Have You Had A Night Cap With Dr. Grant Shibuya?

By: Daniel McArdle-Jaimes

I think all of us have our favorite Grant Shibuya memory. Grant said, “No one is going to want to read about me.” I immediately disagreed. A lot of us remember him. I remember Grant being interesting to talk to, and unconventional in all of the right ways. And do you remember how he always had a long explanation for everything? But then again…didn’t we all when we were teenagers?

When we began our conversation, I could instantly recognize the tone of his voice. It’s still a calm and deep hum tone, and his facial expressions are still the same 15 years later. If you remember, Grant’s eyebrows perk up when he gets excited about the direction the conversation is heading in. He is still observant, cunning, and continues to use his eccentric sense of humor to add to the memory share we held last week.

In fact, his favorite memory of me was when I had “lost” my science book (I actually didn’t realize that I ever lost my science book). According to Grant, nearly half of Mrs. Reed’s 10^th Grade English class was “in on it” as they passed my textbook to the back of the class and put it by the garbage can (thanks Kim Hee, Stacy Miyasato and Randall Mukai—he called you three out specifically). He even recalled the next day when we got a long lecture about not stealing other people’s property from Mrs. Reed. 

I should note that Grant spent an hour and half with me on the phone—the longest “reunion-related” phone call I had to date. Since starting this process, he’s definitely the most unpredictable classmate I have encountered on this reconnection journey so far. I say that, because Grant had so many memories to share with me. I was having such a good time having him tell me about his memories that we decided to continue our conversation over a beer for good measure....and because we could!

1)  Catch us up, Dr. Shibuya. What has your educational journey been like?

After graduating Mid-Pacific, I went to Santa Clara University (SCU) as an undeclared science major. SCU is small with 400 people in my graduation class. In fact, Kara Tom and I shared a communication class together to fulfill a mandatory requirement.

As a freshman, I originally wanted to go into medicine. As I started taking the core science classes (bio and chemistry), I realized that chemistry was the path I should take. My advisor was an organic chemistry professor, and thought I should give it a shot. After going through the organic chemistry sequence, I spent an undergraduate summer doing research at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In my time there, I realized that I was learning the most from the direct interaction I had with grad students. That experience inspired me to consider going to grad school.

After applying to grad schools, I decided to go to University of California at Irvine (UCI). After visiting the campus, I knew that I needed to find a professor/mentor for the next 4 to 7 years of my life. I took a risk and with the new assistant professor, Dr. Chris Vanderwal in fall 2005.

Grad school was brutal! There was a lot readings in text books, searching for the original source documents and reviewing journal articles. To help pay for grad school, I became a teacher’s assistant. After putting in 10-12 hour days, usually 6 days a week, I finished in five years and successful defended my Phd in 2010. At the time, I was working on a laborious research project, and we were racing against a group in Zurich to make this new molecule. After putting in countless long days, we were finally able to synthesize that molecule.

2)  Now that you are a doctor in chemistry, what does that mean and where are you headed?

When I had decided to go after my PhD, I had intended to work in academia. I have learned that becoming an academic requires more time by investing in a post-doc program, as very few professors are hired without having a post-doc experience under your belt. Having a postdoc demonstrates that you can do research under someone else’s watch with less supervision. So, I first went to Caltech in Pasadena (the Stoltz group).

Unfortunately, my funding at Caltech ran out. I was a year and a half into completing my post doc, and urgently needed to find a new opportunity. I found another postdoc at Stanford University (the Burns group). I started working there in July 2012, but I never had time to go to any of the football games, because I worked Saturdays. Just like in grad school, you are expected to work very hard, including weekends. After some months there, I had helped publish the first research paper for the group. But then that got me thinking about next steps. Since Mid-Pacific (15 years ago), 9 of those years had been spent in grad school. It wore on me. I was tired and jaded, so I redirected my career toward working in the industry.

Over the last year and a half, I’ve been working with a biotech start-up in San Francisco (SiteOne Therapeutics). A Stanford professor learned of me and encouraged me to consider working for his start-up in the Dogpatch neighborhood. Our company is seeking to find a pain treatment that is non-addictive. Most pain killers are addictive, and we are looking for a replacement for opioids. I’m happy with my work, and enjoy having my weekends back.

3) Clearly there is a lot of science influence in your journey. Are there any teachers that you’d like to credit?

Mr. Mersereau. It’s not an obvious choice. He was my Honors/AP physics teacher. I really like that his classes weren’t rigorously structured. There was an overall topic, but he presented problems to you. Those were fun. In addition, his labs involved collisions of objects to demonstrate physics.

Ms. Zeller. She was my homeroom teacher and 9th grade English teacher. I am actually a lousy English student, despite my mom being a community college English professor. I didn’t like reading, but now I enjoy it.

Mr. Vogel. I had him for 19th century literature. I heard he passed away a few years ago. I went to see him in 2002. I know a lot of people didn’t like his style of teaching, but I liked the books we read (Silas Marner and The House of The Seven Gables).

Dr. Northern. At the time, I didn’t enjoy her class. I didn’t learn to appreciate it until afterwards. She provided me a good foundation for college, and now I appreciate that and like her. I was able to do well in college because of that solid chemistry foundation she set for me.

I took biology from Mr. Chee, and really enjoyed his class. I also liked the honors English/History pairing from Mrs. Reed and Ms. Cook. I remember reading a lot of books. The only book I liked was Huck Finn, and for my entire time at Mid-Pacific, college, or grad school, her mid-term was the only exam that I ever flunked. That's right...I don’t remember the subject, but there were two essays. I spent the entire time on one essay, and left the second essay blank because I ran out of time! With Ms. Cook., I remember her AP U.S. History class being intense, but a good class.

