From 2020 to 2022, we mentored 37 college and graduate students and awarded 44 scholarships valued at over $43,000 through the Next Gen Leaders Program.
Past participants, mentors, program leaders, and speakers gathered for an alumni celebration at American Savings Bank's Campus headquarters on August 10, 2022.
|
College Students Develop Solutions to Housing-Related Issues in Hawaii
The Jordan & Cara Odo Scholarship Foundation’s Next Gen Leaders Program Provides Learning Opportunities for Students During the Summer
The Jordan & Cara Odo Scholarship Foundation’s Next Gen Leaders Program Provides Learning Opportunities for Students During the Summer
HONOLULU, Hawaii – Fifteen college and graduate students spent valuable time this summer growing as civic-minded leaders and learning to become more active in solving community issues.
They were a part of the third cohort of the Next Gen Leaders Program, organized by the Jordan & Cara Odo Scholarship Foundation.
Over the course of the seven-week program, the students received one-on-one mentorship from leaders in the community and benefited from the program’s leadership development training and talk story discussions with business leaders and housing industry experts.
“Our goal, if you can encapsulate it into one sentence, is to help those who want to help others,” said Jordan Odo, president of the Jordan & Cara Odo Scholarship Foundation. “Having benefited myself from wonderful mentors and leadership programs, I know that these experiences can be transformational.”
Abigail Hawkins, a junior at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, applied for the Next Gen Leaders Program because she wanted to challenge herself to become more vocal and drive change in her community. Upon being selected, she immediately volunteered as a team leader and sought guidance from her mentor, Alex Kuch, the HR Regional Manager at The Odom Corporation.
“My time spent participating in this program was so inspiring and invigorating,” she said. “I met and got to grow close to such an amazing, supportive mentor.”
With Kuch’s encouragement and advice, the normally reserved Hawkins noticed a change.
“The program helped me gain more confidence both as a leader and person in the world,” said Hawkins, who is majoring in geography and environment. "I am walking away with new relationships with mentors and peers – connections I hope to maintain. None of this would have happened if this program did not exist.”
During the program, Hawkins and her peers also worked in teams to propose a solution to a housing-related issue in Hawaii, such as expanding workforce housing, increasing access to homeownership for local families, and adapting to climate change.
“Housing is a critical issue in Hawaii, and if we don’t have enough of it, especially workforce housing, young people in the state will leave to pursue careers or start families elsewhere,” said Sterling Higa, Executive Director at Housing Hawaii’s Future and a strategic director of the Next Gen Leaders Program.
To assist the students’ research, Higa and the program’s leadership team provided opportunities to learn from housing experts and valuable guidance on how to make an impactful proposal.
At the end, the students presented their findings and ideas to a panel of housing experts, including Makani Maeva, president and CEO of Ahe Group, Emily Porter, chief operating officer of The MacNaughton Group, and Senator Stanley Chang, chair of the Senate Committee on Housing.
“Watching the students present their work gave me hope that the next generation will take action to address the housing crisis,” said Higa.
Each student who completed the program received a $1,000 scholarship, courtesy of a generous donation from the Queen’s Health Systems. Four students also received an additional Community Exploration Award scholarship, thanks to Kaimana Hila.
Even more importantly for the future of our state, the students learned the importance of becoming engaged in the community.
“Every year, the biggest takeaways for many of our student participants are that they embraced the value of community and realized that they can truly make a difference,” said Odo. “That’s inspiring.”
They were a part of the third cohort of the Next Gen Leaders Program, organized by the Jordan & Cara Odo Scholarship Foundation.
Over the course of the seven-week program, the students received one-on-one mentorship from leaders in the community and benefited from the program’s leadership development training and talk story discussions with business leaders and housing industry experts.
“Our goal, if you can encapsulate it into one sentence, is to help those who want to help others,” said Jordan Odo, president of the Jordan & Cara Odo Scholarship Foundation. “Having benefited myself from wonderful mentors and leadership programs, I know that these experiences can be transformational.”
Abigail Hawkins, a junior at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, applied for the Next Gen Leaders Program because she wanted to challenge herself to become more vocal and drive change in her community. Upon being selected, she immediately volunteered as a team leader and sought guidance from her mentor, Alex Kuch, the HR Regional Manager at The Odom Corporation.
“My time spent participating in this program was so inspiring and invigorating,” she said. “I met and got to grow close to such an amazing, supportive mentor.”
With Kuch’s encouragement and advice, the normally reserved Hawkins noticed a change.
“The program helped me gain more confidence both as a leader and person in the world,” said Hawkins, who is majoring in geography and environment. "I am walking away with new relationships with mentors and peers – connections I hope to maintain. None of this would have happened if this program did not exist.”
During the program, Hawkins and her peers also worked in teams to propose a solution to a housing-related issue in Hawaii, such as expanding workforce housing, increasing access to homeownership for local families, and adapting to climate change.
“Housing is a critical issue in Hawaii, and if we don’t have enough of it, especially workforce housing, young people in the state will leave to pursue careers or start families elsewhere,” said Sterling Higa, Executive Director at Housing Hawaii’s Future and a strategic director of the Next Gen Leaders Program.
To assist the students’ research, Higa and the program’s leadership team provided opportunities to learn from housing experts and valuable guidance on how to make an impactful proposal.
At the end, the students presented their findings and ideas to a panel of housing experts, including Makani Maeva, president and CEO of Ahe Group, Emily Porter, chief operating officer of The MacNaughton Group, and Senator Stanley Chang, chair of the Senate Committee on Housing.
“Watching the students present their work gave me hope that the next generation will take action to address the housing crisis,” said Higa.
Each student who completed the program received a $1,000 scholarship, courtesy of a generous donation from the Queen’s Health Systems. Four students also received an additional Community Exploration Award scholarship, thanks to Kaimana Hila.
Even more importantly for the future of our state, the students learned the importance of becoming engaged in the community.
“Every year, the biggest takeaways for many of our student participants are that they embraced the value of community and realized that they can truly make a difference,” said Odo. “That’s inspiring.”
|
|
|
Student Projects
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mentors
Program Leadership Team
