Iolani graduated from high school on the island of Kauai and found herself working at an entry-level job at a naval base gym. She enrolled at the Hawaii Job Corps Center and studied office administration.

She became a certified Microsoft Office specialist in Word and earned certificates in Office Proficiency Assessment & Certificates (OPAC) in keyboarding, 10-Key, and data entry.

Iolani accepted many leadership roles and responsibilities while in the program such as dorm leader and trade office manager. She was also instrumental in operating the student store by preparing the deposits from sales and evaluating the sales trends to develop a purchasing plan.

Iolani set her sights on the military as a career path. She joined the military club early on at Job Corps.

“Job Corps supported my military goals by offering ASVAB [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery] prep courses and math tutoring which helped me improve my scores. They brought in recruiters from all the military branches to help me make informed decisions on the branch I wanted to join. The club also taught us military drill, marching, and teamwork. The physical fitness activities of the club included running and hiking which helped me with my fitness goals,” said Iolani.

Job Corps Career Training Manager Dwight Keola was impressed with Iolani’s determination and focus.

“She had a strong desire to learn and grow when she was in the program. She chose the Navy because of the college benefits and travel opportunities. By enlisting in the Navy, her reference points expanded, and now she truly can see the world and make her dreams a reality.”

Iolani recently completed basic training and will be attending school in Pensacola Florida studying to be an aviation boatswains mate handler working on aviation carriers.

“My goal is to complete college and travel the world. I would highly recommend Job Corps to other young adults. I surrounded myself with positive mentors who believed in me more than I did myself. I am forever grateful for the opportunities Job Corps has given me,” said Iolani.