Chastity Ah You wanted to be a flight attendant when she entered the Aloha Airlines Explorers Program in 2002 as a Castle High School senior.

As an Aloha employee and adviser for the program six years later, Ah You walked into a class last month to see one of her students fighting back tears at the news that the program would end.

The Explorers program, which offered high school and college students hands-on experience in the aviation industry, came to a close after nearly two decades yesterday following the shutdown of Aloha Airlines earlier this month.

For Ah You, the program's end means "being away from the people I grew up to know as an Explorer. ... I felt like I was a part of Aloha for six years instead of the four I worked there."

Among the 23 students who received graduation certificates last night at Dave & Buster's at Ward Entertainment Center was Jerris Tagavilla, a junior at Roosevelt High School, who described the ceremony as "bittersweet."

Tagavilla, who hopes to become a pilot, won the Jaime Wagatsuma Outstanding Explorer of the Year award, named for a former Aloha Airlines pilot and head of the Explorers program who recently died of cancer.

"I really wish this program didn't shut down," she said. "For all the people younger than me, it would have been a good opportunity for them to find out what they want to do."

More than 550 students have graduated from the Explorers Program in its 19-year history. Many now fly as pilots and flight attendants at major commercial carriers throughout the United States or in the Air Force, said former Aloha employee Greg Chilson, head adviser of Explorers for the past four years.

Volunteers from Aloha Airlines met with a group of about 30 students for three hours once a week over a 10-week period. Each class provided an in-depth look at a different job in the industry.

Students had a chance to take reservations, perform safety demonstrations for passengers and climb inside the cockpit before the plane took off.

The class did not get to visit the air traffic control tower as planned the week that Aloha Airlines closed.

"Even though we're no longer employees, even though there is no longer an Aloha Airlines as we knew it, it's important to give back to the kids and bring closure to the 61-year legacy of Aloha Airlines," said Chilson, the former director of Aloha's dining services.

Some former Aloha employees fought back tears last night during a slide show of photos showing the students learning from coworkers and exploring the Aloha fleet.

"I think the advisers are having a harder time keeping our emotions in check," Chilson said.

The airline's closure threw a damper on the hopes of some students who wanted to work for the carrier someday.

"This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I'm really glad I was a part of it," said graduate Sonny Ah Puck, 18, who is studying travel at Kapi'olani Community College.

"There are some challenges in the airline industry," Ah You said. "(I told them,) don't let this keep you from making a decision because there are other airlines out there."

Chilson, who is looking for a new job, said working with the Explorers Program has encouraged him to look into nonprofit work and other ways in which he can give back to the community.

Many advisers would like to start a new Explorers program, possibly for a different industry. But those plans are still up in the air, Chilson said.

"It depends where we all land."