Center for Tomorrow's Leaders

“I really enjoyed the work culture. My coworkers treat me like a little sister and try to help me as much as possible. I feel well-supported at Servco,” says Tatiana Rillera, who had the opportunity to intern with Servco Pacific Inc. this summer through our Summer in Hawaii Internship Program. Over the summer, CTL alumni have the opportunity to intern with Hawai’i-based organizations to learn what it’s like to lead in the workforce. Adam Wood is the Operations Support Supervisor with Servco Pacific Inc., and served as a supervisor for our Summer in Hawai’i intern, Tatiana Rillera. Adam shared that “my experience with Tatiana as an intern was highly rewarding. She quickly adapted to our IT operations, demonstrating a willingness to learn new technologies and a proactive approach to problem-solving. Tatiana's eagerness to learn and her contributions, particularly in network management and IT customer service, significantly benefited our team. Her positive attitude and willingness to take on new challenges made her a valuable asset, and it was gratifying to see her grow and excel throughout the internship.” Mahalo to Adam and Servco Pacific for providing this amazing partnership and opportunity for our young leaders to grow professionally! #internship #leadlocalHI #leadership #youthleadership #hawaiiinternship

🌺 Aloha in Action: Highlighting Hawai'i's Changemakers We're excited to kick off our Aloha in Action series, where we spotlight incredible local leaders and organizations that don't just talk about loving Hawai'i - they put that love into action every day. Our first feature is Meli James, Co-Founder of Mana Up. Mana Up is more than an accelerator program. It's a driving force behind Hawai'i's entrepreneurial ecosystem, helping local businesses grow, thrive and share the magic of our islands with the world. Meli's dedication to supporting and uplifting our community is a true embodiment of Aloha in Action. Let her journey inspire you to make a difference, right here at home. Stay tuned for more stories of local leaders who are shaping Hawai'i's future! #AlohainAction #Manaup #SupportLocal #LeadwithAloha

“I loved my organization tremendously,” shared Logan Otani, who had the opportunity to intern with Hawaii Care Choices in Hilo. Over the summer, CTL alumni have the opportunity to intern with Hawai’i-based organizations to learn what it’s like to put their leadership into action in the workplace. Amy Lee, the Advancement Manager at Hawai’i Care Choices served as Logan’s supervisor over the summer. Amy highlighted Logan’s dependability, positive attitude and willingness to learn. Amy also shared that “CTL not only connects students with local businesses but also nurtures the students in ways that the businesses may not have the capacity or time to do. This allows the students to produce work that is above average and keeps them motivated. It truly emphasizes the importance of mentorship for these young professionals.” Logan also shared just how impactful the Summer in Hawai'i Internship Program is, by showing her how much she loves Hawai’i. She honestly shared that “I wasn’t FOR Hawai’i and wanted to move away but now I found where I belong.” Mahalo to Amy and Hawai’i Care Choices for believing in our next generation of young leaders. We can’t wait to see what Logan will do next! #summerinhawaii #internship #hawaii #localleadership #youth #interns

“Clarenz was a pleasure to work with.“ Clarenz, alongside 23 other CTL alumnus, had the opportunity to participate in a summer internship program. Timothy Goshi, Principal at KAI Hawaii, Inc., served as a mentor and advisor to Clarenz. Tim shares that Clarenz has a “wonderful work ethic, willing to learn new things, able to synthesize information from complex data into meaningful results that can be discerned by the public. Able to produce meaningful results which we will use in our efforts to study the lack of wind resiliency for a large segment of single family homes in the State.” Clarens shares that his “highlight for the SiH program was working for my internship, KAI Hawaii and learning more about Hawaii on Fridays with the CTL team. It was a good balance of work/learning to be a part of a working environment and learning about Hawaii with people I know.” Big mahalo to Kai Hawaii for your continued support of the special work we get to do at CTL in supporting Hawaiis next generation of young leaders! #leadership #engineering #localleadership #workforce #genz #internship

“I loved the friendly, welcoming, and intellectually stimulating work environment,” said Jasmine Lianalyn Rocha, a CTL Summer in Hawai’i intern with the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. Over the summer, CTL alumni have the opportunity to intern with Hawai'i-based organizations to learn what it's like to put their leadership into action in the workplace. Jasmine shares that “the tone that the staff made me feel comfortable and productive, and provided the necessary mentorship/guidance I needed. They made sure that we were both benefiting from my internship by ensuring resources were used on their policy priorities while allowing me to work on policy topics I was interested in.” Joe Kent, Executive Vice President of Grassroot Instutute of Hawaii, served as a mentor to Jasmine and shares he “didn't realize how much our staff would learn from our intern about the research she performed while she worked with us, but that speaks to the high-quality and diligence of the talent in the CTL program. CTL staff were very accommodating with all of our requests, which made it a breeze to integrate the intern into our office environment and ensure a fit with the culture. The internship was very productive for our whole organization. I am so happy that we are able to continue working with Jasmine, and hope to find more talent like hers in the future.” Mahalo to Joe and the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for believing in our next generation of young leaders! #leadlocal #internships #hawaii #leadershipinhawaii #youth #genz #workforcedevelopment #policy

