Carolyn Ozaki, an eighth grade teacher at Mililani Middle School, is honored for her advocacy and efforts to get her school to adopt the Making a Job program as the curriculum for their Business Wheel. Making a Job is an economics and entrepreneurship program for middle school youngsters developed by the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Carolyn attended and received training in Making a Job through the Center for Economic Education, and agreed to pilot the program.

Carolyn believed Making a Job could open her students’ eyes to the many career opportunities and expand their perceptions of the world of business and entrepreneurship. She shared her vision and enthusiasm for the program with her fellow teachers and convinced them that the program, which integrates economics, language arts, and mathematics content standards, should be taught to all eighth graders at Mililani Middle. Carolyn has been instrumental in the planning and implementation of the Business Wheel at her school. Her willingness to work, share and support her colleagues is just a small part of what makes Carolyn an asset to her school and her students.

Richie Kibota of Iolani School has been an exemplary economics teacher and advocate for economic education. Richie majored in economics at the University of Hawai`i, and then became a social studies teacher. As a teacher at both Moanalua High and Iolani School, Richie has promoted excellence in economic education.

The Economics Challenge is a high school student competition that tests student’s knowledge of economics. At Moanalua High School, Richie worked with a group of U.S. history students who were interested in economics and taught them the fundamental economic concepts after school. These students went on to win the first Hawai`i State Economics Challenge and participated in the Western Regional in San Francisco. In 2001, Richie transferred to Iolani where his ability to nurture and enrich students’ knowledge of economics continues. Since he joined the Iolani staff, his students have won the David Ricardo division of the State Economics Challenge twice, won the Western Regional twice and both times had the opportunity to compete for the national crown in New York City.

The Hawaii Council on Economic Education congratulates Carolyn and Richie on their incredible accomplishments. Keep up the good work!