Class of 2025 Commencement
ʻIolani School's commencement ceremony for the Class of 2025 took place on Saturday, June 7. Dr. Timothy R. Cottrell, who is in his 13th year as ʻIolani's Head of School, conducted the ceremony.
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HEAD OF SCHOOL DR. TIMOTHY R. COTTRELL
On behalf of Chair Dr. Mark Mugiishi and the members of the Board of Governors, as well as my distinguished colleagues of the administration, faculty and staff, welcome to the commencement ceremony for the Class of 2025.
We gather today to celebrate the achievements of the students before you and to send them forth into a new chapter of their lives.
As they have so eloquently noted in their messages, their connection to this community is profound and will be lifelong.
A testament to this bond is that each year at graduation, we welcome home members of the 50th reunion class.
The Class of 1975 has prepared a message that they will share in a moment. However, before doing so, I would like first to note some qualities that distinguish this class and ask that the senior prefects from the Class of 2026 present them with lei.
The year was 1975, the Vietnam War was coming to an end, and a few years before, Watergate had shaken the nation’s faith in our government. For students, this period was marked by cynicism, protest and disillusionment.
Along comes the Class of 1975.
As they ascended to lead the student body, they met with their Headmaster, The Reverend David Coon, and pledged to lead the school out of these doldrums to new levels of happiness, fun and student engagement. Under their leadership, many of the traditions and structures enjoyed by the ‘Iolani students of today were created.
The Class of 1975 instituted: the proconsul program, the faculty talent show, the “Big Brothers” program, Homecoming Spirit Week, our volunteer tutoring program and the school’s first blood drive.
In the Winter 1975 issue of the ‘Iolani School Bulletin, Headmaster Coon wrote: “It’s been an outstanding year, an outstanding year because of this class. This class decided what they wanted to do. They worked at it. They led it. It has been the finest year in my brief history at ‘Iolani School.”
And they continue to support and lead our school forward. Seventy-five members of the Class of 1975 are generously donating a reunion gift that currently stands at $1,013,283.
Gentlemen, mahalo and welcome home.
Please enjoy their message to the Class of 2025.
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We have had yet another great year at ‘Iolani School.
Our outstanding faculty, staff and coaches have prepared and mentored ‘Iolani students to compete and succeed at the highest levels.
There are 22 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists in the Class of 2025. Eighteen of these ‘Iolani seniors went on to become winners in the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Our National Merit Finalists from the Class of 2025 are: Owen Banks, Nicholas Biega, Aaron Ching, Vince Ching, Jeremy Choi, Ryan Eto, Kevin Fleming, Michael Hui, Keisuke Kwong, Ainsley Lee, Chase Lee, Logan Lee, Audrey Lin, Tamara Lum, Toby Nell, Alila Nguyen, Malia Nishida and Emi Okimoto.
‘Iolani’s Science Bowl, Economics, Urban Planning, and Science Olympiad teams won state titles and represented Hawai‘i at nationals, with the Science Olympiad team achieving its highest finish ever, 12th in the nation.
‘Iolani students swept the Ninth Circuit Civics Essay Contest. And the ‘Iolani Modern Investment Club made school history with its first-ever appearance at the Stevens Institute Trading Day National Investment Competition.
In mathematics, we won the Hawai‘i State Math Bowl, national first-place in the Euclidean division of the Continental Math League and our 32nd Math Team State Championship — the longest running championship streak in Hawai‘i.
A member of the Class of 2030 won the State Spelling Bee and represented Hawai‘i at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
In world languages, 52 new members were inducted into the Japanese National Honor Society, 27 students were inducted into the Chinese National Honor Society, 13 students were inducted into the French National Honor Society, 31 students were inducted into the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica and, 16 students were inducted into the National Latin Honor Society.
In Robotics, our First Tech Challenge team received the Innovate Design Award at the State Championships. And, our First Robotics team qualified competed at the World Championships after receiving the No. 1 ranking in total event scoring and won the First Impact Award at the Canadian Pacific Regional (our fifth consecutive year, receiving the Impact Award).
Our student publication, Imua ‘Iolani was awarded second place for the Best Newspaper in the State. Imua also brought home 18 Hawai‘i High School Journalism Awards with Print Editor-in-Chief Kaelyn Pacpaco '25 named Hawai‘i Journalist of the Year.
Volume 101 of the ‘Iolani yearbook Ka Mo’olelo O ‘Iolani was the only school publication in the state that was selected and recognized in Jostens’ Best of the Best, which celebrates outstanding student design, story coverage and photography.
At the Hawai‘i State Science and Engineering Fair competition, 12 ‘Iolani Students won awards, with five students qualifying for the the International Science and Engineering Fair, where four of these students won major category-specific awards.