4) What does alumni relations mean to you? Is it important or not?

We were privileged to go to Mid-Pacific, and we should feel obligated to help the students that currently go there. While I do not live in Hawaii, I know there are a lot of Hawaii-based activities.

I understand that the Class of 2001 will be undertaking an experimental mentorship program with the Class of 2017. I am looking forward to participating as a mentor to talk to and guide young scientists that are looking to pursue a career in science on the mainland.

5) What is your favorite high school memory?

There were a lot of good and bad memories. The good ones that I think about most, include hanging out with my friends – Gen Fujitani, Max Sato, Randall Mukai, Loren Nomura and Stuart Morishige. We would hang out at lunch or before/after classes.

6) Which classmate did you admire the most?

Adam Szalontai. I remember first meeting him in the 8th grade. He was shy at first. But then during graduation, he was actually quite funny and outspoken. He is filled with personality. I saw him two years ago, and heard he was pursuing a PhD. 

7) If you were going to the reunion, who would you most like to see?

Adam Szalontai. Max Sato. Kyle Yanbu. Adam and Max were my friends, but I haven’t seen them in a long time since they are far away, but Kyle is a cool guy! Kyle made AP U.S. History a lot of fun for all of us. He had a way of rattling Ms. Cook during lecture which was pretty entertaining. I told Kyle that I’d buy him an Orion beer the next time I see him. Can you tell him that the offer still stands?

Catching (or Keeping?) Up With Kristen (Young) Unten

By: Daniel McArdle-Jaimes

If you remember Kristen (Young) Unten the way I do, she was always smiling, modest, reassuring, athletic and well-rounded. She was naturally good at everything—academics, sports and extra circulars—and recently admitted to me that it required a lot of hard work, practice and focus.

I was reminded of all of these Kristen-like personality traits when she admitted that she enjoyed reading my blogs (thank you, Kristen, for the compliment!). But it was when she specifically admitted that she had been studying my blogs and was preparing for our interview that I remembered another personality trait of Kristen’s—she was always prepared and always 10 steps ahead! As we talked more, I couldn’t help but be reminded about how Kristen made parenthood and holding a fulltime career look easy. Kristen—You did a good job fooling me, if that’s NOT the case. J

Kristen and I have not spoken to each other since her graduation party 15 summers ago. This was the same party the Mrs. Reed and Ms. Cook commented on how my overly gelled hair was a fire hazard as I was standing next to a tiki torch in the backyard. Mrs. Reed said something to the effect of “Wow, I’m surprised your hair hasn’t caught on fire yet with all of that hair product.” Ms. Cook then took a sip from her red solo cup and you could tell she was masking her sly smile.

Anyway, back to Kristen…Kristen and I peered at one another over a FaceTime call, and she immediately and cooly said, “Daniellll….What’s up?” I wish I was a better writer to capture the essence of her greeting—it was happy, but at the same it had an undertone of disbelief that we were actually seeing one another over our iPhones. It was certainly a surreal moment, and one that brought a smile to our faces.

Author’s note: I should also note that Kristen opened by saying that she has been horrible about keeping in contact with her classmates. She was apologetic and sincerely feels bad. I told her not to worry, as we were all guilty of it. I told her that she should look at this as an opportunity to reconnect with everyone. J

While Kristen and I are Facebook friends, I guess I was surprised to see that she looked exactly the same over our video call. She even talked the same, and after talking to her more…really just seemed to be the same…just more grown up (and still 20 steps ahead of the rest of us)!

Thankfully, Kristen has a sense of humor. She reviewed this post before distributing it to you all. In fact, it is difficult to make fun of her, because she’s just so irritatingly prepared for everything, including my interview. I will say this…She was unable to answer my question: so what is your job? She told me, “I need to get back to you on that...It’s complicated.” I couldn’t help but smile.

Please enjoy a summary of the conversation I had with Kristen. It’s written by me, and edited by her (especially the career-oriented section):

1)      Catch Us Up. What have you been up to?

After graduating from Mid-Pacific, I went to school at the University of California Irvine (UCI) to pursue a degree in computer science. I decided to major in computer science because I was relatively good at math, and had an interest in technology. What I will say about majoring in computer science, is that it’s not all computer programming or coding. There are many opportunities in technology, especially for women, as it is a male-dominated industry. To give you an idea, at UCI, the female to male ratio was 1:5 in my class.

Immediately after my college graduation, I had a job lined up with EMC², an international and multi-faceted storage/technology company that owns VMWare and RSA and will be acquired by Dell later this year. I work as an IT consultant on projects to help large companies with storage-related and system-related issues. Currently, my client is Kaiser in Pleasanton, Calif., and I have to travel there once a month.

Kristen has been with EMC² for 10 years now, and gets to work from home. In fact, she FaceTime’d me from her home office where she mostly works.

Kristen is now married to a guy she met from UCI’s Hawaii Club when she was a sophomore. His immediate family is from Torrance, Calif., but his extended family is from Oahu and they try to visit often. Her husband, Richard Unten, works across the hall from her in his own home office. He used to own his business but now works for their kids’ Montessori school (Carter, age 5 and Zoe, age 3) managing the school’s marketing efforts. Before getting married eight years ago, they got a dog and bought their first townhouse. They decided to buy a home in Irvine right before Carter was born because it has a good school district.

Do you see what I mean about how it always felt like Kristen was 10 steps ahead? She had a job immediately after college, got married a couple years later, bought a home and then began having children! I am clearly teasing her, but in all seriousness, I am super happy and proud of for her.

