Neither Steve Camara or his daughter Jenna expected to find themselves attending the same college when their educational journeys began. But both Camaras will walk the stage together among more than 300 participating graduates in Kapiʻolani Community College’s spring commencement ceremony to receive their diplomas on May 12.
UH spring 2023 commencement schedule
“It’s definitely a little weird, not in a bad way or anything,” Jenna said of graduating with her dad. “It’s definitely like the only time I’ve heard of it. None of my friends or anyone my age have graduated with their parents. It’s kind of crazy.”
Educational journeys unite
When Steve walks in this year’s commencement with an associate of science in information technology, he will be experiencing a first in his educational achievements. The 58-year-old will be celebrating with his oldest daughter, Jenna, 21, who will also be walking in the commencement for her associate of arts in liberal arts.
[Jenna] didn’t follow in my footsteps; we walked together, like two footprints in the sand.
—Steve Camara
Steve entered UH Mānoa intending to go into law, but changed his mind. After finishing his dual bachelor’s degree in political science and liberal studies, he re-enrolled at Kapiʻolani CC, and graduated with an associate degree in respiratory care in 1995. His experience at the two-year school was transformative, and it was the reason he encouraged Jenna to attend Kapiʻolani CC after her disappointing COVID-disrupted freshman year at UC Santa Barbara.
At that time, Steve was attending Kapiʻolani CC after leaving a 23-year career in respiratory therapy in 2018 to pursue an education in information technology. Jenna came to the college interested in nursing and found that the pre-nursing track kept her motivated and made it easy to transition to Hawaiʻi Pacific University’s (HPU) nursing program, where she will graduate with her bachelor’s in December.
“She didn’t follow in my footsteps; we walked together, like two footprints in the sand,” Steve said. “And Kapiʻolani CC was able to put me on track for what I wanted to do with respiratory and IT, and it put her on track for what she wanted to do. It’s a great place to find your pathway to your dream.”
Turning the tassel
Steve is graduating with a 4.0 GPA and plans to train with Microsoft to increase his proficiency with Azure, its cloud computing platform. He has relished the mentoring—especially from instructors Dale Nakasone, Dave Stevens and Richard Halverson in the college’s cyber defense program. He also intends to continue at Kapiʻolani CC to earn an Advanced Professional Certificate in IT.
“[Kapiʻolani Community College] is a gateway for success for nontraditional students,” Steve said. “…It’s a beacon of hope that you’re not done yet.”
Jenna will work as a registered nurse after graduating from HPU, though she eventually hopes to become a nurse practitioner or even earn a doctor of nurse practice.
“It’s definitely inspiring,” Jenna said of her dad’s continued pursuit of education. “I also want to keep going with my education after my bachelor’s. It’s cool. I don’t know. I guess it kind of runs in the family.”
—By Kim Baxter