At the nation’s most prestigious science competition, the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, two members of the Class of 2025, Logan Lee and Elle Sugimoto were among the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search this year, with Logan placing fourth overall.
Logan’s groundbreaking research in animal sciences focused on improving mosquito population control to help protect Hawai‘i’s endangered native birds. By enhancing the survival of reproductively incompatible male mosquitoes through bacterial transplants, his work contributes to conservation efforts aimed at addressing the devastating impact of avian malaria.
In the visual arts, 31 ʻIolani students received national Gold and Silver Key awards in the National Scholastic Arts & Writing competition. And at the Hawai‘i International Film Festival, two ‘Iolani filmmakers were selected as finalists for HIFF's Future Filmmakers Competition, one of which won the Daniel K. Inouye Institute's Special Award for Thematic Creativity.
In music and on the stage, six ‘Iolani students won gold medals at the O‘ahu Band Directors Association Solo and Ensemble Festival. Two members of the Class of 2025, harpist Iris Yun and cellist Lei Yao Chang, were winners at the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra's annual concerto competition.
Orchestra 5 was one of eight schools invited to participate in the 2025 final round of the national orchestra championships held in New York City at Lincoln Center. Orchestra 5 achieved first runner-up and second-place overall orchestra. And the Best Low-String Soloist awarded went to Class of 2025 member Ben Kim '25 for cello/piano.
Class of 2025 member Lainey Hicks was the first-place recipient of the 2025 Hawai‘i Thespians Scholarship, and also a 2025 I'm a Bright Kid Foundation Performing Arts Award Winner.
In sports, throughout the 2024-25 school year, our Raider student-athletes and teams have pursued success and growth. Boys cross country, cheerleading, girls volleyball and boys soccer earned ILH championships. Boys cross country, cheerleading and boys soccer won HHSAA state championships. Nine student-athletes were named Players of the Year in their respective sports.
We saw the inaugural year of girls flag football, with our team placing second in the league.
Our surfing team, which competed last year at nationals, was instrumental in getting the Hawai‘i HB133 bill passed into law. The bill established surfing as an official interscholastic high school sport in Hawai‘i.
And congratulations to Class of 2025 member Tria Boland on completing the Pa‘a Hawai‘i Kaiwi Channel Solo OC-1 crossing. She paddled the 32-mile stretch from Moloka‘i to O‘ahu.
Well done, students, coaches and teachers.
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It is now my privilege to present awards to members of the graduating class.
This year we have 48 students who have earned the title of Valedictorian. These are students who earned all A’s in their time at ‘Iolani, as well as those with higher weighted GPAs. Beyond their notable academic achievements, the students in this group have earned honors and accomplishments in arts, athletics, student government and community service. I am pleased to introduce each of them and their chosen university.
Bryan Bai — The George Washington University
Owen Banks — Duke University
Brenden Bell — University of Pennsylvania
Nicholas Biega — Cornell University
Katie Chan — Rice University
Mari Cheng — Georgetown University
Aaron Ching — Northwestern University
Vince Ching — Johns Hopkins University
Jeremy Choi — Brown University
Parisa Dong — University of Michigan
Ryan Eto — Harvard University
Kevin Fleming — Georgetown University
Maia Green — Brown University
Michael Hui — Northeastern University
Alexander Johnson — Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rimi Keahi — Tufts University
Higen Kila — Cornell University
Austin Kim-Matsuda — Claremont McKenna College
Ben Kim — Stanford University
Jinny Kim — Boston University
Micah Kimura — Boston University
Liza Kukharuk — Harvard University
Keisuke Kwong — Cornell University
Satomi Lakin — Swarthmore College
Chase Lee — University of British Columbia
Logan Lee — Yale University
Bryson Leong — University of California, Berkeley
Audrey Lin — Stanford University
Tamara Lum — Rice University
Nikki Ma — Washington University in St. Louis
Vance Maeshiro — Swarthmore College
Cade McDevitt — University of California, Berkeley
Toshi Nagai — University of Southern California
Tobias Nell — University of Oregon
Alila Nguyen — University College London
Katelyn Nishita — University of Utah
Emi Okimoto — University of Washington
Kaelyn Pacpaco — University of Washington
Keon Preusser — Washington University in St. Louis
Juliana Shi — Washington University in St. Louis
Nicole Tanaka — Boston College
Summer Thym — New York University
Kalani Wong — Boston University
Leina Wong — Creighton University
Benjamin Wu — University of Pennsylvania
Dylan Yasuhara — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Allison Yee — Santa Clara University
Samuel Zackin — Tufts University
Congratulations, Class of 2025 Valedictorians.