By the way, her husband is a photographer, and the photos of their kids are very well done.

2)      Having lived in the Bay Area, I know that the technology industry is male dominated. If you were talking to a young female about why she should consider going into technology, what would you say to her?

My job now, doesn’t require all of the technical things you learn in college. Getting a computer science degree helps better position you for a career in technology. When I graduated in 2005, my company was actively recruiting college graduates with zero experience. It was my first “real job” out of college, and they flew me to Massachusetts for a 10-week “boot camp” training program. I found out about the opportunity from my former college roommate who went through the same program a year before. The tech industry has been good to me, and I really enjoy what I do.

I have to say that it was a super rewarding and memorable experience to go to that training in Massachusetts (EMC² headquarters). It felt similar to reliving college all over again. Everyone was young and starting a new experience together, but this time we were being paid to be there! In addition, my company has been generous in allowing me to work from home and limiting my work travel so that I can spend more time with my family.

3)       What does alumni relations mean to you? Why is it important?

I credit Mid-Pacific in preparing me for college and getting me into a good university on the mainland. Having lived on Molokai as a teenager, I had to make a decision about leaving Molokai. I decided to go with Mid-Pacific because the education system on Molokai wasn’t as advanced.

At the time, Mid-Pacific had a dormitory, and I wasn’t sure where I was going to live, so that helped in my decision. Ultimately, I am glad I picked Mid-Pacific because the school provided so many opportunities for me ranging from academics to sports to afterschool activities. Mid-Pacific gave me the foundation to be successful in college and in life. In high school, I took several AP/IB classes and was lucky enough to skip some classes as a freshman. Ultimately, I was able to graduate a quarter early to focus on finding a job.

4)      It sounds like you are crediting your success to your teachers. Who was your favorite teacher in high school?

Mrs. Kurashige. I took Japanese with her and also worked closely with her when Kim Hee and Dezarae (Ramos) Miyahira were training for the Japan Bowl. We spent a lot of time together. She and Mrs. Tanaka were coaching the three of us on various Japanese trivia questions. We did really well and went to the state championships placing third. We even had an all-expense paid trip to compete in Washington, D.C. on the national stage which was fun. It is a great memory and accomplishment that I’ll never forget.

I would also have to add Mrs. Reed. She was my English teacher. I enjoyed the books we read in her class. She was just really funny and sarcastic, and somehow managed to always brighten my day.

5)      Which classmate do you most admire and why?

I recently found out that (Dr.) Ken Tsubata not only became a podiatrist but now opened his own practice in Kailua about a year ago performing foot surgeries. I am so proud of him. Do you remember when he used to bend his arm backwards? He was so funny in high school, and I admire how successful he is today to help the community.

6)      What classmate(s) would you like to see most at the reunion?

I was in Hawaii last January to see my family. It was a short trip. Richard, the kids and I try to go back as often as we can so that we can spend time with my 97-year-old grandparents. I was supposed to see Stacie Shimabukuro in January, but it was just really hard to separate from my grandmother. When we visit, we try to maximize our family time...So I’ll say Stacie Shimabukuro and Dezarae (Ramos) Miyahara. They were my closest friends and I really want to spend time with them as a whole. We had a lot of great memories together, and it’s been a long time since we got to see each other.   

How MPSA, Theatre, Dance & English Shaped Jamie Shore

By: Daniel McArdle-Jaimes

Throughout high school, I recall Jamie Shore being tremendously focused, driven and passionate about writing, dance, theater and her education at a very young age. She was steady, naturally talented and I felt this unbending pressure to perform well because I didn’t want to be the weak link next to her. If I were to describe the dynamics of our relationship, Jamie and I would be co-stars. I guess I would be the teenage Will to her young Grace. In case you didn’t catch that, I’m using a Will & Grace pop culture analogy for reference. It’s completely appropriate.

We were a sarcastic and comedic pairing that Mr. Doyle recognized early on. In fact, he often paired us up together to do scene work in class, plays or in speech & debate tournaments. I remember him investing in the two of us as freshmen and taking us all the way to a state championship for speech & debate tournament as she and I played an old, cranky and cantankerous married couple…

Flash forward to present day, Jamie is now a 15-year Los Angeles resident with 10+ years of entertainment/television experience. After being together for nearly five years, she and her fiancé, Todd Lucia, live together in a Santa Monica complex that feels a little bit like Melrose Place. While she’s used to L.A. living, for the rest of us, it feels like a well-scripted fairytale.

Here are some highlights of our interview in her words:  

1)     What have you been up to the last 15 years?

After graduating from Mid-Pacific, I went to the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Cinematic Arts after deciding that a business degree was just not what I needed to make me happy. Shortly after college, I worked for a television network, Ovation, which had a concentration on arts programming. It was a natural fit for me, given my extensive Mid-Pacific School of the Arts (MPSA) background. After some time moving up in the ranks there, I landed a job at The CW and now work as a manager of affiliate marketing.

2)     Your job sounds so cool, but what is affiliate marketing?

She thankfully started her response with an example.

A national broadcast network like Fox comes to your Honolulu home thanks to the local KHON (affiliate) station. There are many markets across the U.S.—New York City is #1, Los Angeles is #2 and Honolulu is #66. Each region has a different affiliate station and agreement with a national broadcasting network.

