Twenty-one young people ages 16 to 18 who had once been labeled as “at-risk” celebrated their accomplishments as “at-promise” students of the 25th graduating class of the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy in Hilo.
About 250 friends, families, local dignitaries and others were on hand at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium on Friday to honor the graduating cadets with applause, whoops, hollers, whistles — and even some honking car horns in the parking lot prompted by remote keys from within the county facility.
Also present were recruiters from the Navy, Marine Corps and Army National Guard, although cadets graduating from the quasi-military program are under no obligation to enlist.
The graduates — 12 males and nine females — completed 5 1/2 months of training, which includes academics, physical fitness, military discipline and workforce development with community mentors.
The grads are Chanel Almonte, Wade Baji, Olivia Izabelle Baldeviso, Chansen Balucan, Kulumanu Bascar-Hendrickson, Mateo Buxton, Rhyden Das, Kana‘iwai Delaries, Elijah Fontes, Hayzen Kamelamela, Sheldon Lee-Lovell, Daisha-Lyn Kukona Pacheco, Malelega-Zahreeah-Li Mauai-Silifaiva, Kailee Nocelo, Sosiana Ohashi-Folau, Gauge Ponce, Kainalu Roufs, Ryden Soares, Shaleah Tacang, Arleen Tamag and Sione Uele.
Graduates who passed the HiSET exam earned high school-equivalency diplomas. Those who didn’t, about half the class, received workforce development diplomas.
Kolby Proctor, interim deputy director of the academy, said all graduates are monitored and mentored for a year, and those who don’t pass the HiSET the first time, still have the opportunity to study and receive the high-school equivalency diploma.
Mayor Mitch Roth was the event’s keynote speaker, and noted he was a high school dropout, as well.
“I see myself in every one of the cadets here who are graduating,” Roth told those assembled. “Youth Challenge has a motto, ‘Dream. Believe. Achieve.’ I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of the cadets, and I got to tell them a little bit of my story. And I also told them that one of the things that changed the direction of my life was someone telling me something very similar to ‘Dream. Believe. Achieve.’ It was a Napoleon Hill quote that said, ‘Whatever the human mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.’”
Roth also emphasized his reliance on faith to overcome adversity.
“No matter how hard things are, no matter how bad things are, you’ve got to have faith,” he said. “And on my desk in the office today, I have a sign that says ‘Imua. Emunah.’ We all know ‘imua’ means ‘to go forward.’ That’s a Hawaiian word. ‘Emunah’ is a Hebrew word that often is translated to mean ‘faith.’ So, it means ‘to go forward with faith.’
“So, cadets, as you go out to conquer this world, go out there and move forward with faith. Imua. Emunah.”
Retired Army Brig. Gen. Bruce Oliveira, the state’s director of civil military programs including Youth Challenge, urged the graduates to “not allow hardships to become barriers to your ability to look ahead with hope.”
“Embrace the challenge and take the lessons you have learned during the most trying times — times you wanted to quit or run away or thought the path ahead was too dark to even attempt to find the light,” Oliveira said. “Take these experiences with you. Embrace them. And use your experience to face the challenges ahead. Because you are more than capable. You are enough. Your path is the proof of that. Getting to this point, graduation day, is a validation that, even with your concern about your future or struggle with your past, you chose to move forward to hope.
“Continue to dream, believe and achieve.”
Several awards were presented to individuals in the class for their achievements.
The prestigious Cadet of the Cycle Award — described by emcee Nellie Towata as “a cadet who is always willing to help other cadets, volunteers around the academy and follows all the rules” — was presented to Tacang.
Baldeviso was presented the Governor’s Distinguished Cadet Award. Buxton was honored with the Director’s Academic Excellence Award. Kana‘iwai and Almonte are the male and female recipients, respectively, of the Presidential Physical Fitness Award. And Baji received the Adjutant General’s Leadership Award.
In addition, two cadets — Buxton and Almonte — received Hawaii Youth Challenge Foundation Scholarships. Buxton, from Kona, has been accepted to Hawaii Community College’s Palamanui Campus, while Almonte has been accepted to Maui Community College.
Ponce, the class president, addressed his fellow graduates and praised their commitment to adapt and persevere, calling it “a change that will benefit themselves for the greater good.”
“At first, YCA was hard,” Ponce said. “But then we all adjusted to the change and started to achieve the standard. From then on, everything was smooth sailing.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, but we never let it affect our stay here at YCA.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.