Author: Katlin Cilliers

Imie came to Hawai‘i from Cagayan de Oro City, in the Philippines, two years ago. She started school last fall, and is taking general education courses at the moment. Her sister owns a care home, and she currently works as a Certified Nurse Assistant — CNA — there, helping to take care of three patients.

The job experience has motivated Imie to further her studies and pursue a career in nursing. However, the 23-year old believes “it is really hard to get into nursing school”. In her free time, she enjoys the beautiful hikes and beaches on the island. Her favorite is Lanikai beach, in Kailua.

Mikey Simmons moved to Hawai‘i from Osaka, Japan, six months ago. He plans on staying for another two years to get his associate’s degree in Liberal Arts. He is currently struggling with his ESL 100 class, which he considers really hard.

“I’m not good at writing. I’m asking to native speakers to help with grammar and suggestions.”

When asked about what makes him tick, Mikey immediately says “music”. He shares that back in Japan, he was in two different bands. He enjoyed playing the guitar in a rock band and the saxophone in a jazz one.

“I’d love to have a band here, too.”

Wayne Glene, 54, has been living in Hawai‘i since 2009, after serving as a medical technician in the Air Force. In Hawai‘i, he worked as a home care worker. He then noticed that the field lacked people who were qualified in social work. That helped the Cleveland, Ohio, native decide on his academic path, which he was able to pursue after being granted the GI Bill, the military assistance that provides education to service members.

Glene describes himself as a simple person, who enjoys the wind blowing, sunshine and nice conversations. He lives in Hawai‘i by himself but declares that his special one is in Japan at the moment. He deals with the distance by staying positive.

“Don’t look at the borders, don’t look at the distance, just let the love flow,” he said.