3rd annual career day introduces Hookena students to array of worlds

HOOKENA — It’s never too early for students to discover their passions.

Or, for that matter, what kind of hard work is needed to fulfill their dreams.

At Hookena Elementary School on Wednesday, students had the opportunity to do just that, as they heard about a slate of careers in the arts, sciences and many other options available to them in the community.

“It’s about exposure; it’s like opening their minds up to possibilities,” said principal Nancy Jadallah. “So if they don’t know these possibilities exist, then they will never pursue that.”

Wednesday marked the school’s third annual career day, and gave 121 students, along with 28 students from Honaunau Elementary School, the chance to hear from more than two dozen presenters from local agencies, companies and organizations, including the Canada-France Hawaii Telescope, Hawaii Police Department and Hawaii Fire Department.

Students also learned about careers in beekeeping, entrepreneurship and ranching, among other disciplines.

Many of the kids said they were enjoying speaking to people with careers they themselves would one day like to pursue.

Cristina Lopez, 11, was looking forward to a presentation about life in the culinary field.

“I want to be a chef,” she said, “because, at home, I like to cook.”

Cristina has been cooking since she was about 7, she said, and really enjoys preparing Spanish food. And at career day, she said, she wanted to learn what it takes to be a chef as she wasn’t yet sure what she was going to have to do to make it happen.

Others like Noah Camacho, a kindergarten student, wanted to be a police officer.

Noah said the officers from Hawaii Police Department who spoke on Wednesday were nice and talked about how they do their job in the community and what the students would need to join the police department themselves.

That includes a few extra years in school, Noah said, but he doesn’t mind.

“School’s not that bad,” he said.

Kona Community Policing Officer Robin Crusat, who was among those presenting on behalf of the department, said the career day was a good opportunity for students to start thinking about what they need to do to accomplish their goals.

“If we start from young, then they have that idea or motivation they have to reach a certain goal in order to be a police officer,” he said.

Mauna Loa Helicopters landed a helicopter on the school grounds to give the kids a one-of-a-kind look at aviation.

This was the company’s second year presenting at the school, said Assistant Chief Shane Roberson, who added they talk to students about their flight school, which offers federal financial aid.

“So trying to show the students that there’s more out there than just the normal college and that there’s really cool vocations and we have one here on the island,” he said. “It’s one of the top schools in the world.”

Roberson said for him, college didn’t interest him, but he always had a passion for flight.

“And so I decided to pursue something other than the traditional college education,” he said, “and it really, really worked out for me.”

Roberson added it’s important to start talking about careers to kids as young as elementary school, noting that’s about when he found his own passion for the skies.

“If I was in elementary school and a helicopter came and landed at my school, I would’ve been into it immediately,” he said. “They’re all very excited. We’re really excited to just let them be inside the helicopter and see it.”

Other students, meanwhile, were practicing their roping skills while learning about ranching from Shirley Medeiros of KM Ranch.

“For me, it’s important to show the kids that ranching is fun, but ranching is hard work,” she said, adding the gig is a 24/7 job and, for her family, “part of our life.” “It’s a family thing.”

It’s also important, she added, for students to know where their food comes from.

“Everything is hard work,” she said. “Everything that we do in ranching is hard work. But it benefits the kids later on in life, because they can do this with their children.”