For 15-year-old Kayah Lieto, not a day goes by that she isn’t thinking about her horses Jitterbug, Crumbs, and Stella.
As early as she can remember, the Hawai’i highschooler dreamed of riding, bonding, and caring for the four-hoofed animals. She’s followed that dream into the world of competitive horseback riding.
A seasoned English equestrian rider, she’s up before school every day, feeding her horses. After school, she rides and continues to practice to reach her goal of becoming a pro show jumper.
“It’s all I want to do,” she said.
After traveling to venues off island, she’s experienced the financial reality of her chosen sport. Equestrian riding is expensive, and shouldn’t limit a good rider’s chance at winning, she said.
With hopes of one day becoming a pro equestrian rider, Lieto tapped into her entrepreneurial spirit to help her support that goal as she advances.
With the help of her parents and guidance from her teachers at Hawai’i Technology Academy (HTA), Lieto has created her own successful equestrian-inspired, social media account where she shares stories about her beloved animals and gives viewers an inside look at the lifestyle of an English equestrian rider.
She said she created the account to share her story and tap into the opportunities of being an equestrian online, but also for the added bonus of an extra stream of income on her journey to the big leagues. And she’s doing just that with some of her reels already topping out at over four million views.
Her content is original, attractive, and authentic, making her a popular account amongst her peer group.
“I want to build a strong and authentic community of equestrians on my account where we can support each other instead of tearing each other down,” she said.
A sophomore at HTA, Lieto considers herself fortunate to be able to fold her business and her love of equestrian riding into her school day.
HTA Kona campus director Makala Paakaula said the school’s blended learning schedule is designed for students exactly like Lieto.
“As an innovative public charter school, HTA offers a flexible schedule that mixes days on campus with virtual classes — this gives students more time to pursue their individual interests,” she said.
Lieto has also taken advantage of the high school Career-Based Learning program, where she earns class credit while developing her business.
Lately she’s been focusing on her account’s metrics, content creation, and sponsorship, she added.
“Kayah is a remarkable young person,” she said. “She excels in her classes and she’s taken full advantage of our Career-Based Learning program, which aims to help our high school students explore different careers and gain professional skills. At HTA, we start these kinds of experiential opportunities for our students right from kindergarten. It’s our goal to prepare our haumāna for the real world.”
Lieto, who received all A’s last semester, said she’s grateful for the opportunity to explore her entrepreneurial dreams in the classroom.
“I’m not sure I would have been able to do this at any other school,” she said.
Her mother added:
“I could not be more proud and grateful for who Kayah is and chooses to be. She loves Jesus, is beautiful inside and out, extremely intelligent, creative, determined, fun, filled with joy and is an absolute inspiration to all who know her.”
For more information about HTA visit https://hi.myhta.org/. You can follow Lieto on Instagram at @kayahlieto.
