Student Stories

Breaking all-time records, our Mighty Alumni gave over 7,243 gifts last year, accounting for 72% of all gifts received.

List of 5 items.

Amazing First Year

Sky Ma ’26
I was new at Punahou last year, and even though we had to wear masks and be socially distanced, it was still a lot of fun. I really love the campus, my teachers and other students. My teachers introduced me to a lot of places on campus, and we had a new student lunch at the Chapel, and that’s how we got to bond. I also got chosen as student ambassador, so that gave me a lot of chances to do things like clean up the beach.
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Lucky to be at School

Kennedy King ’26
With all the new pandemic protocols, it was definitely different last year. Everyone was trying to make sure everyone was safe, so we had to adapt to what was happening and make it as normal as possible. We were so lucky to be in school, even though we only got to see our classmates.
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Starting Kindergarten in a Pandemic

Paige Maguire ’33
I didn’t like doing distance learning and then having to wear masks and shields at school. And I couldn’t hug my teacher because we didn’t want to get each other sick. But I’m so glad that I got to go to school.
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Strong Ending

Mehana Leafchild ’21
I was always in the water when I was little – surfing, sailing, diving and swimming. So when I came to Punahou my freshman year, it opened the door for me to do a lot of other water sports I didn’t have access to before, like water polo, kayaking and paddling. I was really looking forward to competing my senior year, but all competition was canceled because of COVID. I was pretty bummed, but now, I know it was good because it allowed me to become super serious about one sport – kayaking. It isn’t a collegiate sport, but it’s an Olympic sport, so we’ll see.
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We Made it Work

Kamalu Ogata ’21
This last school year felt entirely different from all my other years at Punahou. It was tough, but now, after the fact, it feels like something special. I graduated during a pandemic. It’s kind of amazing seeing how our Class flexed and made it work.
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