HTA alumni lead the way in our Monday Momentum Labs
This year, HTA has a different kind of energy on middle and high school Mondays. With the launch of Momentum Lab, the traditional independent learning day has been reimagined as a vibrant hub for face-to-face connection. While the time offers vital academic support and one-on-one time with teachers, it has also opened the door for exciting new enrichment opportunities.
These new enrichment labs are led by contracted Community Engagement Facilitators, people in our wider community who are experts in their areas. And we are stoked that nearly half of our CEFs this year were HTA alumni. These former students were back at school, ready to bring their expertise to the next generation of students.
One of those familiar faces was Class of 2024’s Kiara Haid. Now a creative media student at UH West O‘ahu and a production technician at PBS Hawai‘i, Kiara led a film production enrichment for HTA Waipahu high schoolers.
For Kiara, returning as staff was a full-circle moment.
“When I walked in for the first time, some of my former teachers thought I was joking when I said I work here,” she laughs.
But the work was serious preparation for the industry. Kiara focused on the “why” behind the camera — teaching her students about camera angles, art theory, and the psychological impact of a shot.
“I thought it would be easy,” she admits. “But it was actually really hard. I had to figure out how to take what I know in my head and translate it into teenage heads.”
Her class pushed her to become more intentional. She broke lessons into short segments — long enough to teach, short enough to hold attention. She built structured slideshows to guide discussion. And she learned they love competition; the moment she asks, “Who can tell me what an L-cut is?” hands shoot up and students race to answer first. Quizzes, she discovered, aren’t a deterrent — they’re a motivator.
Because the seminar isn’t tied to a grade, engagement has to come from somewhere deeper. Kiara keeps it real with them.
“If you really want to go into film, you need to know this,” she tells them.
Other alumni also returned to HTA to lead these Momentum Labs on our Waipahu campus. Stevie Puna (Class of 2023) brought her culinary degree and Disney Aulani experience to teach the art of cake and cookie decorating. She was assisted by Jazz Coleman (Class of 2020). And Ashton Bliss (Class of 2017) guided students through a Mock Senate, where they navigated the complexities of drafting bills and debating policy.
The true impact of our Community Engagement Facilitators is that they are the living embodiment of our mission: lifelong learners who have come back to spark lightbulb moments in the very same seats they once occupied.
