PCHSAA Scholarship recipients

Spirit of 2004 Scholarship:
Sherilyn Fukuda
Senior Class President
Influenced by experiences and relationships with teachers at Pearl City High School, Sherilyn Fukuda will pursue a career in teaching. Sherilyn has been involved in Student Government and Student Council for five years, and was Class President for three years.

Sherilyn plans to attend Leeward Community College to earn an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts, then apply to the College of Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Spirit of 2003 Scholarship:
Nicole Sakai
Future Orthodontist
A member of the Key Club, Leo Club and National Honor Society, Nicole Sakai was also Captain of the Varsity Tennis Team and Hawaii's 2003 Junior Miss Scholarship runner-up. Once an individual with a smile problem which lowered her self esteem, Nicole wants to help others feel better and lead a healthier life.

Nicole plans to attend the University of the Pacific to attain a degree in Dentistry, and then pursue a higher degree in Orthodontics.

Spirit of 2003 Scholarship:
Blaine Hironaga
National Honor Society Member
Captivated with the way the "magical element" electricity affects the quality of life, Blaine Hironaga will pursue a career in Electrical Engineering. Studying hard and taking academics very seriously, Blaine was on the Honor Roll or Principal's List every quarter since the ninth grade, while managing to participate in the PCHS Marching Band, Varsity Baseball, and the National Honor Society.

Blaine plans to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Spirit of 2003 Scholarship:
Stacey Baba
Key Club Vice President
Overcoming obstacles with a positive attitude, Stacey Baba had the desire and drive to pursue an education at PCHS. Stacey maintained a 3.97 GPA while serving as Vice President of the Key Club and being involved in Student Government for four years, the PCHS Marching Band, and Air Riflery.

Stacey plans to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and is considering a degree in Pharmacy or Optometry.

Spirit of 2002 Scholarship:
Raina Tamakawa
"Future Forensic Biologist"
Although her career plans changed yearly during her youth, a mock murder lab in her Human Physiology class taken at Pearl City High School interested Raina Tamakawa in the field of forensic sciences and technologies.

While active in the PCHS Marching Band, Leo Club, Junior Achievement Company and other volunteer projects, Raina also maintained scholastic achievement being on the Honor Roll and Principal's List.

Raina plans to attend Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon and major in Biology to pursue her forensic career.

Spirit of 2001 Scholarship: Traci-Ann Miwa
Senior Class President
With an attitude to "have the perseverance of achieving high goals in life", Traci-Ann Miwa efficiently managed her time well during her years at Pearl City High School.

Traci-Ann maintained a GPA of 3.6 while participating in numerous extracurricular activities.  Class President for 3 years and being involved in 3 Varsity sports (soft tennis, soccer, tennis) has taught Traci-Ann leadership, survival, friendship and fairness.  Being involved in A.D.A.P.T., VICA, Interact, 4-H program and Natural Helpers, she learned responsibility and time management.

A likeness for math and mechanical drawing has driven Traci-Ann to pursue a career in the field of engineering.  She plans to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa and major in engineering.  A Bachelor of Science degree is her goal, then will proceed to get her Master's or Doctorate degree.

Spirit of 2000 Scholarship: Leslie Au
National Honor Society Treasurer
Involved with Key Club, Track & Field, National Honor Society and Student Government, all while maintaining impressive GPA's, Leslie Au is the recipient of the Spirit of 2000 Scholarship. She plans to attend the University of Puget Sound and study Physical Therapy.

Motivated by her mother to strive beyond excellence, Leslie's reputation of being organized, dependable and efficient is known by teachers and students alike. Her hard-work, dedication and humbleness make her an excellent choice to win this scholarship.

Spirit of 1999 Scholarship: Garrett Taira
Volunteer, Waikiki Health Center
The Charger spirit is flourishing. This year's scholarship recipient is Garrett Taira, who has found fulfillment in volunteering. With his leadership and enthusiasm to help others, Garrett has been a true asset to the Leo Club, a school service club. One of the two club advisors commented on Garrett's contributions.

"He never hesitates to volunteer for any task that needs to be done . . . he actually follows through and does an excellent job."

Garrett has also been an active volunteer at the Waikiki Health Center in helping Hawaii's homeless. It was through experiences such as this that makes Garrett want to pursue an education at the University of Hawaii in pediatric medicine.

Garrett wants to continue volunteering, but perhaps next time in providing health care to homeless children. Sounds overly ambitious? Certainly not for a young man whose senior curriculum includes Honors, Advanced Placement, and Leeward Community College classes and has earned a cumulative grade point average of 4.106.

Our best wishes goes out to Garrett and all the other seniors who applied for our scholarship. May the Charger spirit be with you throughout your lives.

Spirit of 1998 Scholarship: Christine Sugino
A.D.A.P.T. President
(Adolescent Drug Abuse Prevention Team)
Sugino plans to attend Chaminade University then apply to the University of Hawaii's Medical School to pursue a career in forensic pathology.

Sugino has achieved academic recognition and was on the Honor Roll/Principal's list every year while attending PCHS. Leadership positions at PCHS include Class Representative, Inter-school Committee Vice President and Marching Band-Rifle Corps Captain.

Participation in the Honolulu Police Department Forensic mentorship program enabled Sugino to work in the crime lab and gain practical knowledge about the forensic aspect of her planned career.

Spirit of 1997 Scholarship: Kristin K. Yoshimoto
Interact District Governor
Kristin plans to attend the University of California at Irvine to pursue a doctorate in psychology. First exposed to the psychology field during summer school at PCHS and involvement in the Natural Helpers Program, where she was chosen by her peers to receive peer counseling lead Kristin to this field choice.

Kristin held several leadership positions at PCHS, including District Governor for Interact, SCBM representative, Class Council Committee Chairperson and Wrestling Manager.

Spirit of 1997 Scholarship: Kimberly M. Chong
Student Body Vice-President
Kimberly plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University to pursue a major in Chemical Engineering. With a strength in science, especially chemistry, the Chemical Engineering or Chemistry field was a natural choice.

The greatest leadership experience Kimberly had at PCHS was being Student Body Vice-President. She was also involved in Key Club, Leeward District Student Council, National Honor Society, Math Club, Speech Team, and Song Fest. Kimberly's play was chosen to be produced and was showcased at the Pearl City Cultural Center. She was also on the Principal's List every quarter while at PCHS.

Spirit of 1996 Scholarship: Lea Arce
Senior class president
Arce plans to major in medical technology or biology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and intends to apply to medical school for a PhD in pediatrics.

She was division champion for 100 meter and 300 meter low hurdles, and placed third in her weight division for girls' state wrestling.

With a mix of athletic and scholastic achiements, Arce best exemplifies the ideals brought forth by the "Spirit of 96" Scholarship.

Spirit of 1996 Scholarship: Mary Ann Cachola
Class valedictorian, student body president.
Cachola will attend Georgetown University and hopes to pursue a career as a physician or pathologist.

She came highly recommended by teachers. A long list of academic and extracirricular activities impressed the scholarship selection committee.