Word on the Street: What are you thankful for this year?

Posted by Sarah Hendrix | Nov 22, 2017 | Word on the Street | 0 |

By Sarah Hendrix | Staff Writer

With Thanksgiving coming up this weekend, what are you thankful for this year?

Naomi Uchida
Age: 18
Hometown: Honolulu, Oʻahu
Major: Culinary Arts

“My life in the past was kind of difficult, the way my mom was treating me, she wasn’t giving me much independence. Recently in the last year I met a friend and this friend was helping me with being more independent. Just having this friend helped me a lot. There were a bunch of friends I met afterwards because of that and I’m thankful that it all happened the way it did.”

Yanmin Mo
Age: 21
Hometown: Guangdong, China
Major: Hospitality

“I am thankful for my family and parents.”

Michael Delamerced
Age: 19
Hometown: Pearl City, Oʻahu
Major: Pharmacy Technician

“I am thankful to be accepted into Pharmacy Technician program and hopefully after the program I can do the compounding certification in Washington state next February.”

Kristina Zhang
Age: 18
Hometown: Guangdong, China
Major: Hospitality

“For my parents because I just got my driver’s license so they bought me a car. So family.”

Ayana Sakai
Age: 21
Hometown: Ehime, Japan
Major: Hospitality & Travel Management

“Personally my boyfriend is here so I kind of got my family here. Cause I was here by myself, and he really treated me well. So I kind of experience thanksgiving in Hawai‘i for the first time with more family so I am thankful.”

About The Author

Sarah Hendrix

Sarah is a second-year college student with plans to major in Communications. She has been able to travel to 22 countries, primarily in Asia and Europe doing humanitarian projects such as typhoon relief work and serving refugees fleeing the Middle East. In the future, Sarah hopes to start her own relief organization to help the victims in crisis situations.

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Kiara Bell
Kiara Bell is a 30-year-old Liberal Arts major from Warner Robins, Ga. Although majoring in Liberal Arts, his focus is in History. Before attending KCC, Bell served for seven years as an Embarkation Specialist in the U.S. Marines. During his service, he was deployed twice to Afghanistan under Operation Enduring Freedom. At 19-years-old, Bell joined the Marines to support his family. He also came from a family of veterans, including his mom and brothers. Bell explained that he was able to experience more than his peers at that age, and had opportunities to travel and interact with different people and high-level agencies. Bell feels that he was presented with many positive influences. During his deployments, Bell explained that because of always being forward deployed, and not always able to communicate, there was a lot of stress on his family. He was unable to attend the birth of his first son, and his marriage became strained. After he returned, he struggled with the impact of engaging in combat, losing friends in combat, and having to cope with everything on his own. Bell struggled with negative thoughts and emotions that impacted his personal life. Of all of the places that he was able to travel, Bell states that Germany was one of his favorites. His favorite aspect of serving in the Marines was the ability to travel, and the opportunity to see the world and meet new people. When asked what advice he would give anyone considering joining the military, Bell said, “Do your research. Do your research and know what you want. Take note of your skills and don’t let anyone pressure you into taking a job you don’t want." Now Bell spends his time attending classes at Kapi’olani Community College and can often be found helping out his peers in the Veteran & Military Resource Center. In his free time, he enjoys exercising, going to the beach, and hiking with his dog.

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