Greetings from Continent-Side

12/6/2024

Aloha Island School ‘Ohana from Denver!

I feel so grateful to have had time with my family over the November break. It was a big choice for Charlie and me to say goodbye to our families in California for me to take on the Headship at Island School. We haven’t regretted this decision, but we would be lying if we didn’t admit that we miss our family. Charlie’s mother is 93 and resides in Berkeley and my father is 83 and still lives in the house where I grew up in San Leandro. We are grateful for all the chances for family to be together, and it was especially fun to see my dad surrounded by six of his grandchildren. And time in California then led me to travel on to Colorado for this week…

And while Charlie and Milo headed back to Kaua’i for this week of school, I stayed on to fly further east to Denver, in order to present and participate in the National Association of Independent School People of Color Conference. It is my honor to represent Island School at this 36-year-old conference with just over 8,000 participants from across the country - roughly 6000 adults and 2000 students! At this point in my career, I am here to both present and mentor younger educators as well as serve as an ambassador for our school in case there are other educators who may want to join us in our work in Kaua’i. This year I presented with three other seasoned educators two opportunities, one half-day seminar and another shorter workshop on Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) leadership development in education contexts. At one point, I was in a room of over 700 educators gathered based on their shared AAPI identity, and in that context there were less than 20 who stood up as senior administrators in schools and only 4 heads of school. I am so grateful to be a part of this important work to reflect on and support leadership growth with aspiring educators at a national level.

And, while traveling and work away from my family has its challenging moments, a true highlight has been working with the Development office to host alumni gathering opportunities while I’ve been on the road in both San Francisco and Boulder. I was so honored to hear stories about their journeys, their time at Island School – whether that be just three years ago or back in the Kealia days. One of my goals this year and moving into the future for Island School is to re-establish our outreach to alumni. As we head to our 50th anniversary in just a couple of years, doing all that we can to deepen our connections to our alumni will strengthen the foundation for the next generation of IS students.

Mahalo for your partnership with Island School, now and into the bright future that lies ahead.

Together,