My job allows me to work with affiliates that are our partners. While The CW network headquarters in Los Angeles oversees the national marketing efforts to promote our shows, my job is to oversee the marketing partnerships between the Network and over 45 local affiliated television networks across the country. The best part of my job is getting to talk about TV all day. Most Americans call it “water cooler” talk, so I basically have a fun job. ;)

3)     Living and working in L.A., you must see a lot of celebrities. This is something that we can imagine. Are there any special celebrity sightings that come to mind? 

I am a fan of entertainers like anybody else, and I probably see more celebrities than most. However, when I am at work, I make it a point to conduct myself in a professional manner. Most of my interactions with celebrities are very brief and casual—it’s a “hi” or “goodbye” type of interaction, and some work-related banter.

One day I walked by Patrick Wilson (Fargo, Insidious, and Watchmen). Inside I was dying as we exchanged smiles, but I kept telling myself to keep calm. I guess I also run into that hot actor from Jane The Virgin (Justin Baldoni, also in Heroes, Charmed, The Bold & The Beautiful, and The Young & The Restless) every now and then, but again I try to keep it to myself.

Other sightings you should ask her about include: Chris Ma

rtin, Britney Spears, Kerry Washington, Cuba Gooding Jr., Rachel Bilson, and Ian Somerhalder to name a few.

4)     What does alumni relations mean to you? Is it important or not?

I think it’s important to check in with your roots. My roots were created at Mid-Pacific, and we spent many years there—especially those that started in middle school. I think it’s important to keep those friendship and acquaintances close, because we went through a shared experience together and have since evolved.

I think for current and future students, it is important to keep in contact with alumni to know what they are capable of. I recall reading the alumni notes when it was called The Owl Line. It helped me realize that if I can continue to dream, it would help me determine what to do later in life.

Furthermore, I think it is important to underscore how well the teachers prepared me. I am grateful to them, and have befriended them on Facebook, including Mrs. Reed, Mr. Doyle and Ms. Jay…but I need to reconnect with Ms. Zeller.

5)     Speaking of teachers, who was your favorite teacher in high school?

Mrs. Zeller. She was not only my homeroom teacher, but also my International Baccalaureate (IB) English teacher for two years. She challenged my thinking and pushed me to write more. I remember doing a lot of writing in that class, and it proved useful for me, particularly in college. These days, I write in my spare time and have aspirations of becoming a better writer. It’s a hobby of mine that I haven’t let go of.

Mrs. Reed inspired me in the value of learning to read stories. In my career, I’m surround by television and movie stories, and she had help me look at the story and be able to understand what makes it great. In addition, she’s always my friend in sarcasm. I learned the ways of sarcasm with the help of Mrs. Reed.

Ms. Jay was a constant source of support during my MPSA journey. Dance didn’t come naturally for me, and I knew it was something that required practice. I remember Ms. Jay being very encouraging. For me, dance required an investment of time and work that led to my improvement. I don’t dance anymore, but I use the same philosophy in my professional life and personal hobbies—constantly practicing and improving! J 

6)     Which classmate did you admire most?

Erin Fuller. She is so intelligent, and also found the time to let loose and have fun. I admired her because I didn’t know how she was able to get everything done. She had outstanding grades, and was also involved in so many extracurricular activities and sports. Today, she’s not only a doctor, but now has a family and is an amazing mom.

7)     What Is Your Favorite High School Memory?

There was something about being backstage that was exciting. For whatever reason, it encouraged enthralling banter. We would just love to irritate each other, and admittedly, we weren’t the best behaved children…we would always find creative ways of entertaining ourselves.

There were so many people a part of those memories, including Gen Fujitani, Adam Szalonti, Max Sato, Stuart Morishige and Danny Pereira, to name a few—it also included other non-2001 classmates including Jessica Hayworth, class of 2002 and Mariko (Neubauer) Jackson, class of 2000.

8)     Why was MPSA important in your development?

For me, the most important element of MPSA was the reading of plays in dramatic literature class. It was this class that gave me an appreciation of stories. I recognized early on the influence stories had, including the impact it had on our society, how it could slowly shape reality and how it could interpret what was going on in the world.

In addition, we did a lot of improvisation with Mr. Doyle. I recall Tina Fey’s memoir reflection—In all of the jobs she had, the greatest lesson she learned was to always say yes and figure out how to do it later. Improvisation was always agreeing to something silly and playing off of it in Mr. Doyle’s class. In my career, I learned to always say yes. Of course I was scared after agreeing to it, but I figured it out as I went.

9)     Which classmate would you like to see at the reunion?

Danny Pereira! We had so much fun in high school, and I’ve lost touch with him. I remember when we would go off campus in his convertible to grab dinner before rehearsals. He always made me laugh. I’d love to know what he’s up to. He is just so fun, and I’m sure he still is a lot of fun!

Kauai Living, Irate Customers & Becoming Fire Commissioner Mari Yokoi

By: Daniel McArdle-Jaimes

It’s been 10+ years since I’ve spoken to Mari Yokoi. Sure, we are friends on Facebook and Instagram, but she barely comments on the photos or updates that are posted on my Facebook or Instagram page. I’m not upset about it. I’m just calling her out on it. In fact, I’m calling all of us out on that. Aren’t we all guilty of that? We are friends with so many of our former classmates on Facebook or Instagram, but we haven’t spoken personally to them in years!

When I reached out to Mari to acquire her interest via Facebook Messenger Chat, I was actually quite surprised to earn her interest so easily…I mean it’s been 10+ years since we literally talked! As we were exchanging email addresses to set up our interview, it was like going back in time. In those emails, I was humorously pleased to learn that Mari still likes to take jabs at me (e.g. she’s still good about telling me “no” in her sassy Mari-like manner and making me work hard to get her to sigh and say “Fine….I guess I’ll do it...”). After all, she and I bickered a lot in high school when we did student government things together. Actually, that’s one of my most favorite memories of Mari.