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The Bishop’s Award goes to the senior who has given unselfish service to church, school and community, and who demonstrates outstanding witness to faith in Christ and commitment to principle.
Escorting this year’s winner is someone who has mentored her in our residence hall.
Mrs. Renee Villanueva, please bring to the stage Miley Cox.
Miley, who spoke at last week’s baccalaureate service, joined our boarding program in the ninth grade from Kaua‘i.
In the years since, she has been an active member of our Chapel Council and One Team 3:16, while also displaying leadership as a ResLife Student Leader, the President of the Black Culture Club and as an officer in the ‘Iolani Upstanders club.
She’s a talented visual artist, who has won Gold Key awards and also danced as a member of Hula 4.
She possesses, as Chaplain Morehouse shares, an uncommon common sense and is full of grace. She will be attending the Savannah College of Art and Design next year. Congratulations, Miley!
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The Alumni Medals are given to the top male and female student-athletes in the class.
Escorting our winners are teachers who have made an impact on these exceptional student-athletes.
I ask Mr. Alexander Pena and Ms. Ernette Au to bring to the stage Jeremy Choi and Tamara Lum.
Tamara, escorted by her AP Psychology teacher Ms Au, joined the ‘Iolani community in the sixth grade.
She ran track all four years, but made the biggest splash as a diver, finishing third in the state in the one-meter springboard earlier this spring.
Tamara is also an outstanding scholar, having earned a perfect academic record and near perfect SAT. She was one of six semifinalists in the state for the Presidential Scholar Program and earlier this year won the title of Distinguished Young Woman of Hawai‘i and will be off to compete for the national title later this month.
Tamara will be attending Rice University this fall.
Jeremy, escorted by his orchestra conductor Mr. Pena, is an outstanding runner on both our cross country and track teams, and earlier this spring finished fifth in the state in the 3,000-meter run.
He’s also an exceptional student with a perfect academic record and National Merit Finalist. Along with Tamara, he was one of the other six semifinalists in the state in the Presidential Scholars Program.
Jeremy performed a concerto solo on violin in the fall with our orchestra and cofounded the Music Makana Club. He also finds time to serve as the President of the Chinese Club. He will be taking his formidable and varied talents to Brown University next year.
Congratulations Jeremy and Tamara!
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You may have noticed that we asked Tamara Lum and Ms Au to stay on stage, as Tamara is also the recipient of the Headmaster’s Award, which is presented to the graduate who has made an exceptional contribution to ‘Iolani School.
Those who know Tamara well will know that the previous description barely scratched the surface of her contributions.
In addition to her athletic and academic achievements, Tamara has served as the Lieutenant Governor for the statewide Key Club, coordinating with student and adult leaders from across the state. She also has earned her Girl Scout Gold Award, served with WikiVision, a group that funds and coordinates physician time to perform eye surgeries, conducted independent research on the effects of socioeconomic status on survival of childhood cancer and performed in our musical theater program throughout high school.
She also serves in the Spanish Honor Society and on our Community and Civic Engagement Student Leadership Committee.
Ms Au, who just celebrated her 50th year at ‘Iolani, calls Tamara one of the most remarkable students with whom she has ever worked. That’s quite a sample size, and we’re so proud of and grateful to Tamara for her many contributions.
Congratulations!
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We are pleased with the accomplishments of all our students and we honor them at award ceremonies throughout the year, as well as at these commencement exercises today.
I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize yet one more group of students, who bring good character, generosity of spirit and a positive attitude to campus each day.
They are important in defining who we are as a school and as a community. They make a difference in the lives of their teachers and classmates, yet seldom receive the spotlight they deserve.
Please allow me to introduce you to our Unsung Heroes. Students, please rise and remain standing as I read your name:
Kahi Apao — Baylor University
Anson Bagoyo — Brigham Young University
Kym Fong — Santa Clara University
Aeryn Imai — Loyola Marymount University
Ryder Kam — San Diego State University
Jaylynn Koko-Domondon — University of Hawaii, Manoa
Ainsley Lee — University of Hawaii, Manoa
Elijah Morita — Loyola Marymount University
Elise Ogata — Boston University
Tori Peterson — Stony Brook University
Avari Subee — University of Oregon
Maesilyn Yuen — Creighton University
Thank you, Unsung Heroes, for your contributions to our community!
* * * * *
Class of 2025, some of you started with me 13 years ago, and all of us are departing our beloved school over the coming months.
This transition, moving forward to the next part of our life’s journey, included a process of sharing who we are; we were asked to make a case about ourselves to be accepted by an organization, which concluded with an invitation to our next destination.
