On April 24, 2025, seven women at Oahu’s Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC) celebrated a meaningful milestone – completing the six-week Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship Program and taking a step toward a new beginning. The program, run through a partnership between the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR), Honolulu Community College (HCC), and HCATF, was designed to equip participants with essential skills and a clear pathway into the trades.
Held at the Hoʻokipa Cottage patio, the ceremony was more than a celebration – it was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when opportunity meets determination. Each graduate earned a certificate in carpentry fundamentals, learning everything from blueprint reading and math skills to framing, drywall installation, and OSHA safety standards.
“It’s about breaking barriers,” said WCCC Warden Ione “Noni” Guillonta. “The pre-apprenticeship program is a foundation for the graduates to build a future for themselves.”
The partnership between HCATF and DCR has been significant in the effort to expand meaningful rehabilitation and reentry options through career training. As of this spring, 31 participants – 13 women at WCCC and 18 men at Waiawa Correctional Facility – have completed the program since it launched in 2023, with seven now indentured as apprentices with the
Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters.
During the ceremony, graduate Ashley Nihipali shared words of appreciation on behalf of her cohort. “I appreciate the opportunity that you guys gave to us,” she told HCATF instructors Leo Clemente and Robert Locquiao. “I learned new tools that I can use in the real world. I appreciate you guys a lot.”
After the ceremony, Nihipali shared that she plans to continue her education and enter the Hawaii Carpenters Apprenticeship Program after her release. For many of the graduates, this program is an opportunity to turn a new leaf and create a new path
forward. The program’s success reflects not only the resilience of its graduates, but the growing recognition that second chances can – and should – lead to strong, skilled careers.
“You are living proof that strength, determination and perseverance can shape futures – just as wood and nails can build a home,” said Edmund C. Aczon, Executive Director of HCATF. “Through six weeks of hard work, learning, and pushing past challenges, you have not only gained skills, but you have built a foundation for new possibilities.”
Corrections Education Program Manager Roseanne Propato echoed the same theme: “Through carpentry, incarcerated women are not just building skills – they’re building futures. The pre-apprenticeship program offers them a chance to craft
not only wood, but also a path to independence, self-worth, and new opportunities beyond the prison walls.”
As the program continues, it serves as a powerful reminder that the trades are about building and rebuilding, too. One skill, one opportunity, and one determined person at a time.