In fact, I am going to go on record and say that Mari was actually the brain child and FORCE behind convincing me to do all sorts of embarrassing things for you all at school. She was the one that told me it would be a good idea for me to dress up as Ricky Martin and Britney Spears at the Welcome Program and Aloha Program. She (along with Karalyn Tom) were the ones responsible for choreographing the dances to “Shake Your Bon Bon” and “Oops….I Did It Again”. And so, we can all thank Mari Yokoi for that...

After a brief catch up and a couple more exchanged jabs, here is a summary of my interview with Mari Yokoi:

1)     What have you been up to over the last 15 years?

I moved to Kauai two and half years ago. I was in a long distance relationship and we decided that it was time to for me to look for employment on Kauai. When I was in Honolulu, I was working with Kamehameha Schools (KS) at the time and one of my connections through KS, recommended me for a position at Kanuikapono (a charter school on the east side of Kauai). I applied and began immediately working as an Admin under the Executive Director/Principal. The role grew as more responsibilities were given to me. While I liked working at the charter school, I was beginning to feel a little burned out. Mari explained to me that charter schools have a small staff, so she was taking on the workload for three to four people that their school couldn’t hire for.

At the time, my boyfriend was coaching high school football on Kauai, and one of the coaches referred me to an opening at Hawaii Gas, a company he was working for. After a lengthy and weird interview process, I was finally hired to work as the Admin Supervisor. In my role, I manage the customer service representatives who work in the front office. I also get to deal with the irate customers who request to speak with management. In addition, I am also responsible for handling the back-end processes, including debt or collections (the harder stuff) and leak credits. Also, I often times gather data and generate reports to track information for our Business Unit. And finally, I work with the general manager to improve operations, our procedures, and assist in letters/correspondence with our customers. After hearing about all of the things she’s doing, I grew exhausted trying to keep up with her on the note taking. In summary, it certainly sounds like a job Mari would be good at it.

2)     There was a picture on your Facebook profile. It looked like you were sworn in for something and got a lei for it. It looked super important. What was that about?

It’s a long story. My boyfriend’s son’s grandpa served on the county commission before. He also happens to be a good friend of the Kauai mayor. Those that serve on a commission are all volunteers, and it’s difficult to get community members to volunteer their time for civic duty.

One day he asked me via text if I was interested in serving on the Fire Commission. I was trying to be nice and asked him to send over some information (well in his mind, I had already said yes—I’ll do it). After reviewing the responsibilities and giving it some thought, I realized that it would be a good way to meet people in the community. I was sworn in last summer and will serve a three-year term.

The fire commission meets 10 times a year and we meet with the fire chief (he oversees all of Kauai’s fire stations) to review his budget and goals. We basically make sure he’s doing his job. I never thought I would serve on a commission, but it’s been interesting so far and I enjoy it.

3)     What does alumni relations or school relations mean to you?

I can’t say that I’ve been the most involved. Not that I haven’t thought about it or wanted to…I think like you, and everyone else, I just got busy with life.

I am a person that lives in the present, BUT I think it is always important to remember where you came from and the opportunities you had. For me, Mid-Pacific was “the good old days,” when you were growing up and life was carefree. Back then, we only worried about homework, friends, and what we were going to do during our free period.

4) What teacher/staff member did you admire most in high school?

Mr. Wheeler. He coaches Pac-5 football now. What is crazy is that my boyfriend used to coach football with him. My boyfriend calls him “Billy” not Mr. Wheeler. But to me, he will always be Mr. Wheeler. I actually saw Mr. Wheeler last summer when Pac-5 played Waimea High School.

OK, but why did you admire Mr. Wheeler in high school?

Mr. Wheeler was always there for me; he was someone that I confided in personally when at school. I just admired how attentive he was. He was always really open about information and advice.

5)     Pick one classmate. Who do you most admire and why?

Chad Nishi. She proudly and fondly proclaims.

That boy has gone through so much academically and he’s finally living his dream by being a vet. He’s proof that perseverance pays off. He lives far away now and I rarely see him, but I am so proud of him.

6)     Who would you most want to see at the Mid-Pacific reunion?

Well when is it?

It’s to be determined by the reunion planning committee. Stay tuned in the coming week for details.

Lindsay Farias. She’s another one. We are Facebook and Instagram friends, but just looking at her photos…It looks like she is living her dream too! She’s working in Los Angeles for a company that allows others, particularly younger people, to live their dreams. Lindsay Farias is a talent agent. I’m trying to get an interview with her. We went to college (University of Southern California) together but I haven’t seen her since. It would be interesting to see what she’s been up to.

7)     What’s your favorite high school memory?

MPSA. The dance concerts were fun. I actually miss dance…a lot. I think as you get older, there are some things that you just don’t do anymore.

Mari used to do Zumba with an instructor on Kauai who specialized in hip hop routines. However dance classes are limited on Kauai and she’s no longer taking Zumba classes anymore insisting it’s for “older people.”

MPSA gave me more of an appreciation for the arts. Mr. Maley and Ms. Yamada were not only my teachers, but former professional dancers themselves. Their classes were structured in a professional fashion. They taught us the technical movement, but also the style of dress. We learned what was acceptable/unacceptable in the dance world. It was good for us. MPSA and dance class provided us with “real world” insight into what it would be like to be a professional dancer and that we should take our training seriously. I appreciated that and miss it.

CALL FOR CLASS UPDATES!

