Page 2 - MidWeek West - Feb 9, 2022

2 FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Three cheers for the follow- ing Westside residents who earned degrees from Uni- versity of Maryland Global Campus last semester: ‘Ewa Beach’s Eric Ratcliff, Alexis Fonville, Kylee Moreno and Silvia Washington (all with associate degrees), Joseph Jefferson (bachelor’s in psycholo- gy), Chace McCulloch (bachelor’s in computer science) and Lee Cun- ningham (bachelor’s in computer science); Waipahu’s Joseph Fran- cisco Alba (bachelor’s in psycholo- gy); and Kapolei’s Kody Watkins (bachelor’s in human resource man- agement) ... Jaime Jorge Michel, a 2007 graduate of Kapolei High School and 2011 graduate of Uni- versity of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, is cur- rently halfway through his training in Rhode Island to become a surface
warfare officer in the U.S. Navy. If he passes and graduates, he’ll be commissioned as an ensign and join the ranks of Navy’s leadership. Mi- chel says he was inspired to join the military branch by his high school baseball coach Shaun Kajiwara ... Congrats to Thomas Bouck of Kapolei, who has been named to the University of Delaware dean’s list for the fall semester ... Aaron Boy- er of Waipahu has earned a master’s in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Nicely done ... ‘Ilima Intermediate School’s Royal Prodigies Dance Club and students from Tadanoumi Junior High School in Japan partic- ipated in a virtual exchange, during which the ‘Ewa Beach teens demon- strated a dance routine. According to ‘Ilima principal Christopher Bonil-
Kapolei High School alum Jaime Jorge Michel (center) is training for the U.S. Navy on the East Coast. PHOTO COURTESY U.S. NAVY
of ‘Ewa Beach has received a bach- elor’s in commerce and business administration from University of Alabama. Way to go! ... Linfield University’s cheer and stunt team placed in the top 10 at this year’s UCA & UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Champi- onship, and Taetum Lynn Kalani of ‘Ewa Beach was part of the squad that made it all possible. Nice job! ... Ernest Magaoay now is vice president and area manager, Waipa- hu Banking Center at First Hawaiian Bank. He has 30 years of financial services experience in commercial, mortgage and SBA lending. A grad- uate of the Pacific Coast Banking School, he was previously branch manager at the bank’s Lānaʻi, Sand Island and Kapolei branches ... gkeller@midweek.com
Aloha surfers and beachgoers,
The first contest of the World Championship Tour’s 11 events is now at Pipeline. The holding peri- od opened up on Jan. 29 and goes through Feb. 10. Based on the phenomenal forecast, the contest should be done by the time you get your hands and eyes on this piece.
it, but it’s exciting. I’m scared of Pipe. I don’t even hide that. It’s a wave that makes you pull every single resource. All the choices and all these things you have to read with- in half a second while surfing there, really pulls everything you got as a surfer.”
talented, faithful and brave. Thank you for inspiring mil- lions across the globe to be the best versions of themselves.
shark attack on the North shore of Kaua‘i back in 2003. It was her bravery in that loss that empowered her back into her dreams of pro surfing and changed the world.
the road at another icon- ic surf spot called Sunset Beach.
ing blessings of surf, we are going to score big time!
History was made with the women enjoying their first ever CT competition at Pipe.
One of the big stories is one of the most famous surfers of all time, Bethany Hamilton.
gary@surfnewsnetwork.com
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“To have the women surf Pipe is incredible,” says two- time Australian world champ Tyler Wright. “A lot of hard work has happened to get us here today. I think it will take us a few years to get used to
Her performances are simply inspiring. Hamilton carved up the Banzai waves, got barreled and destroyed the lips — making it through sev- eral heats. How she does this with three kids and one arm, I don’t know. We’re just in awe and admiration for our home- town Hanalei legend. She’s
May I add sports to that list? I cannot help but think of Hamilton with the loss of her left arm, and almost her young life in that infamous
Ginger Keller
Editor 808-529-4859 gkeller@midweek.com
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BY GARY KEWLEY
la, the principal of Tadanoumi Junior High visited their grounds during the 2018-19 school year to specifically learn about ‘Ilima’s system of sup- port for students with special needs
as well as the elective course options and after school clubs offered. The hope is that both schools will one day be able to have an in-person visit once again ... Marisa Woods
Bethany Hamilton Shows Talent, Faith, Bravery
At the time of this writing, my daughter Chelsea — my hero — shared a relevant quote with me, which I posted on Facebook. It was written by author Erin Van Vuren and states, “There are four things in this life that will change you. Love, music, art and loss. The first three will keep you wild and full of passion. May you allow the last to make you brave.”
It’s the Hurley Sunset Beach presented by Shise- ido. The holding period is Feb. 11-23. If Mother Nature continues with her unrelent-
Stayed tuned at snnha- waii.com. Stay safe, well and stoked!
Next up, stop No. 2 on the 2022 WCT will be right up
GQ, droppin’ in 4 U!