Public & Human Services: Social Worker
Public & Human Services
Social Worker:
Karley Higashiguchi
by Michael Yoshiura
Growing up on Maui, Karley Higashiguchi felt like the big fish swimming in a small pond.
Upon graduating from Baldwin High School in 1995, she departed from Wailuku, bound for Honolulu, and cosmetology school at Honolulu Community College (HCC).
Life Without A Purpose
After three semesters at HCC, Karley graduated with her cosmetology degree in December 1996. "I loved it. It was so much fun, but once I started working, I thought I couldn't be doing this at 50 or 60. For me, I felt that my life needed more purpose. I couldn't see myself doing that kind of work forever."
Although she chose not to make a career out of styling hair, Higashiguchi worked at M. Matoi Hair Studio, up until she entered the master's program at the University of Hawaii.
A Career Move
Once she figured out there would be no career longevity for her as a hair stylist, Karley elected to start attending classes at Kapiolani Community College (KCC). Uninterested in college, Higashiguchi elected not to take the SAT's in high school, which left her with no choice but to attend a community college for four semesters.
A Road Block
While her classmates at Baldwin were preparing for college, the Maui teen was anxiously counting the days until graduation. "I hated studying, and I never really liked school. I just wanted to graduate. The last thing I wanted to do was go to college. My friends were taking college prep classes, and they thought I was crazy for not taking it with them."
Despite her dislike for studying, Karley accumulated a 3.8 GPA over a four-year span at Baldwin. "I got good grades, I just never found my calling."
Sold
In a sociology class at KCC, Higashiguchi took on a community service project that ended up redirecting her entire career pathway. She can't recall which sociology class it was, but she can vividly remember the end result.
"My teacher ended up placing me at a state detention home for juveniles, and I totally hated it! I tried to find a way to get out of it. I was a teacher's aid so I would help them with their work. I helped this one boy for about two months, and right when he was about to leave he approached me and said, 'I just want to say thank you.' From that point on I was sold."
Karley spent an entire school semester at a detention home, two times a week for three hour periods, accumulating 90 hours total. Knowing that she had helped somebody in a time of crisis…that was priceless.
A Word Of Advice
"The expectations at a community college are kind of like high school. I went from that to walking into lecture halls with 300 people. It was easy to cut out of class. It's really a lot of self regulation, and you need to be responsible for yourself."
The Next Step
After four semesters at KCC, Karley transferred to the University of Hawaii in January 2000. Her focal point…social work.
Higashiguchi finished up her bachelor's degree in 2002, and two years later she completed the graduate's program. In Hawaii, social workers are required to obtain a license to practice in certain settings. To get a license, along with her current job, Karley was forced to get a master's degree in social work.
In June 2006, Karley started working at Queen's Hospital with the Hospice Hawaii Unit, located on the third floor. "I absolutely love my job. In the beginning it was depressing because we deal with a lot of people at the end of their lives. If you love what you do than it's all worth it. For me, it's self rewarding, and that's what keeps me going."