Reece Flores, the spring 2024 Windward Community College commencement speaker, says she is an example of how students can find unexpected opportunities at the University of Hawaiʻi community colleges. Flores has released three original songs in the past year and plans to release her first album in July, after earning her associate in arts in liberal arts with a concentration in theatre and her associate in arts degree in Hawaiian studies.
“A huge driving force in my experience at Windward was being a student worker,”
—Flores
Flores grew up in Kāneʻohe and planned to attend UH Mānoa. The pandemic altered those plans, and she decided to stay a little closer to home, which unexpectedly led her to pursue her lifelong passion—music.
“A huge driving force in my experience at Windward was being a student worker. I got to meet so many new people and experience new things that I never would have otherwise,” said Flores. “I got to record music, make original songs and singles—which was a huge driving force for me—and feel a part of a community and being embraced and all.”
The path to original music
Songwriting and music had always helped Flores share her stories and express her emotions.
“I feel like being able to write music and produce it just makes the little inner child in me really happy because I don’t think that I ever would have thought before coming to Windward or going to UH that would have even been something that was even achievable,” said Flores.
Through a job as a student employee assistant and mentor, she was able to collaborate with Windward CC’s recording studio, Ka Leo o Laʻakea Studios, to assist professors who wanted to integrate music into their lectures. This allowed her to gain knowledge in basic music, recording and producing techniques.
It was through that experience, Flores was able to produce and release three original singles and her self-titled album Reecey Girl on July 19 with six self-written songs on music platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play and Amazon Music. Each song in her upcoming album is a sister song to one she has already released.
“The overall theme is just like how my songwriting style is a good glimpse into the beginning eras of my life, if you were to open my diary; a representation of me,” said Flores.
Her music has found its way into fellow Windward CC student creative media projects, where they are planning to release a music video for a creative media class using motion film.
“I just never thought that someone like me would be able to have a story to tell,” said Flores. “I’m realizing now that growing up here and having the perspective that I have means that I have something unique to say.”
Helping first-year students succeed
Flores’ job which involved the college’s recording studio is through the E ʻOi Mau Work-Based Learning program. Her role encompasses mentoring cohorts of first-year students, helping them discover student employment opportunities. She also provides academic and personal support to help students feel prepared and confident for their next steps in community college.
“Every year when I’m finished with a cohort, I’ll watch them be done and I’ll get ready to mentor my new students. I see all the growth that they’ve made in the year and I’m excited to see new students flourish,” said Flores.
An immersive theatre journey
Beyond the studio, Flores was deeply involved in theatre at Windward CC’s Hawaiʻi Conservatory of Performing Arts, acting in original Windward productions such as iHula and Demigods Anonymous, and participating in theatre festivals.
Flores also ventured abroad in 2022 as a part of Windward CC’s UK Footholds Shakespeare Experience Study Abroad Program where she trained at the East 15 Acting School (University of Essex), studying Shakespeare, classical texts, watching performances and training alongside professionals.
Looking ahead
Flores plans to attend the UH Mānoa Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health this upcoming fall with the help of UH Mānoa’s presidential scholarship to earn her bachelor’s degree in social work.
“The reason for that (studying social work) was because my job is closely linked to social work and I really do love it,” said Flores. “And I of course still want to continue to make music, and I’d love to be able to work with students with music as some form of therapy.”
—By McKenzie Kurosu
