2024 Graduates Extraordinaire, Part 1
The start of our academic year was delayed as a result of last August’s wildfires. And when it finally did start, we were paddling into the unknown. We soon realized that our college ‘ohana and our community would come together as never before. And now, eight months later, we are anticipating our 2024 Graduation with gratitude and yes, with joy, too. The road to recovery remains long. But we are encouraged by some truly exemplary graduates. This month and next, we’ll share two of their stories here. We guarantee you will be as inspired by them as we are.
MJee Abara has been part of UH’s Early College Program since his sophomore year of high school at Lāhaināluna. Next month, he’ll do something almost everyone, including his counselor, didn’t think possible—he’ll graduate from high school and from college. Over the last two years, MJee has combined his passions for emergency medical services and aviation with an extraordinary amount of hard work and commitment to put himself firmly on track to reach his ultimate goal of becoming a flight paramedic and Emergency Medical Services instructor for the State of Hawai‘i.
“The first few semesters were focused on completing all the pre-requisites (for college graduation with an Associate’s in Liberal Arts degree),” explains MJee. “I didn’t think I’d continue in the program after that but I asked myself, ‘What if I did this?’ and that led me to be able to accomplish what I did. Mainly, I took science courses, specifically Anatomy, Medical Terminology, and more.
“A lot of people inspired me. After the wildfires, I took it upon myself to connect with Paramedics, Health Care Providers, and more to learn about their experiences in their fields and in college. To this day, I do not have the exact count of how many people I have met, connected with, and talked to because it was so many. Each one of them had a story, a piece of advice I could take. Each was exemplary in certain areas—perseverance, time management, career development. Pushing myself to take the college courses, I learned a lot and all that helped me move forward in life, especially after the fire had basically flipped us all around,” he says.
MJee was four when his family moved to Lāhainā from the Philippines. Although it took a little while, he made good friends, eventually Lāhaināluna classmates all. “Our entire senior class only had one ‘normal’ year (junior year),” he says. Freshman year was spent online because of COVID. Half of sophomore year was spent in hybrid mode. And, obviously, senior year began with the trauma of the wildfires.
As a precaution in the initial confusion, MJee’s parents sent him and his two brothers to an auntie’s house so they could go to work. (At the time, each worked two jobs in Kā‘anapali.) The fire spread and fortunately, they evacuated just in time. “Sadly, my cousins’ house burnt down, and we were all separated from our families for three days. Separation anxiety came flooding in and it hit my brothers the most. Also, after hearing what my friends experienced and what my cousins felt, I started to feel survivors’ guilt, which I still feel today,” says MJee. And although his motivation was challenged and there were times he wanted to quit, he pushed through.
“Pushed through” and then some. “After graduation, I plan to pursue my Bachelor’s in Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management at UH West O‘ahu (complete by Spring 2025) and then complete a second Bachelor’s in Community Health the following semester,” says MJee.
“I then plan to apply to the Fall 2025 UHMC EMT Program and become an EMT, the start of achieving my dream. I’ll also be taking courses at the University of Maryland: Baltimore County (UMBC) for my Master’s Degree in EHS (EMS) Education.”
And there’s still more. A State Mobile Intensive Care Technician license, a Paramedic License, application to the UMBC Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Program) to get his Flight Paramedic Certification and his Critical Care Paramedic Certification.
Too much? Just ask Kristy Arakawa, MJee’s Early College Counselor. “There are always students who you never forget for one reason or another. MJee will be that student for me,” says Arakawa. “He was not indecisive about any of his early college decisions, he knew what he wanted and he wasn’t going to stop until he achieved his goal of graduating with his associate’s degree. He is definitely destined for great things.” Yes, he is.
For complete information about UH Maui College, please visit http://maui. hawaii.edu/
Dr. Lui K. Hokoana is Chancellor of the University of Hawai‘i Maui College. Ka‘ana Mana‘o, which means “sharing thoughts,” is scheduled to appear on the fourth Sunday of each month. It is prepared with assistance from UH-Maui College staff and is intended to provide the community of Maui County information about opportunities available through the college at its Kahului campus and its education centers.