Did you get married? Did you move? Do you have a new baby to share? Do you want others outside of the class of 2001 to know about your new job?

Please send me an update to include in the next Mid-Pacific Today Magazine!

We haven't had any updates from our classmate in awhile... It would be nice to celebrate the good things you are doing in our community! 

Inviting Your Engagement --We Need Bloggers, Youth Mentors & Reunion Planners!

Significance In High School Alumni Relations?

While the Class of 2001 was one of the smallest classes ever at Mid-Pacific, many teachers and various classes (1998 to 2004) said that the Class of 2001 had a reputation for having individuals that were inclusive, spirited, creative and well-rounded. 

In addition, the Class of 2001 served as the “guinea pig” class for the “Mid-Pacific School of the Arts (MPSA) program. In 1998, some of you demonstrated a long-term commitment to the MPSA program in the 8^th grade by dedicating much of your education toward the arts.

I share this with you because I have volunteered our class to serve as the prototype (“guinea pig” class) class to change and evolve the way in which Mid-Pacific (and other Hawai’i high schools) conduct alumni relations in the modern age. Moving forward, I will be working closely with the Mid-Pacific administration, staff and you to begin re-engaging and modernizing the alumni relations efforts. This will include reintroducing the school to you, so that you can feel more comfortable as an informed brand ambassadors and advocate for the school.

Inviting Your Engagement --We Need Bloggers, Youth Mentors & Reunion Planners!

Today, I invite you to join me as a united class to help me rebuild our class foundation, spirit and network that we took a break from nearly 15 years ago.

Moving forward, my job is to help share information and opportunities with you, so that you can remember our treasured high school moments that are being experienced by Mid-Pacific’s newest generation of owls. In the Mid-Pacific spirit of giving back, I invite you to consider joining me to reshape the way our class, school and alumni communicates and thrives.

Please review the graphic that I created that outlines three committees that are in need of volunteers. Hopefully some of you will consider reliving your high school days as journalists or visual artists to help me report upon the ways we are reshaping what modern and meaningful alumni relations looks like.

In the coming weeks, we will also begin a new movement to demonstrate how our class is reshaping alumni relations. This spring/summer, our class will be the very first class to create a class scholarship/mentorship for deserving Mid-Pacific class of 2017 seniors.

Your participation as a mentor will be valuable as seniors try to make more informed decisions about college, majors among other things. For more details, I invite you to consider joining me in the planning, implementation and execution of such a worthwhile initiative by joining a committee. Feel free to contact me for questions.

Spaghetti Bridge Engineering, H-3 Baseball Shenanigans & Homecoming Reflections

By: Daniel McArdle-Jaimes

Like many of you, I had Miss Miyamoto as a 9^th grade science teacher. My favorite memory of Miss Miyamoto’s science class was building a bridge out of spaghetti noodles. At the age of 15, I was convinced this task was an impossible assignment. I mean how could she expect me (or anyone for that matter) to carefully engineer something like that!?

In those days (1998), we didn’t have savvy resources like Google or YouTube for answers. We had Netscape and Alta Vista to maybe help us figure these kinds of things out. And yet somehow (admittedly with lots of help from my Dad),  I (we…) were able to figure out how to build it. To this day, it is still a beautiful memory that my dad and I will always share.

Flash forward to present day. I scheduled my phone call with Miss Miyamoto at 8:30 a.m. during her free period. When she picked up the phone, I could tell she was an unsure and yet anxious to see if it was me on the other end. We chatted a bit, but it wasn’t nearly enough time to fully catch up, as I was determined to interview her faster than the always chatty, Mrs. Kurashige! To our surprise, the call went longer…Why? Well, let’s just say that Miss Miyamoto’s heartfelt reflection of her beloved class of 2001 made our eyes water, not just once but a couple of times….OK, a few times.

Hopefully I did a good job in capturing the tone of our conversation. As a reminder, she was our class advisor and a beloved homeroom teacher for those with a last name between (T to Y). Also noteworthy, Miss Miyamoto has been with Mid-Pacific for 26 years and it’s the only “real” job she’s had.

1)  Catch us up. What have you been up to over the last 15 years?

Most (2001 alumni) won’t know this, but I made the move from science to physical education (P.E.), and now I’m PE department chair. This happened about 11 years ago. When my daughter was 3 months old (she’ll talk about her daughter, Maya, later), Mr. Kissner and his wife decided to move to a neighbor island. A position opened up and Ms. Aki called me to see if I wanted to teach health. I told her that I needed to think about it. After a few minutes of reflection, I realized that it was a good move for me because of my biology background and school sports training experience. In addition, being a PE teacher meant that I got to wear shorts and a t-shirt every day!

Another substantial shift in my tenure at Mid-Pacific was becoming the assistant softball coach with Mr. Quinn in 2002. We struggled at first but had a really good run, and in the 10 years we worked together, we transformed a last place team into a state and ILH champion team twice.

What I think your classmates will find most surprising, however, is that I felt burnt out after (the 2001) graduation. I decided that I needed a little break from being a class advisor. In addition, Mrs. Kurashige and Mrs. Roscoe also stopped advising—I guess I didn’t feel the need to do it because they weren’t doing it either.

Then Mr. Wheeler called Ms. Wheeler (his sister and Chad Wheeler’s mom) because he wanted strong advisors for his daughter’s class (class of 2009). Ms. Wheeler then called me, and we were advisors together. The class of 2001 is the first class I advised, and 2009 the last…for now.

