On a summer afternoon in Honolulu, U.S. Army Soldiers from the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command handed a freshly built rocket to a local teenager and stepped back to watch it launch skyward. For two weeks in June 2026, Oahu's young people weren't just learning about rockets in classrooms—they were building them, firing them into the air, and discovering that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) isn't abstract or distant.

The Youth Impact Program, held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, brought together a seemingly unlikely pair of mentors: active-duty military personnel and the university's Head Football Coach, Timmy Chang. It's a reminder that mentorship comes from many directions, and that young people benefit most when their community shows up for them in concrete ways.

During the two-week program, students from across Oahu participated in hands-on STEM learning alongside soldiers who volunteered their time away from their regular duties. These weren't quick tours or one-off visits—they were sustained, meaningful mentorship relationships. The students didn't just hear about engineering; they experienced the full cycle of building and testing a rocket, the kind of experience that transforms abstract concepts into real-world understanding. Each launch was a small moment of triumph, a tangible proof that their work mattered.

What makes this initiative noteworthy is how it broadens what young people see as possible for themselves. When a teenager watches a rocket they helped build arc through the sky, the message is clear: you can create things that work. You can understand how the world functions. You can belong in fields that often feel exclusive or intimidating. For many students—particularly those without strong connections to STEM fields in their own families—having a mentor who works in a technical field like missile defense command can open doors that might otherwise stay closed.

The partnership between the Army and the University of Hawaii at Manoa also signals something larger about community investment in education. Military personnel have access to technical knowledge and hands-on experience; universities have facilities and frameworks for teaching. When those resources align around the goal of inspiring young people, the results speak for themselves.

Timmy Chang's presence in the program adds another dimension. When a head coach—someone young people respect and look up to—affirms the value of STEM learning, it counters a false divide between athletics and academics. Excellence matters across all fields. Curiosity is celebrated everywhere.

The Youth Impact Program is the kind of initiative that doesn't require massive funding or complex infrastructure. It requires people willing to show up and share what they know. It requires believing that young people in Hawaii—or anywhere—deserve access to mentors who can help them see their own potential. As Oahu's students watched their rockets climb into the sky, they weren't just learning physics. They were learning that their community believes they have a future worth investing in.