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Kirk Matthews
Photo courtesy Kirk Matthews Kirk Matthews stood in front of an active lava flow, watching it slowly make its way down a street in Kalapana. It was 1983, and he was on Hawaii island to cover Kilauea’s...
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Nanette Napoleon
Photo courtesy Nanette Napoelon In college, Nanette Napoleon spent a night in Kaupo, an old and remote Hawaiian graveyard on Maui. Yes, it sounds almost made up, like a scene from a movie, except...
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Chai Chaowasaree
Photo from Dana Edmunds Chef Chai at Pacifica has become synonymous with elegant dining. But long before Chai Chaowasaree’s namesake began to dazzle diners with an expert knowledge of Asian-fusion and...
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Pat Saiki
Photo courtesy Hawaii Republican Party As a public school teacher, Pat Saiki took notice of the lack of independence she and her colleagues had. There were no planning periods, no access to private...
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Kanoe Gibson Nitta
Photo from Laura Aguon As a student at University of Hawaii, Kanoe Gibson Nitta was studying business with a focus on marketing and management. But she just wasn’t sure how she would apply her studies...
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Angela Perez Baraquio
Photo from Jojo Serina In college, Angela Perez Baraquio’s mother imparted these words of advice: “If you obey God and do his will, your life will be better than a fairy tale.” So it was somewhat of a...
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James Young
Photo from Katie Young Yamanaka At age 14, James Young and his family moved to Hawaii. It was then that he developed an interest in other cultures and began to study Japanese archery. Inspired, he...
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Yasmin Dar
Photo from Yasmin Dar There was a time when Yasmin Dar imagined herself as a doctor. Science and the study of life had been favorite subjects of hers since third grade. So it made sense that she would...
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Johnny Kai
Dwight Okumoto photo The key to rebuilding Hawaii’s entertainment industry and the ability to earn a musical livelihood, Johnny Kai will argue, is in its youth. Current entertainers, after all, will...
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Melveen Leed
Photo from Melveen Leed It was a Miss Hawaii pageant that made Melveen Leed realize her love for performing. Representing Molokai, she sang Moon River as her talent. The crowd, she recalls, was in the...
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Siana Austin Hunt
In the past few years since Siana Austin Hunt joined Make-A-Wish Hawaii as its executive director, the nonprofit organization has experienced a trajectory of tremendous growth. It’s an outcome she...
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Hoagy Gamble
Photo from Hoagy Gamble In 1946, Hoagy Gamble was born in Hawaii. And if you ask him, he’s been eating SPAM, eggs and rice for just as long. “From pretty much day one,” he says. This should come as no...
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John Hirokawa
Photo from Davin Char At 6 years old, John Hirokawa found himself hooked on magic. Library visits with his parents provided him with books on the topic, but Hirokawa couldn’t yet read. So his mother,...
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Darnell Arceneaux
Darnell Arceneaux. Photo by Mike Wells A few weeks ago, family and friends gathered at Saint Louis Alumni Clubhouse. There, they sat in anticipation and then celebrated the news of Marcus Mariota’s...
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Rusty Komori
Rusty Komoroi. Photo from Darryl Watanabe The end of something often can be sad — a time for reflection and recuperation. But for Punahou School boys varsity tennis coach Rusty Komori, who will retire...
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Kim Gennaula
Photo from Sharon Cavin It’s been about eight years since Kim Gennaula walked away from KGMB and her career in broadcast journalism. In the years since then, she has shifted careers, focusing instead...
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Alan Wong
Photo from Marc Schechter Born in Japan, chef Alan Wong’s earliest memories of food are simple: tamago gohan (a Japanese egg and rice dish), miso soup, a man who sold sweet potatoes out of a cart, and...
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