(Author’s narrative): I don’t know Maya Miyamoto, but from what Miss Miyamoto told me about Maya, she is definitely Miss Miyamoto’s pride and joy. Maya is now 10 and while not an Owl, she is very much embedded into the Mid-Pacific family and spirit. Many of the teachers and staff from our past and present are known as her aunty or uncle. In addition, Maya and Miss Miyamoto attend welcome programs, aloha programs and many sports games together. And by the way, those games are still attended by Aunty Dottie, Coach Botelho (a.k.a Coach Bo), among other Mid-Pacific staff and retirees. In fact, Coach Bo hired Miss Miyamoto’s dad to coach basketball at Mid-Pacific years ago.

2)   Why is it important to have alumni relations? What does that mean to you?

You (the class of 2001) are the history.

She grows quiet, pauses and grows unmistakably emotional. When I realize this, my eyes can’t help but water with hers, as I begin to absorb what she is explaining to me.

You helped make Mid-Pacific what it is today. The kids that are here now get the benefit of what you provided and taught me…taught us. We are better teachers now because of the experiences that we had when we taught you (and every other group of students before and since).

The reason we all stay here is because we are so grateful when you guys come back. It’s my favorite part about being a teacher. It’s fun for me to see former students. I look forward to seeing my former students each Christmas when they are home for their winter break. It’s so neat to see what you guys have become and the people you’ve turned into. That’s why we teach. We want to see you turn into good people and we feel proud to be a part of that growth. I know you all have cool jobs and are successful. I guess we wish more of you came back to share those stories with us first hand so that we can share in the joy of your successes and accomplishments.

What’s most unique about Mid-Pacific alums is that a small handful of them reinvest into the school by becoming staff to make the school even better. At the last homecoming pep rally, we acknowledged 26 alums that are current staff or faculty.

In a few years the kids that I taught earlier in my career will be returning to Mid-Pacific because their children are learning here. That’s super cool that I get to teach the kids of the kids I used to have.

Furthermore, when my daughter and I are out and about, we often run into students who I inevitably strike up a conversation with. My daughter always asks, “Was that your student?”  95% of the time it is a past student. I love seeing my students. When I see them, it triggers fond memories of good times.  In my daughter’s eyes, everyone I know is a former student who I now consider a friend. This is the greatest gift and blessing Mid-Pacific has offered me…you all.

3)  Which teacher do you most admire at Mid-Pacific and why?

Agh!! I can’t pick one!

I guess I have to go with Ms. Wheeler. She’s passionate about teaching, one of the smartest people I know, and she’s one of my best friends. We have a unique bond and have been friends for 40 years. I most admire Ms. Wheeler because she doesn’t let a friendship get in the way to help you do the right thing for the kid(s). She is really good about putting personal bias aside and she will tell you if something isn’t in the best interest of student learning. She is a great resource.  If I have a question, I know I can count on her for an answer.  She is also an extremely hard worker, and she’s my procrastination buddy. I think this is why we feel bonded together. I know that when I’m suffering at 3 a.m. grading at the end of the semester, she is pulling a late night too! 

In all fairness, there are so many wonderful teachers here. I am so fortunate to work with all of them. It seems that most of the middle school teachers have been here the longest, like Ms. Aki, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Roscoe, Mrs. Ikeda, Mr. Muramaru and Mrs. Kondo. They are my dearest friends because we share a love of working here and with Mid-Pacific students.

I can’t leave out Mrs. Kurashige who I think is so awesome because after all these years, she is at the forefront of technology use here. She’s always learning new things by reaching out to her friends all over the world via Skype—and how does she still have the same amount of energy!?!?

Oh, and before I forget…Mrs. Kurashige promised that for Chad Wheeler’s 41^st birthday (yakudoshi), she was going to jump out of Chad’s birthday cake. It’s coming up…we are all holding her to it. J

4) Which c/o 2001 student did you most admire and why?

Oh, I hate this question. I can’t pick one!

Since I’m being forced to pick one student, it would be Stacie Shimabukuro. I grew really close to Stacie and got to know her particularly well. We confided in each other. But at the same time, it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t also also mention Dezarae (Ramos) Miyahara and Kristen (Young) Unten as they were also basketball managers. We all grew close over that experience. Those were good times and I enjoyed spending time with that great group of sweet and supportive girls. But if I had to pick just one, then I choose Stacie because of her especially kind and genuine heart.

5)  If you were to name one 2001 alumni you’d like to see at the reunion, who would it be and why?

Without hesitation. Paul Griffing.

I haven’t seen him since he left. Where did he go? What is he doing? He was another one that I spent a lot of time with when he was here, but he never came back. It is as if he disappeared. I want to know what he has been doing for the past 15 years.

Actually Ms. Wheeler just mentioned him during this year’s homecoming festivities. Ever since Paul Griffing was homecoming king and wore that poufy crown, each homecoming king since has worn that crown. We all blame Paul Griffing for that.

6)  What is your favorite c/o 2001 memory?

Homeroom time brings back fond memories. I had a lot of idiots in my homeroom, and they know who they are…but I say “idiots” in the most loving way possible.  In particular, the baseball playing shenanigans that took place in the back lab area of H-3 seems to stick out. I would get so mad at those boys (Kyle Yanabu, Brian Terayama, Tyler Young and Chad Wheeler). I would yell at the to stop, but they didn’t listen. I remember thinking that their behavior a bit dangerous so I shouldn’t allow it, but they were having so much fun that it didn’t matter to them. The truth is if I really wanted it to stop, I could have stopped them, but I secretly enjoyed watching them play and so, it is a fond memory.

Aside from the naughty boys, I had a lot of good people in my homeroom too like Karalyn Tom, Liann Unebasami and Mari Yokoi, just to name a few.

