Dr. Kimberly Hee Aina Recalls Childhood Memories & Discusses The Beauty In One's Journey

By: Daniel McArdle-Jaimes

“Interviewing” Kimberly Hee Aina was a surreal experience, because her memories of me flashbacked to our first interactions at Aina Haina Elementary, starting in the 4^th grade. Kim’s memories of me were vivid, personable and it startled me. While it wasn’t at all intentional on her end, she delivered her memories to me with such charm, cheer and generosity as she recalled many of my quirks that I buried years ago. The more she shared, the more mortified and embarrassed I got…but then I soon realized, minutes after, about how important Kim and others were in developing my character, personality and composure at such a young age. And so, I am completely grateful to Kim, in particular, for reminding me of how supportive she and others were in embracing me in EVERY awkward stage of my life (character oddities and all) with open arms and an open heart. 

Author’s Note:

Kim and I haven’t spoken to each other in 12+ years, and I couldn’t help but think of how accomplished, poised and self-assured she was in her story-sharing. If you remember Kim Hee the way I did, she was always that way. Flash forward to present day, Kim maintains a gracious, humble, and classy outlook in life. Every thought she had was beautifully articulated to me in such a thoughtful way, that it took my breath away. And, so I can only hope that I can meaningfully capture her essence and share our conversation with you in the personable way she shared it with me over our FaceTime conversation, with her daughter Sydney.

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

I went to Pacific University in Oregon to earn my bachelor of science in exercise science, and later earned my doctorate in physical therapy in 2008 (a three-year program). After the enduring board exam, I lived in Newberg, Oregon for a year to begin my work as a physical therapist, before taking a job at Kapiolani Medical Center in 2009. It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been there for seven years. In fact, I met my husband, Nicholas Aina, during our new employee orientation. Nick is a pediatric oncology nurse, and I have been working as a pediatric physical therapist. We got married in March 2015, and had a baby girl, Sydney, in March 2016. Having a baby is the greatest feeling in the world! It's hard to remember life before her. I’m so blessed to have a job that I love, a loving husband, and a baby girl that brings so much joy and love to my life. Life is really good right now, and it is better than I could’ve ever imagined it to be.  

2)   You are going to a Class of 2017 mentor, how did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in pediatric physical therapy?

In the 8th grade, I broke my ankle and it was in a cast for weeks. That incident introduced me to physical therapy at a young age, and I was fascinated by it. In high school, my volunteer work with Shriner’s Hospital expanded my interest to pediatrics because I enjoyed working with kids. Having both of those experiences early on was instrumental in my journey, because I was able to narrow down my college search to look for these specific medical practices.

Later in college, it solidified that sports medicine would not be a suitable path for me because of the intensive hours required. And so, I decided to focus on pediatric physical therapy as the hours were more conducive to a family life. Additionally, the patient relationships and incredible resilience the kids proved to achieve their results in recovery were incredibly rewarding.

3)  How did you decide on going to school in Oregon? What was it like?

I knew that I wanted to stay on the west coast, so I started there. I thought Oregon was beautiful because it had four full seasons, and the winters weren’t going to be unbearable. Also, I loved Oregon because of the offerings to do both mountain and ocean sports. I enjoyed doing a lot of skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer.

Furthermore, I was able to play collegiate softball for Pacific University. I only played three years, because my last year of school was focused on applying to graduate programs and visiting schools.

4)  Do you like your job? What’s it like?

I love my job, and realize how fortunate I am to say that. Every day is a new adventure for me. At Kapiolani Medical Center, I am one of five physical therapists that services the entire hospital, including the NICU, PICU, and subacute floors spanning the age spectrum. In my role, my patients include, but are not limited to, working with kids that have cancer, have suffered burns or spinal cord injuries, kids with diabetes or babies born with anomalies. I’ve been working on prosthetic training, concussion care in children who've suffered a brain injury, and developmental rehab.

5) Can you talk about how Mid-Pacific has helped shape you into the person you are today?

