Winds of Change - Summer 2017 - 16

AISES PEOPLE

KALEO NORMAN

K

aleo Norman
graduated with
a degree in
electrical
engineering,
full of excitement at the
promise of a
career in his field. Still, it took
almost two years before he
found a role in a professional
workplace that allows him to
follow his passion for engineering. But for him, it's all been
worth it, and he's happy to
share what he's learned. "If
you're pursuing something that
you enjoy but are going
through a struggle," he says,
"don't ever give up."
Norman, Native Hawai'ian,
was raised on the island of O'ahu.
He was a gifted student, and his

parents and teachers encouraged
Norman's passion for academics
and learning. He participated in
several enrichment programs,
such as those offered by the Na
Pua No'eau: Center for Gifted
and Talented Native Hawaiian
Children, which identifies bright

degree. "My family sees education as important," he explains.
"So getting a bachelor's degree
was very important to me." When
determining his major, Norman
didn't think twice. In middle
school, he told his father he
wanted to be an auto mechanic.

"If you're pursuing something that
you enjoy but are going through a
struggle, don't ever give up."
students and provides them with
opportunities so that Native
Hawai'ians will be increasingly
represented in roles that
contribute to the community's
growth and development.
After high school, Norman
decided to pursue a college

16 WINDS OF CHANGE * SUMMER 2017

Norman's father - who worked
for Hawaiian Electric Company
- suggested Norman try
electrical engineering, and a
passion was born.
After earning his associate's
degree in pre-engineering from
Leeward Community College in

2012, Norman enrolled at the
University of Hawai'i at M¯anoa,
where he pursued a bachelor's
degree in electrical engineering.
But even though he was always
an academically talented student,
Norman found the adjustment to
a four-year college difficult. He
struggled with managing his time
and devoting large amounts of it
to studying. "Especially in my
engineering courses, the work
was tedious and many times I
would need to join study groups
and ask for help from my
classmates in order to fully
understand the contents," he says.
But Norman persevered, and in
2015 he received a BS in electrical
engineering.
With his degree in hand,
Norman was excited to go to
work. But jobs in his field were
aises.org

ROBIN COEN

NATIVE HAWAI'IAN / AMERICAN PIPING & BOILER
COMPANY / ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
http://www.aises.org
Winds of Change - Summer 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Winds of Change - Summer 2017
