Kaua‘i Community College extends a hearty welcome to its new vice chancellor for administrative services, Brandon Shimokawa. Brandon attended Kaua‘i High School and has a B.S. in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His grandfather, Minoru Shimokawa, was
Kaua‘i Community College extends a hearty welcome to its new vice chancellor for administrative services, Brandon Shimokawa. Brandon attended Kaua‘i High School and has a B.S. in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His grandfather, Minoru Shimokawa, was one of KCC’s original auto body instructors. Brandon joins the college from Navistar, Inc. in Melrose Park, Ill., where he served as the plant controller.
The college also warmly welcomes Berna Akiona as the new instructor and coordinator of the massage program. Berna graduated from the KCC Professional Massage Program in 2004.
“The program has now been modified to allow continuing education opportunities for current therapists, as well as for people who need a more flexible schedule,” she said.
Once students have successfully completed the KCC massage program, they are eligible to take the state exam to become licensed therapists in the state of Hawai‘i. For more information email Berna at bakiona7@hawaii.edu.
The Kamehameha Schools recently pledged $146,510 to the college’s Wai‘ale‘ale Project, which supports students who might not otherwise consider a college education. One such student, Laszlow Whitfield, has been accepted into the Freeman Foundation Community College Program to promote international education. Whitfield is one of only 10 students from the University of Hawai‘i’s community college system to receive a full scholarship. He is currently taking intensive classes in Korean at Kapiolani Community College and will be studying at a college in Korea during the summer.
As a participant in the Fulbright Nehru International Educators Seminar, Chancellor Helen Cox traveled to India in March with nine other administrators from around the U.S. to learn about the Indian higher education system, as well as to establish connections for potential partnerships and cultural exchanges by students, faculty and administrators, particularly in the areas of culture, economic, environmental and social sustainability.
The UH Foundation and the college recently co-sponsored the 2013 Kaua‘i Community College Scholarship Reception honoring scholarship donors for their role in enhancing the educational experiences of students and supporting their success. Student scholarship recipients had an opportunity to personally thank those who have supported their education, while donors had the opportunity to meet the students they have helped face to face. Speakers included scholarship recipients Sheri Villabrille and Michael Buenconsejo, donor Mary Williamson, and UH Foundation Director of Development KC Collins. Kaua‘i Community College has the distinction of awarding the most scholarships of any community college in the UH system.
The KCC Sustainable Living Institute (Ho‘ouluwehi) has been named a finalist in the Second Nature Climate Leadership Awards, an annual competition among U.S. colleges and universities that are signatories of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
This past March, Kaua‘i Community College’s Ikena Kahua Program hosted students and faculty from the Hiroshima, Toba, Toyama, and Yuge campuses of Japan’s National Colleges of Technology. Participants in the two-week program studied Hawaiian culture, traditional navigation, ocean safety and English.
The KCC Culinary Department will hold its 11th Annual Spring Gourmet Gala on April 12. This evening of food, wine and music is a major fundraising event for the culinary program. For more information, contact Chef Martina Hilldorfer at 245-8265.
With a master’s degree from Baylor University, Laura Dillman, Kaua‘i Community College Lifetime Fitness and Health Instructor, was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Before coming to KCC, she spent more than 19 years coaching sports and teaching middle, high school and university students, and three years as a community health educator. She is a certified yoga instructor and personal trainer, and her interests include hiking, triathlons, skiing, jewelry-making, weaving, stained glass and painting.
Originally from Kahaluu on O‘ahu, Jeff Mexia has taught English at KCC for the past seven years, most recently as an assistant professor. He completed his B.A. in English at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, and received an M.A. in English, with a concentration in cultural studies of Asia and the Pacific. He currently serves as the professional development coordinator, the English program coordinator, and as the information and technology advisory committee chair. In his spare time, Jeff is a father, husband and Linux and Open Source “evangelist.”
The community is invited to come and “talk story” with a panel of nationally recognized Hawai‘i authors including Lisa Linn Kanae, Kealoha, Juliet S. Kono, Mark Panek, and Cathy Song hosted by Kaua‘i Community College as part of the Kaua’i Literature Festival: An Evening to Celebrate Reading on April 12 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in OCET 106CD. This is a wonderful opportunity to get up close and personal with established Hawai‘i writers. Pupus provided. For more information, call James Lee at 245-8371 or email james.lee@hawaii.edu
• Greg Shepherd is an Associate Professor of Music at Kaua‘i Community College. ‘News from KCC’ appears the first Friday of every month.
