecurity and to strengthen the cybersecurity knowledge base of high school teachers in the State of Hawai‘i.

For the latest school news, go to www.thekala.net

Halloween &Talent Showcase

October 29, 2015 Bldg. 4, Cafeteria10:30am-12:30pm

Come celebrate Halloween with some spooky festivities with your fellow students. Feel free to come in with your

costumes and join our costume contest and talent showcase

@honoluluccSTUD

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STUDENT ACTIVITIES BOARDHONOLULU COMMUNITY COLLEGE874 DILLINGHAM BLVD BLDG 2-114808-845-9498

HUNGRY? NOVEMBER 2510AM-2PM

STUDENT ACTIVITIES BOARD IS BRINGing you local kinegrinds to EASE YOUR HUNGER.join us @ the campus mall

HEALTHY JessDaBess Acai Bowls

LOCAL All Kine

GrInDs

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STUDENT ACTIVITIES BOARDHONOLULU COMMUNITY COLLEGE874 DILLINGHAM BLVD BLDG 2-114808-845-9498

@honolulucc#honccsab

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 7 October 2015

Spring 2015 Dean's List

AJacquelyn AbadJackie AbalosDonielle AbasialRyan AbeArnel AbendanioMadison AbordoShanelle AcainPatrick AciertoBrayton AcobaChad AdvientoRodney AgbayaniJonathan AgnoJett AguirreShailanne Ah LooHi'ilani AhinaBelinda AkakaAleczander AkanaMark Andrew AlamonPatrick James AlcarazVance AlconcelLorenza AldanJustiny AlimootYvonne AlmeidaKara AlmonteDavid AlvaradoCarol AmaralAaron AnamiErika AnchetaJazelyn AnchetaCathey AndersonTyler AokiBryson AquiatLawrence AragonLance ArakakiEsther ArakawaJohn AraujoAnthony ArcanoAaron AriiJana ArreRobbie AsamotoBridgette AshTerence Aveiro

BKasee BaileyKyle BalbironaSteven BaldaufGreg BarayugaAtsuko BarthRonalyn BarutKeiko BataraJerryl BayangBarbara BecraftDavid BehrensAshley BellCherrie Lyn BeltranGabriela BeltranCody BenanuaCharmaine BenignoShelby BensonAlexander BentonWilliam Patrick Ber-naldezSierra BlotterEmily BoirumMark Jonel BolibolZachary BonaudiJaypee BonillaVictoria BordignonBrooke BosqueKogen BoyerMichael BrannumJared BraunHillary BrownEdwin BrunoStephen BuckBradley Bugad

C Ji Ren Cao Justin CaballesLance Cabanilla-KuJorge CadenasJonah CadizKristen CalacalAdam CaldwellDelzie CalucagBryan CaluyaChristopher Campbell

Brent CanidaGary CanitePhanee CaramonteJohn Harley CaridadGretchen CarnateKimi CartyThomas CarvalhoCheryl CasanovaRonald CastilloChristophtr CaswellGerome CatbaganT. Cayetano-TamashiroJarrin CelozaLynnette ChangJeremy ChangJoshua ChapaYeanni Annie ChenFuhua ChenShasha ChenSabrina ChewCasey ChingAudrie ChisumNathan ChiuTony ChoiHannah ChoiAaron ChoiJanna ChoyYing Kit ChuiNicole Chun-ParkJennifer CiesiolkaErik ClemsonChelsey ColonJames CornwellZachary CoronasLee CorotanBryan CortezClarence CottrellIrene CramerCandace CreganCody DanielAndy DaoMayra DavisKenneth Christopher

DDedicatoria Dela PenaKawika DelimaRussell Delos SantosRick DemoeBrad DempsterKatelynn DillonVictor DivinaLoraine DolienteBenjamin DumaranBrian Joel DumaslanJames DuropanNikki Dutro

E Tyler EdradaBryant EleginoSara EllenboltDon EspaniolaVic-Albert Estoesta

F Trevor FanguyPeter FaualoJoanne Brandy FelipeMatthew FelixVictor FerminDonald FialkowskiShanice FinchKeanu FoltzDaniel FongIsaiah Foo-MitsunagaAnna-Michelle FreedNicole FuCody Fukuhara

