DCR CELEBRATES THREE GRADUATES OF WCCC’S INAUGURAL DENTAL ASSISTANT TRAINING PROGRAM

HONOLULU — The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) and its community partners recognized three women — two inmates from the Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC) and a third woman who was recently released from the facility —for completing a 16-week Dental Assistant Training Program.

DCR and its community partners hosted a graduation ceremony at a Honolulu medical building Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, to celebrate the achievements of the women, the first cohort of WCCC’s inaugural program.

Graduate Janelle Newcomb, who is slated to be released from WCCC within six months, said, “I’m so excited for myself to accomplish something I never thought I would ever do. I’m very inspired by my teachers who helped me along the way… .”

DCR has partnered with the Oʻahu Workforce Development Board, Hawaiʻi American Job Center and Simply 3D Hawaiʻi on the program.

The course is designed to prepare participants with the skills, knowledge and hands-on experience that are necessary for a rewarding career in the dentistry field as a dental assistant.

In the program, students learn dental terminology, anatomy and charting, preventative dentistry and ethics. The course also focuses on digital dentistry where participants learn intraoral scanning, digital impression, 3D printing and milling training for dental appliances and restorations and more.

DCR Director Tommy Johnson and DCR Deputy Director Melanie Martin of the Administration Division were among the honored guests who attended the ceremony.

During the event, Johnson congratulated the women for their accomplishments. “Don’t let this be the end of your educational journey, let it be the beginning,” Johnson said as he addressed the graduates. “Your completion of this course will open up many doors for you and I encourage you to walk through those doors and be successful in your educational journey.”

Kai Oshiro, founder of Empire Smile and Simply 3D HI, and his brother, Brandon Oshiro, who presented certificates to the graduates at the ceremony, serve as instructors in the dental assistant training program. The pair came up with the concept of a vocational rehabilitation training class over a year ago.

Kai Oshiro said they envisioned students graduating from a course that “didn’t just put them on the same page and the same platform as any other dental assistant school graduating.”

“We wanted to put them a tier above and that is something that I’m so super proud of that all three of these students have done,” Oshiro said during the ceremony. “They’ve taken really advanced digital technology that most other dental assistants that I’ve worked with struggle with.”

“They’re not just going to be a dental assistant, they’re going to be a partner helping the practice excel in these advanced digital times,” he added.

DCR Education Services Branch Program Manager Roseanne Propato thanked the community partners for their collaboration and the graduates for their perseverance. “I hope the best for all three of you, for you to be successful in all that you do,” Propato said.

WCCC Education Supervisor Kahaʻe Maikai-Iakopo commended the women for their hard work and dedication. “You folks are the pioneering ladies and you’re paving the way for everybody else in helping us really to make this another pathway for all the ladies that come after you,” Maikai-Iakopo said.

Newcomb and another graduate are currently in work furlough programs at WCCC with pass privileges. The third graduate, who had initially started the dental assistant training program at WCCC, had continued and completed the course outside of the facility following her recent release.

The graduates will be working with partnering dental clinics in Hawaiʻi as paid interns, earning $20 to $23 an hour.

The internships could potentially lead to permanent employment at the clinics, increasing their pay to $25 to $28 an hour.

Graduation footage and photos, courtesy of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation are available at the following link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1X8PHyfNF_Buj78fxRrWNIezCj-fb2ivv?usp=drive_link.

Media Contact:
Rosemarie Bernardo
Public Information Officer
Hawai‘i Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Office: 808-587-1358
Cell: 808-683-5507
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://dcr.hawaii.gov