NMMI Sports Press
"When you grow up on an island, all you want to do is fly away."
And fly they have.
Kekililani Helekahi and Adriana De Jesus signed letters of intent to continue their volleyball careers at new schools in the fall during a small ceremony with teammates and coaches Wednesday at Cahoon Armory.
Helekahi came to the Institute from Hawaii while De Jesus hails from Puerto Rico. They have served very different roles during their two years at NMMI, but both players have provided energy, leadership and enthusiasm that will be hard to replace.
"Both of these kids are big energy bugs, whether they're on the floor or off, in practice or in game mode," said NMMI head coach Shelby Forchtner. "They've been great leaders and communicators, and we will miss that a lot."
Helekahi will head to the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, where she plans to continue pursuing an engineering degree, a dream that started on the beautiful but isolated island of Maui.
"When I was younger I wanted to be a pilot, but as I grew up the idea just evolved. Why just fly planes when I can also build them. And then coming here, with the wonderful STEM program, I thought maybe I'd like to build other things as well, so I picked a school with a great mechanical engineering program and I'll be getting a minor in aerospace."
Versatility is a common theme for Helekahi. She was an attacker during her high school career, but switched to setter shortly before arriving at the Institute. During the 2024 season, the injury of one of the Broncos big arms forced Helekahi to step into the hitter's role, and she made the most it, garnering conference player of the week honors.
Helekahi will be joining the Orediggers as a defensive specialist, but is more prepared than ever to play another position if her squad needs it. She's also ready to embark on a new challenge with a regimented daily schedule she has grown to appreciate over the past couple years.
"One of the biggest takeaways will be a foundation of discipline that I felt I lacked before NMMI," said Helekahi. "I feel like waking up early and having a good routine is really healthy and important to be able to create a life that is productive and sustainable."
Helekahi will play for another long-tenured coach in Jamie Magalei, entering her 17th season as head coach at CSM. The 'Diggers will look to bounce back after a 14-12 that fell well below the typical high standards of the program.
CSM Volleyball won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament from 2019-2021 and have 14 NCAA Division-II Tournament appearances since 2005.
Helekahi is ready to inject some of the characteristics of an actual bronco into the Mines DNA.
"I think the best part of my game is my energy. I bring a different kind of energy, just kind of a wild, free range horse on the court," she said with a grin. "I like to influence it and kind of push it onto other people I play with, because I fell like the energy on the court can really elevate the game."
Helekahi thanked her volleyball coaches for their patience as she learned a new position, and strength coach Danny Ford for instilling in her a strong weight room work ethic. She also thanked her teammates for keeping her focused and being supportive.
"My roommates, Adri and Tori (Oliveira), they've been my stronghold, especially in season. We lean on each other when things get tough, when we're not at our best," she said. "The connections I've made at NMMI, especially with my teammates…we eat together, we live together, we march together, we train the freshmen. It's a very intimate connection that is created here."
Forchtner said Helekahi, or Pume as she is affectionately known, has all the attributes a coach loves in an athlete.
"She's good at everything," said Forchtner. "She's a versatile player, but she also holds people accountable, she works really hard, she accepts coaching. She went through a really tough transition, changing positions as she came into the collegiate world, and some days were harder than others, but we stayed on her because we had such high expectations and she is such a great person to play around."
De Jesus, who played sparingly behind All-American middle blocker Vitoria Oliveira, will join the Barons of Brewton-Parker College, a private Baptist school in tiny Mount Vernon, Georgia, about three hours southeast of Atlanta.
"I chose Bruton-Parker because of the great offer they gave me and because of how much effort the coach gave to recruit me," De Jesus said. "It's a small college, pretty far from the city. I plan to earn my bachelor's in biology and then try and finish a master's in microbiology or microchemistry."
De Jesus said she has improved her block reading and offensive skills during the current offseason and Forchtner agreed.
"She has grown a lot over the past two years. When she first stepped into our program she needed a lot of technical training and right now she is playing her best volleyball," said Forchtner. "It's rewarding, but can be hard as a coach to see a kid improve to that level and then you have to send them off to be successful elsewhere. I know she'll be able to step in and run the show in the middle."
The Barons have struggled in recent seasons, but look to improve quickly under second-year head coach Obed Quiles, who will add other players from top junior college programs like Monroe and Odessa.
"I learned how to give 100 percent of myself, how to be a leader, how to accept others' knowledge and learn from everyone," said De Jesus. "I will take those qualities with me to my new school and team."
De Jesus is excited to take on a major role with a young team on the rebuild, but said her time with her Bronco teammates will be hard to beat.
"Winning regionals last year was a very nice experience with a new team and new coach and new friends that became like family," she said. "I want to thank my coaches, Mila (Araujo), Danny and Shelby for pushing me to my limits and making me better every day. And my best friends — Pume, Tori, Leah (Linares), Evelyn (Araujo) — all of them deserve the world."
Forchtner, a former junior college player that successfully continued her career at a university, said there are many differences between two-year and four-year programs, but the departure from military standards will likely be the biggest change for Pume and Adri.
"No matter where they go, it'll be completely different from how we do things," she said. "We have the school that backs up what we say in sports on a daily basis in terms of discipline, organization, time management and uniformity. The military component really mimics sports. There's a chain of command, a hierarchy, we all wear the same thing.
"So if they do go into a program that isn't talking about those things, we really hope that our kids step up and utilize what they've learned here to help their new teams."
From islands in opposite oceans to Bronco Volleyball roommates… and soon flying off to the next adventure.