GLuis GaerlanNena GalichaGary GanJayDean GanitanoJenny Gao

Mark Jesfer GaoiranEduardo GarciaBrendalis GarciaJustin GaroRodney GastonSharayah GentryBrittany Giffard StalkerKamo'i GilmanNicole GinozaTroy GodaNainoa GonsalvesFred GoyaChristopher GoyaDavid GoyaNicole Patria GranciosaEamon GrayDavid GrupenBenigno GuerreroTimothy GundersonFeifei Guo

HHien HaKeanu HainaBrandon HamasakiJoanna HanTing HeGuan Hui HeLi Qin HeEmily Rose HeadMaile HewittTroy HigaKai HigaRobert HinokumaMatthew HoJessica HoGavan HondaChance HookalaNatasha Hopkins-MonizBrandon HoriuchiKallen HosakaDavid HsuKaiwen HuJimmy HuangAngela HurdCharles Hwang

IBenjamin IgeCharles IgnacioKevin InthirathEthylene Rose IpalariKenneth ItoStaciaLee JaegerMarla JenneSydney JohnsonHeather JohnsonJohn KagehiroH. KaiuraMichael KamJonathan KamadaNicole KamaluGayle KaneshiroRoss KangKeoki KanohokulaJohn KaohelauliiMichelle KapuleCheryl Ann Kashi-wamuraAkemi KatoNathan KawanishiRena KayanoKale KealohaScheherazade KeliiDallas KiaShane KidoMarisa KiethanomBrian KimBrian KimJacob KimselSean KingLance KoenigKasey KoomoaNoah KoonEric KotakeWilliam KrugerChristopher Masen-KuaiwaCathleen Kuang

Anthony KubejaKamaile KunipoBrandon \KushimaAshley KuwaharaMiye Kuwata

LTanya LabajoZachary LagrimasChristian LaiRio LaigoRayton LamayDave LamugKatrina LancasterJarett LapitanScott LauAaron LauDarek LavioletteDuong LeBrittany LeandroO'Neal LebehnAlyson LeeJonathan LeeMatthew LeeBrenden LeeStuart LeongSeth LewisJason LigonChad LindseyKeanu LindseyJessica LinkMarjorie LinzyKristen LitherlandRobbi-Anne LiuJaslyn LoftinMaleko LorenzoLezli LouKazumi LoveKaliko LovelandJohn-Paul LuckfieldBronson LuisFrank-Dwayne LujanLoc Luu

MDavid MacatoMatthew MaetaniAustin-Lee Mahi'aiWeihang MaiBarry MaitlandJack MandaquitHolden Mandrial-SantosDonna Leilani ManuelJoejacob ManutaiMichelle MarananLucia MaravalliRapeeporn MarshallKikolani MartinezJames MarzanThomas MascioliKristie MasuokaWayne MathesJeanette MatsudaGavin MatsumotoBrandon MatsumuraAlika MattsonJasmine McClainJohn McDonoughJames McGowanJohn Paul McManusNicholas MegargelRandy MendiolaElida Meza TorresMelia MizuguchiLalana MoeKaitlyn MoellerJustin Ryan MolinaChristopher Montalban PinedaBrittany MontillianoJordan MoralesRylan MoriharaBrad MorikawaClaira MorrisonStephanie MortonTone MunevongsaGarrett MurataJared Nagai

NKristin NagamineCarly NaganumaKyle NakaharaJeremy NamahoeAnthony Sylvester NambioLeilani NapuunoaAlamea NapuunoaPatrick NgKhu NguyenMina NguyenAnna NguyenLan NguyenLong NguyenMartha NishimuraMiya NishioStacy Ann Nitta

ONathan OgataNeil OgawaNathan OkiCory OkudaRyan OlagueraJoshua OlagueraBriana OlartiJuan Carlos OlegarioJared OmiyaJames OmoriTaylor OmuroLance OntaiJulye OpiopioDonovan OrialKellen OrokuRock OrozcoMichelle OrpillaGeorge OrpillaDaniel OrtizDavid OshitaTiana Otsuka Duclayan

PKent Joe PacanuayanBeny PacubasAlmie PajaCharita PalicteBradley Ryan PammitZachary PangKaiponohea PatocJeremy PatricioBradley PaulGabriel Peacott-RicardosRichard PeltonBang Doan PhamJ.N. Pieper RemigioDaniel PoepoeBradley PonceJohn H. PoomaihealaniKirk PowlesAurelio PrezaCarl PriceSydney Price