7) If the c/o of 2001 would come back to campus, what do you think would most shock them to see?

How the campus has changed and grown—it’s even more beautiful now!

A student of mine graduated three years ago. He came back to the homecoming game this year. He said, “I feel like after we left the campus got nicer.”

It did! The campus has improved since he even left only three years ago. I remember being in the oldest classroom (H-3). It was a thrown together lab area. I think the 2001 alumni would be really shocked with the beautiful classrooms and facilities that our current students enjoy today.

How Do You Interview (Dr.) Erin Fuller When You Are Already Close?

By: Daniel McArdle-Jaimes

How do you interview (Dr.) Erin Fuller when you have been a part of her journey from the beginning, middle and to present day? For those of you that didn’t know this already, Erin and I are close.

This is how close we are—we went to college together, we lived together after college and I like to think that I helped convince her to give up her job in pharmaceuticals to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. After all, Erin was naturally gifted in science and it felt like she prepared her entire life to do it. We were 23 or 24 when we had that career planning conversation. Oh, and when I lived in San Francisco, she came to sleep on my couch a few times when she was interviewing for residency positions. But most notably, I had officiated her wedding to her husband Tom Davis (they met in college) less than five years ago. It was on a North Shore beach. To sum it up, it was a low-key, picturesque and somehow I found myself running the show. I’m not trying to throw a jab at Erin, I just wanted to explain the context of our relationship so that you had a better insight on the answers that she provided—essentially it feels like I’m being profiled in this entry as well.  

Anyway, I saw Erin last Christmas at Ward Center (an old high school stomping ground of ours). I was most excited to see her new baby.  At that brunch with Jamie Shore and Lindsay Farias, I announced that I was going to be class representative and that I would need their support. They looked at each other half surprised and half not. Erin was the first to pipe up and said, “Well good. You would be great at that job.” I warned all of them that I would be contacting them soon, and would require their participation. Thankfully, Erin agreed to participate when I emailed her last month, and now I am happy to share with you our summarized interview conversation:

1)     Catch Us Up. What have you been up to over the last 15 years?

I went to the University of San Diego and double majored in biology and chemistry (she graduated with honors). After graduation I worked in pharmaceutical development at a biotech company in San Diego for about two years. I moved back to Honolulu to attend medical school at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa (with Zachary Chinn and Nathan Chinn, class of 2002). I got married after medical school. After an awesome honeymoon in Kauai and the Philippines, I started my intern year in surgery and medicine in Honolulu. Last June I completed my three year dermatology residency in Denver. I recently moved to Stockton, last summer to be closer to Tom’s family and have been working as a dermatologist for Sutter Gould Health. I really enjoy it, and equally enjoy being a mom to my son, Oliver and dog parent for Tako.

2)     What does it meant to you to have strong alumni/school relations? Why is it important?

I credit Mid-Pacific for the success that I have today. When I started at the University of San Diego (USD), I was lucky enough to have 19 credits transfer (I credit my teachers for helping me earn those valuable credits). I was so grateful for that, because that allowed me to focus on other things like working and taking on two majors. 

In addition, I know that my cousins (older alums) Lori (Liberman) Crowley, Sheri Azama, and Marci Awaya) are super active with the school fundraising events now. I admire that. Now that I’m no longer a resident, I have more time and I want to be able to give back to the school.

3)      Which teacher did you most admire and why?

It’s hard to pick one, because there were so many. I would say Ms. Cook and Mrs. Reed. English and history didn’t come naturally to me. I admired both of them because they made class really interesting for me each day. They were good at breaking down the material and presenting it in a way that I could comprehend. It was also one of those classes that I didn’t fall asleep in…and maybe their 

sarcastic remarks helped when picking on my classmates who were falling asleep in class. J

4)     If you were to pick one classmate that you most admired, who would it be and why?

Can’t I pick you?

(No. That’s too easy, pick someone else!)

Noooo. I pick you (Daniel McArdle-Jaimes) because you are the keystone holding my social network in place. You are always good about organizing social things for me. If I didn’t have you in my life, I wouldn’t see our friends regularly. You are really good about staying in touch with me and with everyone else, and I admire that.

5)     If you were going to the 15-year reunion later this year, who would most like to see?

I would most like to see Chelsea Polk. I haven’t seen her in 10+ years. It would be great to catch up with her and hear firsthand what her journey has been like. I hear she moved from Chicago to New York to Los Angeles.     

6)     What was your favorite high school memory?

 Again, I have to go with you on this one. You driving me mostly (and Lindsay Farias) everywhere because we had no sense of direction—I didn’t know how to get from Ward Center to Ala Moana. You were always driving us wherever we needed to go. We would always meet at Kahala Mall, and you’d take us to where we needed to go. Those were hilarious times and good memories.

I also really enjoyed eating lunch outside with “the gang” that evolved each year—Danny Pereira, Preston Billingsly, Jesse Little (c/o 2000), Lindsay Farias, Jamie Shore, Paul Griffing, Adam Szalonti, Chelsea Polk, Bianca Simonetti (c/o 2002), Lunna Lopes (c/o 2002) and Katie Fujimoto. The things we used to talk about at the lunch table were hilarious. Someone was always bickering, fighting or arguing about something random. I miss those times.

7)     When was the last time you pulled out the yearbook?

I think the last time I pulled out the yearbook was when I was moving from San Diego back to Honolulu, so that was about ten years ago.

8)     Are you planning to come to the reunion this year?

Well when is it? I know it’s this year. I would like to try to come and fly down for it, but try to pick a date that works for me, OK? ;)