I was talking to my mom the other day about this. My brother (Jon Hee, '03) and I went to Mid-Pacific and we both had incredibly different experiences, yet were able to thrive in our own ways (Jon went on to play professional baseball for the Boston Red Sox, and Kim became a doctor). Mid-Pacific was absolutely essential in shaping me, Jon, and others because they offered SO MANY diverse opportunities to their students at such a young age.

For me, I was involved in student government and community service, including programs like NHS and Holomua. In addition, I participated in a number of sports, while being prepared academically for college with challenging class work.

I think if I were to go to a larger, more competitive, school like Iolani or Punahou, I could have been lost in the crowd or intimidated by the culture those schools put forward. I think my parents wanted me to be successful, but more importantly, they wanted me to be well-rounded. And this school’s mission, certainly created an environment where I could participate in four different sports, while being exposed to a variety of extra circular activities, and promoting growth in areas of personal and professional development, such as confidence and poise with public speaking. 

I realized later in life, that I thrive in a pool that embraces diversity and investigation. I think that is why I chose Pacific University, because like Mid-Pacific, there was a good student/teacher ratio that provided for a more intimate learning experience and networking. 

6) What does alumni relations mean to you?

Being able to give back and, hopefully, inspire our future.

7)  Do you think this mentorship program could be helpful or rewarding? If so, how?

I think having someone in high school to talk would’ve been helpful for me. I would’ve welcomed having the opportunity to speak to a physical therapist that could have outlined the stepping stones for me. But, on the flipside, because I didn’t have that specific mentor to talk to, I took more initiative on my own to learn about the field and realized that it was the most suitable career path that I wanted to pursue.

8)  What was your fondest Mid-Pacific memory?

A couple of years ago, I bought a big shadow box from Pictures Plus. In it, I put a few things from high school to capture some of my fond memories. In that box, includes my senior prom court photo (Kim Hee and Daniel Jaimes were attendants together), my senior letter (The big “M”) that included all of my sports pins, including bowling, soccer, softball and basketball, and my high school diploma.

In addition, there are two pictures of my groups of friends in it. One, includes a photo of Paul Griffing, Chad Nishi, Ken Imura, Daniel Jaimes, April Ichinose, Kara Tom, Erin Fuller, Lindsay Farias and Chelsea Polk when we went to Ice Palace. The other, is a picture of my girlfriends, Mari Yokoi, Rosella Leonhardt, Kara Tom, Jen Fukuda,  Kristen Tamashiro, and Jacie Ann Oda from project graduation.

9)   Who was your favorite teacher(s)? Why?

Mrs. T. Ms. Cook, Aunty Dottie and Mr. Wheeler. They were all incredibly supportive and encouraging to me beyond an academic level, they were able to connect and inspire me on a personal level. They were always positive, and made me feel like they were so proud.

10)  Who do you admire and why?

I am impressed with you, Daniel, for what you’ve done in your role as a class representative and what you want it to be. You made this entire effort so personal and you write about it so eloquently. I am impressed by your mentorship program and taking this initiative to plan it and earn fundraising for it. I recognize that it’s a full-time job, and you are humbly volunteering your time to service all of us, and the students that attend Mid-Pacific now.

11)  If you were to talk to your 17 year-old self what might you say to him/her?

Stop worrying and stressing. As cliché as it sounds, it all does work out in the end—and in the best way possible. My daughter, Sydney, as an example, brings me more joy and meaning to life than I could ever imagine.

We were watching our wedding video the other day, and I was rehearing our wedding vows. Nick is everything that I never knew I wanted or needed.

While, I’m still a worrier, I am not as bad as I used to be, and I have grown calmer. I feel so blessed with my life right now. I have a great marriage, loving home, happy baby, and a rewarding job that I love.

12)  We all do Facebook stalking. Who seems to be living the dream right now?

Rebecca Wong. Her international adventures, and trip to Iceland looked amazing. Iceland is now on my bucket list, and I hope to go there soon.

13)  If you were planning to go to the 15-year reunion, who would you want to see and why?

Mr. Wheeler. I haven’t seen him in about 15 years. I think the last time I saw him was when I went back to see Shannon Nishi (’03) and Steph Toshi (’02) coach the girls basketball team. I think I ran into him, but that was when I was in college.