Iolani Alumni

The Iolani Boys Cross Country team claimed the 2008 ILH Championship this past weekend by placing five athletes in the top 10, led by freshman Troy Esaki (second, 17:31) and senior captain Tyler Mulloy (third, 17:38, shown).

Up next for the team will be the Honolulu Marathon Cross Country State Championships which will be held at the Hawaii Preparatory Academy on the Big Island next week.

The Iolani Intermediate Football team captured the 2008 ILH Championship on Saturday afternoon with a 23-6 win over Word of Life at Kozuki Stadium on the Iolani campus.

Iolani finished their season at 6-1 with their only loss coming against Kamehameha (14-13) in the opening game of the season. The Raiders are led by head coach Ivan Suzuki ‘89 and alumni assistants Kevin Manuel ‘95, Greg Young ‘91, Gary Young ‘91, Dean Young ‘89, Eric Perkins ‘96, Blaine Kiyuna ‘93, Nolan Nakamura ‘92, Clint Onigama ‘96, Reinaldo Pacheco ‘98, Kawika Nakoa ‘02, Keone Nakoa ‘04 and Chuckie Nakoa ‘70.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

More for you to read from the people that you went to school with… Some professional, some not, yet all entertaining in their own way. Enjoy!

Iolani Alumni - Blogs:
• Prep Talk - Wes Nakama ‘86
• Quarterlife Cafe - Kim Fassler ‘02
• Pulpconnection - Greg Yamane ‘90
• Katsuyoshi.org - Clayton Katsuyoshi ‘92
• Life in Vietnam - Greg Nakajo ‘94
• The Diary of an Enginerd - Ryan Kanno ‘96
• RemyOmar - Remy Hiramoto ‘88
• Straying From the Norm - Michael Ni ‘01

Additions:
• How to Change the World - Guy Kawasaki ‘72
• So Necessary… - Jason Genegabus ‘95
• Bytemarks - Burt Lum ‘73
• Olympic Dream - Taylor Takata ‘00
• The Notebook - Peter Boylan ‘97

If you know of any others, please post them in the comments and I’ll add them to the list. Mahalo!

Add an Iolani Alumni Blog »

Iolani alumnus Jeremy Agno ‘96 was featured yesterday in a Honolulu Advertiser article entitled “Ever-changing routines” that talks about his recent weight loss after reaching the 300 lb mark late last year.

In December, Agno signed up to undergo a 12-week body transformation at Fitness Together, a small workout facility in Manoa Marketplace, adding in weekly workouts and switching to a healthier diet. Since that time, he has lost nearly 70 lbs and now has more energy for activities with his 16-month old daughter and two stepchildren.

Read the article and see the “Before and After” photos »

Thomas Park ‘96, owner of Leather Soul, a high-end men’s shoe boutique in the Royal Hawaiian Center, was named the 2008 Hawaii State Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award identifies an individual who has successfully owned and operated a small business, increasing revenue, jobs, and demonstrating potential for long term success for at least three years before reaching the age of 30 at the time of the award.

See the complete list of 2008 SBA Small Business Award Winners »

Park also recently partnered with fellow alum Dean Shimamoto ‘94 to launch Hawaii PaperWorks, a China-based paper production company that specializes in custom paper shopping bags and gift boxes.

Japanese singer/songwriter Angela Aki ‘96 is featured on this month’s cover of entertainment and culture magazine Eye-Ai. She is set to release her second album, “Today“, under the Sony Music label on September 19th, 2007 — a follow-up to her 2006 release “Home” which sold over 500,000 copies and reached #2 on the Oricon Top 200 Weekly Music Chart.

Born and raised in Japan, Angela moved to Hawaii at the age of 15. She is the daughter of Kiyoshi Aki, the owner/co-founder of AEON Institute of Language Education, one of the “Big Four” Eikaiwa (English conversation) schools in Japan.

Visit the Angela Aki Official Website »

Kila Ka’aihue ‘02 (Wichita Wranglers - AA) - In his second stint with the Royals Double-A club, Kila has produced consistently at the plate batting .244 (50 for 205) with 9 home runs and 30 RBI through 58 games. He is currently in the midst of a four game hot streak in which he’s 6 for 12 with 3 doubles, 2 home runs and 5 RBI.

Kala Ka’aihue ‘03 (Mississippi Braves - AA) - Since being promoted to Double-A Mississippi in early August, Kala has struggled at the plate through his first 25 games, batting just .125 (11 for 88) with no home runs and 7 RBI. During his time in Single-A, Kala batted .298, led the league in home runs (22) and was among the top-3 in RBI.

Michael “Ian” Mopas ‘06 (GCL Twins - Rookie) - Ian got off to a slow start in his first three appearances, giving up 7 earned runs in just 5.0 total innings. He has since improved, making two more appearances for the club and giving up just one hit and no runs in 2.1 innings. On the season, Ian has an ERA of 9.95 with 3 strikeouts.

Keoni DeRenne ‘97 (York Revolution - Independant) - Through 60 games with the Revolution, Keoni is batting .302 (71 for 235) with 4 home runs 24 RBI and 40 runs scored. He has just 17 strikeouts to his 29 walks and has accumulated 16 stolen bases.

Ikaika ‘96 and Kamuela ‘98 Kahoano released their debut album on Wednesday under the name Green Light Go and according to Wayne Harada of the Honolulu Advertiser, the group “deserves breakout success.” For the album, Ikaika, of former “Making the Band” fame, handled the vocals while Kamuela took care of the production duties, making his debut on this release.

