Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 6, 1 June 1987 — Computer Center Students Work Hard [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Computer Center Students Work Hard

Education, Children's Future Provide Motivation

By Kenny Haina, Editor Ka Wai Ola O OHA Education and the future of their children are what motivates most of the students attending the second and current 16-week class of the Hawaii Computer Training Center established by Alu Like lnc. This was the assessment made recently by the student body president and vice president of the second class whieh ends its training June 26. Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for Sunday, June 28. A maximum enrollment of 27 students started the class Mar. 9 but two have since dropped out — one for personal reasons and the other for a health problem. Gail Gillis Gouveia and Charlotte Ann Marie Houghtailing Wong are the student body president and vice president, respectively, elected by their fellow students. They estimated that over 50 percent of the class are either single or married parents. The two single parent mothers, both in their 40s, are the oldest in the class. Together they have nine ehildren. Wong has five grown children with two high school sons at home and the other three on their own. Gouveia has a 13-year-old daughter, nine-year-old twin sons and. another son who is 11. Asked by Ka Wai Ola O OHA what made them enroll in the Alu Like school and take up computer training, Gouveia answered: "I guess what motivates most of us are our children's future." Wong, a Farrington High School graduate, said she has always been a strong advocate for education and pushed her children along this line. As for herself, she was always busy being a mother and housewife. "When I heard about this computer school, I said to myself that since my kids have had their education, its now my turn. I knew my skills would be limited if I went right out to work," Wong explained. Gouveia, who graduated from Star of the Sea High School, noted that virtually everything is going the way of computers today and she felt this was what she wanted. "I'm very up about this program. What's happening here is what's going on in the outside world," Gouveia observed. While her four youngsters keep her busy with Little League, tennis and other organizational functions, Gouveia has managed to fit in a part time job as an entertainer in the Mauka Lounge of the Hale Koa Hotel five nights a week. She is one-half of a duo called Kaila (Gail) and Kuulei. Her 13-year-old daughter is active withyouthwork at the YWCA while the twin boys are members of the Honolulu Boy Choir. The other son is active in tennis. As for work skills, Gouveia confessed that "I realized too late I didn't have anything other than entertaining. The world today is very technical and this is what I want to do." "I am fortunate in that I had some good basics coming into this program but there are others less fortunate. However, they deserve a lot of credit for working hard," she noted. She heard about the program through her nephew, Rene Theo Clemens. Wong likewise got word of the program through the coconut wireless. All three live in the Kailua area and car pool to class and back. Wong said that since her children are pretty mueh on their own, it was time for her to join the job market. However, she explained, she didn't want to do it without any skills. "Before I eame here (HICTC), I knew absolutely nothing about computers. The training here has just been outstanding. Like Gail, I feel this is the career I want," Wong asserted. Gouveia and Wong are hoping the remaining 25 will graduate. "We don't want any more students dropping out. This is because we have become like one big ohana. We work together to help eaeh other out," they declared. They cited an Easter potIuck affair where the ohana concept was very mueh in evidence. "Everyone served on a committee and the participation was fantastic. Everything fell into plaee and we had a wonderful potluek," the two leaders exclaimed. Despite family responsibilities and part time jobs, students are very cognizant that homework holds a high priority in their schedule. "Its hard on many of them but they're doing it and they put in a lot of hard work," Gouveia emphasized. One student is hapai to her second child and is scheduled to give birth shortly after graduation, they reported. However, like everyone else in the class, she's carrying her own load in more ways than one. The school, designed to empower members of disadvantaged and minority populations in Hawaii to deve-

lop the skills necessary for gainful employment in the emerging high-tech communications age, is recruiting another class of Hawaiian students for its third session beginning the first week of July. The program was established with the support of IBM

Corporation and other such corporate sponsors as NYNEX, Alexander & Baldwin ine., James B. Campbell Estate, Hawaiian Electric Industries ine., Hawaiian Telephone Company and United Airlines. Estelle Liu serves as the school's executive director.

Gail Gillis Gouveia

Charlotte A. M. Wong