Kiele is a graduate student pursuing a master's degree at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and is the recipient of the Johnny Pineapple Scholarship which is administered by the Ke Ali'i Pauahi Foundation.
Kiele expressed her gratitude in her words saying,
Heidi Aceret '90 is a mother of three very active children and works full time for the Department of Education on Kaua'i. The first person in her family to pursue a graduate degree, she realized that she loves to learn and is a lifelong learner while taking her first graduate courses with the University of Phoenix after earning her Bachelors from BYU in 1995.