QShiloh QaloJanice QuesadaJonnah Rae Quiacusan

RC. Quibol-RodriguezVictoria RabagoSavanna Rains-ColeChristopher RallustianChelsey RamirezEmely RamosDevin RascoMark RazonskiFrank ReillyKehaulani RemiticadoKingston RepercioCooper RestureSean Michael RevillaMelvin ReyesDaniel ReyesEileen RicardoRyan Rigor

Aaron RigorAlphonse Matthew RigorKimverly Rios RamosBradley Ray RiveraJordan RobertsKate RobinsonJoshlyn RodriguesWilliam RollmanNathan RouttRandy RuizKevin Ryan

S'Jaena Mae SabugoSuilda SaduralShawn SaitoChristian SakaidaMicah SaulaRowel SayonMark ScalzoneJoy SchoonoverJonathan SerapionJasrael SheehanAndrew ShimabukuScott ShimizuBrandon ShimomuraJulian SilveriaCayne Simmons-SabeySterling Simon GantiWessten SmithLudmilla SmithSteffanie SobitzSunsearay SolatorioJustin SoonSteven SotoSolomon SoukiRyan SouzaKalama SouzaBrian StandifordShawny StoneStephanie StonerRoshan SuehiroMatthew SugiharaAshley SuzukiDinah SwordsBlaze Sylva

T Stephen TahenyAnthony TajasDaniel TaliloaBrendon TanabeMar TanigawaBrandon TaniyamaRovi Mae TerradoBryan TeshimaGregory TeterSusan ThompsonJason TimmAprille TolentinoTennyson TomJohn TonerGenesis ToralbaCarlos TorresAaron ToyamaMong Thu TranJohn TranThuy TranVladimir TreckerAaron TrinidadKevin TsutsuiLeo TuazonHeidi Twiggs-Akau

U Christopher J. UlepMelody UlepStephen UmenoRowel Urban

VLayla ValentineCody ValerosRomnick Jude ValmojaBrandon VazquezSharey Vendiola

Bryan VesceCharmaine C. ViernesJoshuaVierraEdmar VillaB. Villa-HashimotoGabriel ViloriaBenjamin Vincent

WLyle WachiLokahi WadeDodge WatsonKelsie WaukeAntonio WellsGregory WesselJamie WestYequn WhitakerDustin WilliamsKristin WilsonKeevin WinchesterJennifer WongKurt WongJustin WongReyan WongMarisa WongRobert WongJaymie WuLianghang Wu

XYZ Royce YamakiIan YamamotoDennis YamashiroBrandon YamashitaIan YanagiharaAlan YangKevin YangDawei YangNeil YasuharaMatthew YeeRyan YipRyan YonamineBranch YoungAaron YriRoyce YuenMicah YuenQing Qing Zhu

KaLĀ • HonoLuLu Community CoLLege, university of Hawai`i oCtober 2015 8

Blast off By Ka LĀ staff

Several Honolulu College Students had the thrill of a lifetime this summer, when they got to see a project they worked on launched into space from Virginia on a rocket.

The students were part of a team from HonCC and three other community colleges in Hawaii who worked together on Project Imua, a joint faculty-student enterprise for designing, fabricating and testing payloads.

The UH team was the only community college team in the country whose payload was selected for this launch. Payloads developed by students from seven higher education programs were aboard the rocket.

“We can do anything just like anywhere else in the world. We have facilities and we have come so far. Project Imua means to move forward and we have definitely moved forward,” HonCC student Suraj Mehta said.

Added Debora Pei, a recent graduate of HonCC, “The excellent progress we have made with Project Imua demonstrates how, with adequate funding and solid opportunities, Hawaii students can compete side-by-side with other great minds all across the country.”

Pei, who just completed an Associate Arts degree in the spring and is

majoring in mechanical engineering, was one of five females on the project. She says it took “a lot of email” to coordinate between team members, who hail from four different UH campuses on different islands.

The main component of Project Imua’s payload consists of a UV spectrometer that will analyze the intensity of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation before it enters Earth’s atmosphere. The data could have implications regarding climate.

Honolulu CC students designed the payload’s electronic circuitry for power and data collection and transmission.

After achieving an altitude of 94 miles, the payload with the students’ experiments was recovered in the Atlantic Ocean off the Virginia coast. The experiments and any stored data would then be provided to the teams to analyze.

"It’s been a long trip. It’s taken nine months to get here, so it's really exciting that we are finally getting a launch that’s the culmination of what we’ve been working for,” added Windward CC student Cale Mechler.

Students see class work

fired into space