Author: Jana Julian

Dani Awang, a 30-year old aspiring private chef, is currently enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at KCC.

“I actually don’t have a drivers license,” Dani said. “My favorite thing about Hawai’i has been the public transportation. Back in New York, it’s very chaotic but here it’s more my speed.

Dani is from is Queens, New York and has lived in Hawai‘i for nine months; she has wanted to move to Hawai’i since 2008. When she isn’t busy with school and studying, she likes to binge watch shows. “I just finished watching Trublood,” Dani said. “Now I’ve started watching Living Single; it’s such a classic.”

Dani, a former military member, hopes to graduate from the culinary program and include nutritional training in her career. She wants to show people that they can eat healthily and have delicious meals.

Yonik Gomez, a former Marine, is currently studying to get into the radiology technician program at KCC.

“Right now I’m trying to get into the rad tech program. I’m almost done with my prereqs, but I have to wait until next year to take the placement test.” Yonik said,” If I don’t get into that program, I’ll probably go to UH West (Oahu) and do their Health Administration program.

Yonik used to work in communications in the Marine Corps and has lived on O‘ahu since 2012. He travels from the west side of the island, leaving as early as 6 a.m. to beat traffic and find parking on campus. In his free time, he practices tattooing himself because he is a huge fan of body art.

“Most of my tattoos, I’ve gotten by other tattoo artists.” Yonik said, “My upper body has tattoos from California and Thailand, my legs are all me; I did one recently on my ankle.”

Alexandria Womack, a 21-year old aspiring clinical psychologist, is currently enrolled in the Liberal Arts degree program at KCC.

“I love how accommodating the professors at KCC are,” Alexandria said. “I feel that our relationships with our professors are more sincere, which contributes a lot to the success of a student.”

Alexandria is from Lāi’e, Oahu on the North Shore but currently lives in town near McCully. In her free time, she loves watching new films and tv shows on Netflix. “Orange Is the New Black is my favorite series to watch,” Alexandria said. “I really enjoy how diverse the show is and the stories being told.”

Alexandria plans to graduate from UH Mānoa with a BA in Psychology and hopes to attend Clark University, a historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia.