Page 5 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - May 17, 2023

MAY 17, 2023
HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK 5
FROM PAGE 4
couragement, I applied again and was ac- cepted,” she says. “When
the same time meet some of the best and brightest young minds in the country.
I look back
on what the program has giv- en me in terms of exposure, perspective and friendships, I cannot believe there was a time when I was willing to walk away from all of that. In life and business, when so much is about timing, I am glad that I didn’t let the first setback stop me.”
“I had such a marvel- ous experience,” recalls Hannemann. “I came back
Summing up her thoughts, Pe‘a emphasizes that the pro- gram gave her such a rich experience as Hawai‘i was dealing with so many issues from the Thirty Meter Tele- scope to COVID and even the Red Hill fuel tanks.
to Hawai‘i and I said, ʻGee, I’d like to replicate that kind of program that would allow the young emerging leaders of Hawai‘i to meet regularly on a monthly basis, conven- ing about the issues of the day — be focused not so much on what the problems are, but talk about solutions.’”
“We got a front-row seat to speak with individuals who were involved firsthand and were given the opportunity to dive deeper into these issues than we ever would other- wise. I have made friendships through this program that will last a lifetime and hope to continue to work together Fwith my other Fellows for the betterment of our communi- ty,” Pe‘a concludes.
In addition, Hannemann wanted the class of fellows to bond together.
or Hannemann, PCF has always been near and dear to his heart.
Hannemann emphasizes that the Fellows come from all over the Hawaiian Islands, and from all professions, in- cluding government, busi- ness, nonprofits, education, media, health sciences, mil- itary and more. A 16-mem- ber committee of prominent citizens will select about 30 of the state’s most promising individuals from all segments of the community who are in their mid-20s to early 40s to be Fellows. Individual com- panies may sponsor candi- dates for the program. The program fee is $6,000, which covers expenses. Employers are encouraged to pay em- ployee program costs, but tu- ition assistance is available.
After the Fellows are se- lected, their cohort starts with
an opening retreat focused on a discussion of thought-pro- voking issues in the commu- nity.
This is due in part to the pro- gram being modeled after the White House Fellows program.
“Then, they plan out the year — what you would like to meet about once a month, it could be on education, Native Hawaiian issues, the environment, economic de- velopment, energy, home- lessness,” says Hannemann.
three days there to get deeply immersed in the topics of that island.
A Pacific Century Fellows “mixer” tradition has also started, where alumni of the program are encouraged to attend and bring a prospec- tive candidate they would like to see apply to be a Fel- low.
is really encourage them to share their wealth of knowl- edge, their resources, their as- sets with others to give back to the community, to make Hawai‘i a better place to live, work and raise our families,” he emphasizes.
The Pacific Century Fel- lows application and program information is available at pacificcenturyfellows.com.
Hannemann was a White House Fellow in 1983-84 and assigned to the office of then-United States Vice Pres- ident George H.W. Bush.
During their time as Fel- lows, participants take part in visits to places such as gov- ernment and business facili- ties. They have even toured prisons and have gone on police ride-alongs. Fellows also go to at least one neigh- bor island that they select as a group. They spend two or
“At the end of the year, we bring them all together. We have a graduation ceremony, we recap the year through a video, and then we encour- age them to stick together as a class and continue to be solutions-oriented. And then we have alumni gatherings,” Hannemann says.
In explaining White House Fellows, Hannemann says it’s about attracting young Americans to come to Wash- ington, D.C., see how gov- ernment operates, and at
Hannemann notes that PCF has grown to have a major impact on its numerous class members.
He also intentionally wanted the local program to include the word “Pacif- ic,” because “it’s also about Hawai‘i’s special role and prominence in this Pacific region.”
(Above) Pacific Century Fellow Jenny Lemaota, senior vice president
of O‘ahu Transit Services, leads a discussion on public transportation with her cohort members.
(Right) During their retreat on Hawai‘i Island, the fellows had the opportunity to tour Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
“The friendships will ex- tend beyond that year itself and they will develop net- works of alliance that cut across the board,” he says.
“What this program does