Thank you for coming out to our Pizza with Professionals event!

Here is a little recap of our speaker’s stories.

Kapiʻolani Ching

Though she has found success in her current professional path, Kapiʻolani was interested in a lot during her early years in college, not sure of the direction she wanted to pursue. By taking exploratory courses, like journalism, she finally found something that struck her interest. Kapiʻolani also held two part time jobs on campus, which helped her find a mentor. Through her mentor, she decided to pursue a career in communications and with hopes of becoming a public information officer. Kapiʻolani stresses the importance of finding a career path you enjoy, but also utilizes your skill set.

Christopher Chow

Christopher graduated from UH Manoa with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. Though the expectations was a career in medicine, He has made the transition to finance in the last 4 years. This may seem like a strange transition however, Christopher credits his exploratory courses and involvement on campus for encouraging his open mindedness. The classes that were not specifically for Biology created learning opportunities for Christopher, helping highlight the importance of making room for classes that interest you whether they are major specific or not. Christopher leaves us with some advice, “Be open to lifelong learning. Education can be concrete, but you have to ebb and flow with life.”

Kathleen Merriam

Kathleen first earned her Psychology degree at the University of Washington with a minor in Sociology because she was interested in the way people work together. Post college, Kathleen lived in New York. After the daunting move from New York to Hawaii, she pursued her Master’s degree at UH Manoa in order to gain the cultural experience of learning in Hawaii. Kathleen discovered she wanted to help improve the Hawaii mental health services, gaining experience through internships. She says that her time as an intern allowed her the opportunity to learn where her strengths were. Though some of her experience was through volunteerism, Kathleen encourages students to ask for certificates to show future employers how time in place of internships was spent. Volunteering was a way for Kathleen to work beyond her comfort zone and learn from those around her.

Be sure to keep an eye out for Mānoa Sophomore Experience events in Spring 2018!