Hawai’i Community College Hospitality and Tourism and Culinary program students participated in the Lead. Expose. Inspire. (LEI) program for students at the beautiful Hapuna Prince Hotel. Since this was a two-day event and since I also had work at the Palamanui campus, I decided to stay overnight at the hotel.

It was nice to get away from the rainy Hilo weather and hear the waves crashing on the beach. My daughter and her friend and I enjoyed dinner at Meridia overlooking the ocean and enjoying the sunset.

At the LEI event, I got to see students learning and getting excited about a career in the hospitality industry. This excitement is what got me into education in the first place. So much great energy. I got to learn some CPR techniques, got a behind the scenes tour of the hotel and even got to judge a poke contest with fresh kampachi raised in Kona.

What an awesome opportunity for our students! One student even won a free round trip on Alaska Airlines! Living Hilo Style!