“Both CTL interns were open to new experiences and adapted to what their internship hosts could arrange. The internship hosts were very happy with how the interns did,” said Wanelle Kaneshiro. Over the summer, CTL alumni have the opportunity to intern with Hawai’i-based organizations to learn what it’s like to lead in the workforce. Wanelle Kaneshiro is the Director of the Workforce Development branch for the Hawaii State Department of Education, and served as an advisor for our Summer in Hawai’i interns, Yvonne Nguy and Shayla Oyama. Shayla was happy that she was able to “give back to my own community especially back to my old elementary school which was really special to me. I got to learn about and experience so much things and people. I got to see how much it takes to be a leader and the sacrifices that are made when you are put into this role. What I thought was a leader versus what I learned is a leader are two completely different things.” Yvonne shared that she was “grateful to have gained experience for my desired career in an educational based setting.  I loved that I was able to work with kids and had the chance to met a lot of other DOE staff who were warm and welcoming.” Mahalo to the DOE for giving our young leaders the opportunities to see what it's like to join the workforce of educators and be part of positive change. #youngleaders #youngeducators #leadlocalHI #internships #youthleadership #leadershipdevelopment #HIDOE

This past Spring 2024, BEST engaged and collaborated with 51 companies. Whether it was tours, workshops, or large-scale events like Mock Interview, Professional Interaction Night, and Alumni Networking Event, members had the opportunity to learn from professionals in their area of interest. More importantly, they fostered meaningful relationships. A huge mahalo to our participating companies (1/2): Accuity LLP American Savings Bank Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Anthology FINN Partners AT Marketing Official Atlas Insurance Agency, Inc. Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa Bank of Hawaii Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Blackletter Group Brain Gain Hawaii City and County of Honolulu Center for Tomorrow's Leaders DataHouse Deloitte United States Department of Defense eWorld Enterprise Solutions, Inc. Ernst & Young Global Consulting Services First Insurance Company of Hawaii First Hawaiian Bank Google Hawaii Pacific Health Hawaii Regional Hawaiian Airlines HMSA Hawaii State Federal Credit Union iQ 360®

“ I loved that they really cared about the learning goals I wanted to accomplish and get out of this internship,” said Josie Dang, an intern with the Hawai’i Workforce Funders Collaborative. Over the summer, CTL alumni have the opportunity to intern with Hawai'i-based organizations to learn what it's like to put their leadership into action in the workplace. Matt Stevens, serves as the Executive Director for the Hawai’i Workforce Funders Collaborative and LorMona M.. serves as the Program Design Lead. Both served as advisors for our Summer in Hawai'i intern, Josie Dang. Josie shares that she “had a great experience, I love my organization and I love my bosses so much. I think what I loved about interning there is the fact that because our organization has a small team, we really had a chance to connect and bond better than if I were to join a bigger company and run into someone who works there, we might not even know each other. I also loved that they really cared about the learning goals I wanted to accomplish and get out of this internship. They’re also just very flexible and understanding bosses and passionate at what they do.” Matt shares that Josie’s biggest strengths are her “clarity of vision and values, willingness to lean into ambiguity and ask the right questions to get the information she needed. She had great time management skills and took initiative in a way that always exceeded expectations.  She designed and implemented stakeholder interviews with minimal oversight, created multiple iterations of visually journey maps to summarize the information in a way that would be compelling to a Gen Z audience.” 💪 Mahalo to Matt and LorMona and the Hawai’i Workforce Funders Collaborative for believing in our next generation of young leaders. #workforce #localleadership #hawaii #youngleaders #leadlocalHI #internships #inhawaiiforhawaii

FRIENDraising at its best! First-ever Breakfast of Builders for the The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division was all the feels...collaboration, impact, and loving people at their worst until they are at their best. My fellow Advisory Board member, Katie C. (Center for Tomorrow's Leaders), and I were blessed to gather an indomitable group of women leaders to talk story about the Salvation Army with focus on their Family Treatment Services led by Executive Director Candace Pang. Mahalo to Phyllis Freitas (Hawaiian Telcom), Kelly Miyamura (The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation), Wendy Chang (Pacific Commercial Services), Roseann Freitas (Building Industry Association of Hawaii), Dana Harvey (Alexander & Baldwin), and Diana Brown (Servco Pacific Inc.) for your time, heart, and friendship. Together, we can certainly DO THE MOST GOOD. Mahalo to Board Chair Nancy Pace and Advancement Director Charmaine Hauanio-Kuewa for the support and leadership. To learn more about Salvation Army's legacy of impact for Hawaii, go here: https://lnkd.in/gApmuPnt. To learn specifically about their Family Treatment Services which empower women with children to break the cycle of intergenerational addiction, go here: https://lnkd.in/gPs3kQH2 To make a secure online gift now: https://lnkd.in/gaBBUUqv #NakataAdvisory

“Kaelah was simply incredible.” Over the summer, CTL alumni have the opportunity to intern with Hawai'i-based organizations to learn what it's like to put their leadership into action in the workplace. Gail Grabowsky, serves as the Executive Director for the UN CIFAL Honolulu Training Center. She served as an advisor for our Summer in Hawai'i intern, Kaelah Kimura. Gail shares that “Kaelah did all kinds of United Nations/Sustainable Development Goals research. Some was directed by me and other subprojects were invented by her. More specifically she helped to find case studies that will be used in our new sustainability oriented MBA program. She also did extensive research looking for businesses and organizations that may be worthy of sustainability awards at future Cifal Honolulu conferences. she also very much helped Punahou School's Sustainability Academy which was codesigned by a partnership between Punahou and Chaminade's Cifal Honolulu.” With Kaelah’s experience with her internship and her time in the Summer in Hawai'i (SiH) program she shares that “the most valuable part of SiH is the conversations about what it means to be local and how we can be for Hawai'i even if we're not physically in Hawai'i. I have had a lot of anxiety in the past about what it would mean to come back home to work or to work on the Continent. I felt pressure to work on the Continent because it's often deemed as more "prestigious" but, after SiH, I'm able to see the incredible value and power of working in Hawai'i in the future. It’s experiences like this that allow Hawai'i’s young people to see a future here in their island home. 🌈 #leadership #youngleaders #leadlocal #Hawaiiyouth #internships #workforcedevelopment #inhawaiiforhawaii