Author: Jazmyne Pennington

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.

Jing Xiong is a 20-year-old Liberal Arts Major from Zhong Shan, China. 

Xiong enjoys playing video games in his free time, his favorites being turn based, strategic, and any extremely difficult level game. He likes playing on console, mobile, and PC. 

When he is not gaming, Xiong likes to study, go hiking, and get lost in the world of YouTube. 

“I’m the person that’s up at 3 a.m. watching all of my recommended videos,” he said. “I always learn new things on YouTube. I love learning new things.”

Justin Lospoc is a 34-year-old Liberal Arts major from Waipahu. He plans to start Respiratory Therapy classes next semester.

Lospoc worked with respiratory specialists while serving as a corpsman in the U.S. Navy.

“It just intrigues me that breathing is essential to life, and I want to know how the human lungs work,” he said.

After graduation, Lospoc wishes to move to Washington or Oregon after graduation to be closer to snow, but if he can find a job in the respiratory field here in Oʻahu, he will stay.  

In his free time, Lospoc enjoys snowboarding, body boarding, and fishing.