More than 700 attendees converged on Kapiʻolani Community College in February for four days of workshops, seminars and hands-on demonstrations, providing valuable insights into career and technical education (CTE) and the world of photography. In observance of National CTE Month, PhotoCON Hawaiʻi and Kapiʻolani Community College’s CTE Expo united the creative and technical knowledge of Hawaiʻi’s current and emerging professionals and workforce.
CTE Expo inspires the next generation
About 270 high school students engaged in interactive activities and demonstrations from professional fields, including nursing, respiratory care practitioner, massage therapy, radiologic technology, information technology, culinary arts, animation, graphic design, and hospitality and tourism.
“This is connecting the dots,&rquo; said Neal Sakaue, ʻAiea High School college and career counselor. “It’s just opening eyes and planting the seed. They’ll always remember this trip to KCC. We continue to open these doors for our students. The exposure for these kids is invaluable.”
On the Great Lawn, participants were guided by current Kapiʻolani CC students through emergency medical technician (EMT) training, from practicing CPR to rendering first aid to understanding the equipment in the EMT rigs.
“This is really good practice,” said Mari Colon, an EMT student who will graduate in May. “We’re all students here, so we’re still learning every day. We’re having a lot of fun. We’re learning to save lives. We can tell that the high school students are passionate and they do want to learn these things and eventually help others and save lives one day.”
Celebrating photography and visual arts
From amateur shutterbugs to seasoned professionals, PhotoCON Hawaiʻi provided a platform for the community to immerse themselves in visual storytelling.
Local and international exhibitors displayed their latest equipment, including cameras, lenses and lighting. Workshops, seminars and photo walks conducted by 39 speakers from the local, national and international creative community offered valuable insights into various aspects of photography, from composition techniques to post-processing tips.
“On behalf of the entire Hawaiian creative community, we want to thank the Kapiʻolani Community College and its entire faculty and staff for having us be part of your CTE Expo,” said Ric Noyle, producer of PhotoCON Hawaiʻi. “Dean John Richards was the person responsible for inviting PhotoCON Hawaiʻi to be part of the celebration of their Career & Technical Education programs and events. He picked the dates and the tone of how he felt that PhotoCON Hawaiʻi could help shine a bright light on the Kapiʻolani CC campus.”
Honoring John Richards
The unique combination of Kapiʻolani CC’s CTE Expo and the PhotoCon conference was the brainchild of the late John Richards, dean of hospitality, legal, business and technology, who oversaw the event before he died in late February.
“Learners of all ages and industries shared space to interact directly and make connections,” said Kapiʻolani CC Chancellor Misaki Takabayashi. “This was a genius vision that the late CTE Dean John Richards had when he and (photographer) Ric Noyle began designing the collaboration. John’s daughter attended the event and shared photos of the excitement that this event created with him in his last days. I would like to honor John and his family by celebrating the success of this event.”
UH Videographer Jeff DePonte captured this PhotoCON workshop by Mark Arbeit
