HCAP WEEKLY October 14, 2024

Hā Initiative Students Prepare for FIRST LEGO League Competition

Hā Initiative: Creative STEM After-School Program students at Kaʻiulani Elementary school were thrilled to kick-off their third season of FIRST LEGO League. The theme this year is SUBMERGED, which involves using various technologies and robots to explore different layers of the ocean.

As an introductory lesson to the LEGO season, students practiced their building skills by creating projects based on assigned challenges: building a supervillain’s mode of transportation, a bridge to connect two different worlds, a rainbow and the tallest freestanding structure within five minutes. During this activity, the mini engineers excelled at designing unique structures. They finalized this activity by presenting their LEGO creations to the class.

After a few sessions, students finished building their models for the LEGO League qualifying tournament and decided that this year’s competing team members will be Jurell, Calum, Do Uyen, Jacob, Rydr and Mishell. They will be presenting their project at the qualifying tournament on November 23rd at Kapolei Middle School. If they pass the preliminary contest, they will then attend the state championship at McKinley High School on December 15th. The team is working hard to obtain the highest score! Six categories that each team will be judged on are discovery, innovation, impact, inclusion, teamwork and fun. To develop their leadership and inclusion skills, team members enjoyed short team building games that allowed them to connect with each other. Their teamwork and collaboration skills have improved in a short period of time.

For the research portion of their project, students chose to focus their lens on the global issue of plastic pollution in the oceans. Students are currently discovering the different technologies that are used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to address this issue, specifically in the Pacific Islands. Going forward, students will come up with their own ideas on how to tackle this problem. For the coding part of their project, team members have been using the web application, Scratch on iPads and testing out different coding scripts to complete assigned missions with their models. Stay tuned to see their competition results in November!

Click here to learn more about the Hā Initiative.

Kalaeloa Client Overcomes Setbacks and Finds New Opportunities

Lalena was referred to the Kalaeloa District Service Center in May of 2024. She was seeking assistance with finding resources that could help her get back her Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). However, after contacting the Office of Commercial Licensing Kalaeloa staff found out that there were several barriers standing in the way of her being able to accomplish this goal for at least the next twelve months. One of the biggest hurdles would be taking care of some fines and an appeals process before they would consider reinstatement.

Once staff received this information, the next steps were figuring out what she could do in the interim. Kalaeloa staff enrolled her in the Nā Lima Hana Employment Core Services Program and talked her through different options. Lalena was open to new ideas and exploring employment opportunities that she had no previous experience with. She hit the ground running and within 30 days secured employment as a phone contractor with Standup Wireless. Not only has she met her 60 days of employment, but has also been an instrumental part in providing cell phone service to those within the homeless community and the surrounding shelters within the Kalaeloa and Kapolei area. Recently, she was also able to participate in a resource fair held at Waipahu Intermediate, where she was able to provide cell phone services for low-income families.

Not only are staff members very proud of what Lalena has been able to accomplish in such a short time, but due to her hard work and tenacity, she is also in the process of becoming one of the newest Resident Aides at the Kumuhonua Transitional Living Center. Lalena explains that although working two jobs may be a little challenging, she is willing to work hard so that eventually she can move on to permanent housing and reclaim the life that she knows she deserves. The Kalaeloa District is so honored to work with a client like Lalena and will continue to provide her the support she needs on her path to success.

Click here to learn more about Kalaeloa District Service Center.

Single Mother on the Road to Self-Sufficiency

Jazalei was referred to the Central District Service Center by one of HCAP’s partners, Hawaii Medical College, for tuition assistance for its Healthcare Administration Billing and Coding Program. Jazalei is a single mother of a 1-year-old and recently graduated High School. Jazalei currently lives with her family who are her biggest supporters and have encouraged her to keep pushing toward her goals.

Jazalei was able to come into the Central District Service Center and staff were able to refer her to HCAP’s Nā Lima Hana Employment Core Services Program, a program to help unemployed and/or under employed individuals obtain and maintain employment. Jazalei was able to participate in a Job Readiness Training class. In this class, she learned about developing career goals, time management, basic computer skills, budgeting tips, how to prepare a resume, and how to prepare for an interview.

Jazalei was able to start classes at Hawaii Medical College and has shared that she is loving the classes so far. Jazalei wants to obtain her certification because this field of work will allow her to do something she loves, helping others. Jazalei also shared that finding a job in this field will allow her to provide a better future for her and her daughter.

With HCAP’s wraparound services, Central staff were also able to share information with Jazalei about the HCAP Head Start and Early Head Start program. Jazalei shared that in two years, her daughter will be old enough to apply for Head Start.

Central District Service Center will be following Jazalei’s journey as she works toward obtaining her certificate in Healthcare Administration Billing and Coding. Central staff also look forward to assisting Jazalei in obtaining work in that field so that she can become independent and self-sufficient.

Click here to learn more about Nā Lima Hana.