Photos courtesy Gabe Amey
By: Gabe Amey
RiseHI’s ʻOihana Career Explorations program continues to grow as a powerful bridge between education and Hawaiʻi’s local workforce, helping students see real, achievable futures for themselves right here at home.
Designed for grades 7–12, ʻOihana brings students inside the day-to-day lives of kamaʻāina professionals through short, story-driven videos that explore career pathways, skills, training, purpose, and earning potential across key industries in Hawaiʻi.
RiseHI launched the first six ʻOihana courses, laying the foundation for a scalable, place-based career exploration platform. In its first full year of rollout, more than 3,000 students across the state engaged with the program. Today, ʻOihana is being used by middle and high schools on multiple islands, including Highlands Intermediate, Olomana School, Kapaʻa Middle School, Kalama Intermediate, Waimea High School, and ʻAiea High School.
RiseHI has secured funding to produce 25 career exploration courses to date, featuring local professionals across healthcare, construction, culinary arts, design, clean energy, and other in-demand fields. These courses highlight not just “what the job is,” but why the work matters—connecting students to purpose, local role models, and pathways that allow them to live and thrive in Hawaiʻi.
This story appears in the January/February 2026 issue of Taking on Tomorrow.
Jan Boivin writes about the Academy for Healthcare Innovation (AHI), which aims to educate the future healthcare workforce for a healthier Hawaiʻi.