Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 6, 1 June 2017 — Full circle at ALU LIKE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Full circle at ALU LIKE

By Miehael Sonoda Dias As a high school senior, Breeani Sumera Lee was chosen to represent Hawai'i at the U. S. Senate Youth Program and to receive a college scholarship that provided her a special opportunity to meet President Barack Ohama, U.S. Sen. Daniel

Akaka and other notable individuals. Since then, Lee's endeavors have brought her to ALU LIKE, ine. - first as a participant in the Classroom Training Program Activity and now as a Worksite Supervisor and community resource. Lee is now a college graduate, a wife, a mom, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. Her business, www.keauka-

hageneralstore.com, now has its own scholarship program. "ALU LIKE was so helpful and proactive in helping to ensure I had the assistance and guidanee that I needed. I was grateful to be a recipient of ALU LIKE assistance and graduated from eollege with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications

and a Certificate in Women Studies," Lee says. While attending college, Lee and her mother opened Keaukaha General Store in Hilo. "We worked tirelessly to understand how to get our little store up and moving, and reunited with ALU LIKE, specifically Mike Dias, who has been helpful throughout my education and now helpful in our business," she says. Now Lee and her mother are part of ALU LIKE's job training program for students, some of whom have gone away to college or embarked on careers. "We are blessed to have reunited and connected with ALU LIKE so that we ean work together to not only help the keiki and haumāna of Hawai'i, but to reconnect to learn more about how we ean make our business better to serve our community of Keaukaha the best way that we ean." ALU LIKE has offices on Hawai'i, Kaua'i, Maui, Moloka'i and O'ahu. Learn more at www. alulike.org. ■

Mi.ehael Sonoda Dias is an Empīoyment & Training Program Specialist for ALU LIKE, ine., in Hilo, Hawai'i.

ALU LIKE, ine. Statewide Locations:

> Hawai'i - 32 Kino'ole Street, Suite 102, Hilo 96720, (808) 961-2625 > Kaua'i - 2970 Kele Street, Suite 116, Lihu'e 96766, (808) 245-8545 > Maui - 737 Lower Main Street, Suite B-2, Wailuku 96793, (808) 242-9774 > Moloka'i - 10 Mohala Street, Kaunakakai 96748, (808) 553-5393 > O'ahu - 2969 Mapunapuna Plaee, Suite 200, Honolulu 96819, (808) 535-6700

Breeani Sumera Lee. - Photo : CourtesyALU LIKE