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Stories About Hawaii Educators

Watch and read stories about the life-changing impact of local teachers and professors.

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#MyAwesomeTeacher

Our teachers are great sources of encouragement, inspiration, and positive life transformations. Many of us have had a teacher who made a major impact on our lives or helped us to simply do better.

Here, HEA showcases testimonials about amazing teachers to highlight the importance of our local educators. These stories were collected and featured throughout our website, newsletter, and social media in 2021 as part of our 100th anniversary celebration.

Community Testimonials

We are honored to share these memories from our community about the impact of Hawaii educators on their students’ lives.

“Mrs. Lianne Voss took a chance with me, letting a sophomore in a wheelchair join the Moanalua High School newspaper. With her encouragement, I went on to make my dream of becoming a journalist a reality.”

Dara Fukuhara

In honor of Lianne Voss

Moanalua High School

“My counselor at Roosevelt High School, Dora Becker, always made me feel like she believed in me. Her faith in me helped me get into UH, where I reached my potential with much better grades than in high school.”

John Berger

In honor of Dora Becker

Roosevelt High School

“I took only one class from Paul “Doc” Berry at Punahou, but I’ll never forget how he motivated me to do better and think better at a time in my life when others had given up on me. Thanks, Doc, for challenging me.”

Gordon Pang

In honor of Paul “Doc” Berry

Punahou School

“I had watched Mr. Hugh Yoshida’s football teams growing up, so I was in awe to be in his P.E. class at Leilehua High School. With his support, I tried out for the football team and made it, even with no experience.”

Daryl Arakaki

In honor of Hugh Yoshida

Leilehua High School