Staff | Philosophy, Mission, Staff, Board of Directors – College Connections Hawaii | K-12 Tutoring, Test Prep Classes, College Advising

Office Staff

Kina Mahi - Executive Director

Prior to joining College Connections, Kina managed fiscal and administrative operations for Ka‘ala Farm, a Wai’anae-based community nonprofit. She coordinated fundraising, strategic planning, and staff development for the Cultural Learning Center at Ka‘ala’s educational, cultural, and natural resource management programs. Kina has helped with financial sustainability projects for various educational programs, including Wai‘anae High School’s Searider Productions, the Ma Ka Hana Ka Ike program at Hana High School, and the Digital Equalizer program in India. She also served as a Portfolio Manager at Bank of Hawaii and an Associate at public interest research and consulting firm, 3Point.

Kina attended Adams Elementary, McMinnville Middle, and McMinnville High School in Oregon. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Santa Clara University with a Bachelors degree in Economics. She received her Masters in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Malamalama Johnson - Native Hawaiian Scholars Program Director

Malama assists the Director of Counseling with overseeing the Native Hawaiian Scholars Program. She was born and raised on the island of Saipan, but has been living on Oahu for the past 5 years. She’s a graduate of Hawaii Pacific University with a Bachelors Degree in Applied Sociology, with a concentration in Family and Gender Studies.She is currently working towards a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology with a focus on school counseling at Chaminade University.

Che Sabol - Native Hawaiian Scholars Program Advisor

Che is the Lead Pre-College Advisor for the Native Hawaiian Scholars Program. He works directly with students, using his experience in empowering youth in identifying and developing their strengths and talents through intensive role modeling and mentoring. He is passionate about supporting and empowering students in gaining leadership skills in the community. Che is from Pupukea, North Shore and attended Sunset Beach Elementary, and Kahuku High and Intermediate School. He is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelors degree in Social Work. He received a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Chaminade University of Honolulu.

Asiana Ponciano - Business Administrator

Asiana grew up in Pauoa Valley located in Honolulu and attended Pauoa Elementary then Kawananakoa Middle School. After graduating from Roosevelt High School, Asiana moved to San Francisco, California where she attended City College of San Francisco and later graduated from San Francisco State University. Asiana studied Journalism and English Literature while in college then spent several years writing for a variety of online and print publications in the Bay Area. She is very excited to be a part of College Connections and hopes to use her communication skills to positively impact the community that raised her.