Check them out on the KHNL news:

A quick collection of gift ideas from Iolani-owned businesses (that I know of):

Great Harvest Bread Company - Kahala, Downtown, Kailua, Aiea - Pick up a gift basket or gift bag from one of their 4 locations throughout the state. They’re sure to please… View their 2006 Holiday Brochure »
Related Alumni: Adam Wong ‘94, Brian Ah Yat ‘94, Anson Shimabukuro ‘94, Justin Walthall ‘96

Crack Seed Center - Ala Moana Center - Pick it up at the store or make a purchase online. They have bunch of gift baskets to choose from including the option to create your own. Gift Certificates available as well. The Perfect procrastination pick… Express Mail Shipping available until the 20th!
Related Alumni: Bryan Li ‘96

Leather Soul - Downtown, Waikiki - Need a great gift for the business professional that seems to have it all?… Leather Soul is the perfect place to find high-end footwear that will never go out of style. Gift Certificates available.
Related Alumni: Tom Park ‘96

Hawaiian Hardball - Online - If you’re a baller in Hawaii, or you know one, then this maybe the perfect gift. Hawaiian Hardball has a complete line of baseball related apparel and accessories for men, women and keiki. Shipping is available, though I’m not sure if it’ll get there in time for Christmas, but I’m sure if you really need it, Jay will take care.
Related Alumni: Jason Arakaki ‘87

Iolani Store - Iolani School - Couldn’t find anything in red and black after spending hours at Ala Moana?… You’re in luck. The Iolani Store has got you covered. Shipping is available, but if you can’t afford to wait for them to ship it, drop by the Iolani Book Store for a pickup instead. (They are closed on Friday of this week for the holidays.)
Related Alumni: Kirk Uejio ‘98

That’s all I could come up with. Please post more in the comments…

Shown (left to right):

Dr. Derek Ching - Derek is currently a pediatrician working out of Kapiolani Hospital. He hopes to move into private practice soon somewhere in town.

Tracey Takamiya - Tracey recently moved back from Japan a few months ago and is currently living in Honolulu.

Dr. Derek Flores - Another Derek from the class of 1996 also became a doctor and funny enough… is a pediatrician as well.

Devin Hashimoto - See past blog »

Brent Kitsu - Brent is currently living and working in Honolulu at The Kahala Hotel & Resort as a Hotel Assistant Manager. He has also held similar positions at well-known hotels throughout the west coast in Las Vegas, Palm Springs and on the outer islands.

Class: 1996
Field: Culinary
Status: Married, 1 Child
Living: Las Vegas, NV

Since graduating from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Devin has been working in the culinary industry for the past several years learning from top chefs in a few of The Strip’s most renowned French restaurants. After a long stint at Renoir at the Mirage (now closed), Devin has since moved on to the newly opened Alex at The Wynn to work under well-respected executive chef Alessandro Stratta. Alex, like Renoir, features high-end French cuisine and is recognized as one of only three AAA Five Diamond Restaurants in Las Vegas.

A graduate of Iolani School ‘96 and George Washington University, Angela Aki’s unique background and upbringing has taken her from Japan to Hawaii to D.C. and back to Japan again where she has found recent success as a singer-songwriter. Since releasing several indie (small label) albums in both the US and Japan, Angela has received a ton of attention as of late with her 2006 release “Kiss Me Good-Bye” which was picked up as the theme song for the extremely popular video game title, Final Fantasy XII.

Once a Lexus salesman… now a shoe salesman. Huh? Probably doesn’t make much sense… well, until you hear Tom Park ‘96 talk about the shoes he sells. To him, they are Lexus’, but for your feet. And, like the luxury vehicles he once sold, his shoes aren’t cheap, but they’re worth every penny.

In the fall of 2004, Tom opened Leather Soul, a specialty men’s shoe boutique located on the ground floor of Topa Tower in downtown Honolulu. With shoes meant for the sophisticated professional, his clientele includes several of the state’s most well-known businessmen and CEOs, but don’t feel intimidated… his shoes are for everyone. Stop by and try on a pair. Talk story. Watch a basketball game. Eat lunch. Just call it a meeting. Know one will know.

You probably missed it. After all, if you don’t have HD or happened to blink during Episode II of this season , then you definitely missed it.

Alumnus Tom Park ‘96, owner of Leather Soul, made his acting debut as an extra on the hit ABC TV drama, Lost. If you watch the show, this was the episode that featured Jin confronting Sun’s secret lover who later commited suicide by jumping out of a window from his hotel room. In the scene where Sun’s lover lands on a car (after jumping from the building), Tom was dressed as a valet (shown to the left).

Earlier this year, a small contingent of Iolani alumni went on a two week “business exploration” tour through China where they examined emerging markets in Hong Kong, attended the Canton Fair in Guangzhou and met up with fellow alumnus Sam Lawn ‘96 in Shanghai.

Shown in the photo: (left to right) Derek Ichiyama ‘88, Jimmy Wong ‘88, Greg Sekiya ‘88, Tom Park ‘96, Brad Anderson ‘99, Trevor Benn ‘92, John Hall ‘85, Dean Shimamoto ‘94, Cord Anderson ‘99 and Adam Wong ‘94

It’s 2am, you’re hungry, where do you go?… Next stop. Zippy’s. The fattier the better. Same ol’ right? Wrong.

Faced with the same dilemma night after night, party promoter (Architechs Hawaii), Blaise Sato ‘96 (shown right), along with a few friends, decided to take matters into their own hands. Early this past summer, the group opened NeoNabe, a healthy late night alternative to the Chili-Chicken mixed plate and have received rave reviews ever since… And not just from the clubbers. From everyone. Young and old. Even the ones who fall asleep before the night even begins.

Stop in for a try… (Note: You should probably make a reservation cause it gets pretty busy. Even early.)

Read Honolulu Advertiser article »
Read MidWeek article »