For me, this story was often a reflection on what I’ve learned during these years at ‘Iolani and what I aspire to bring to the next school community that I will serve.
We hold the same promise in this regard, whether college, serving our country, or a gap year, as you move to new communities, some of the greatest gifts you can bring come from your experience at this place.
In this light, here are a few thoughts that I shared with others about my ‘Iolani experience, one which I hope mirrors yours.
Over more than a decade, we have had many visits from the venerable Lama Tenzin Yignyen, and I hope each of you had multiple opportunities to witness him construct the Mandala of Compassion, ask him questions and listen to his wisdom.
One of the things Lama Tenzin said over and over while he created the mandala was in response to students' questions about how we should be in this world. Many students asked some form of the question how we should be in this world, and Tenzin patiently repeated: “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, you must educate the heart and not only the head; the head without the heart is not a useful thing.” And he could not be more correct in reiterating wisdom that is thousands of years old.
What he was saying is that the commitment to act with kindness toward others is equally, if not more important, than the knowledge and skills we learn throughout our lives.
Sadly, many brilliant people have acted on the world without this commitment, acted without kindness, to the detriment of others, and the forward progress of our cultures is always undermined by such actions
In contemporary terms, on many fronts, social media, influencers, conspiracy theories and within both sides of our political leadership, being unkind to others has become celebrated. This is a kind of performative cruelty that has become accepted as a norm, and this moves us backward, not forward, as the stewards of this shared planet.
But this is not us. This is not ‘Iolani. Here, we do our best to be good to each other.
Moving from this Buddhist perspective to our Christian Episcopal foundation, the message is the same.
I was fortunate to attend a K-6 chapel a couple of weeks ago, at which some of us who are leaving the community were warmly thanked. And then at Baccalaureate on Sunday, the same verse from Mathew 5:14 was cited.
At the Lower School chapel, the students sang “This little light of mine” to set the tone, and after a reading of the bible verse, Ms. Hansen and Ms. Ide spoke to the Lower School.
They said this to our keiki:
“We just heard a really powerful message: ‘You are the light of the world.’ Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds. Jesus wants us to be brave, kind, loving — not to hide it. It could be saying ‘Hi!’ to someone who looks lonely. Helping a classmate who dropped all their books. Or standing up for someone who’s being treated unfairly – being an upstander! Or just being the person who makes others feel safe and included. And even if you’re having a tough day — maybe your light feels a little dim — that’s okay. That’s why we need each other. If your light is feeling low, someone else can help light the way. Because when we all shine together…”
We all shine together; this is the heart of our ‘Iolani values.
Beyond a lens of religious beliefs, you can find the same commitment to kindness toward others as a means by which to achieve success in professional life and business.
One of our alums, Guy Kawasaki ’72, hosts a podcast called “Remarkable People.” Guy was the original Apple Evangelist, now he is a best-selling author, and has worked with most of the folks we consider the titans of technology. On his podcast, he has branched out to interview many of the world’s remarkable people. So, he is one of those people you could characterize as “having seen it all.” A couple of weeks ago, he shared his thoughts on how to achieve professional success while staying humble and kind, which was remarkably similar to what I just shared from different religious belief systems.
He wrote:
“Default to empathy: remarkable people understand others’ perspectives. Empathy builds trust and fosters collaboration. Remember, it’s not about winning every argument. It’s about creating win-win outcomes.
“Be generous with credit: give credit where it’s due. No one succeeds alone, and acknowledging others’ contributions shows humility and gratitude.
“Be honest, but don’t be harsh. It’s about helping others grow, not tearing them down.
“Stay humble: remarkably kind people don’t need to brag. They let their work speak for itself. True influence comes from authenticity, not arrogance. Kindness and arrogance are mutually exclusive, and we are regrettably seeing the celebration of arrogance and unkindness in our world these days.
“Uplift others: use your platform, whatever it is, to amplify other voices. Whether it’s mentoring a peer or colleague or promoting someone else’s idea, lifting others up makes you remarkable by association.
“Be resilient, not ruthless: perseverance is key to being remarkable, but don’t let ambition prevent kindness. Resilience and compassion — not cutthroat tactics — drive long-term success.
“Listen more, talk less: remarkable people are great listeners. They seek to understand before being understood. Listening isn’t just polite. It’s a superpower that helps you learn and connect.
“Focus on impact, not ego: remarkable people aim to make a difference, not just a name for themselves. Whether it’s solving a problem, inspiring change or creating something beautiful, focus on the value you bring to others.”
In conclusion, he wrote that being remarkably kind isn’t about being the loudest, richest or coolest person in the room. It’s about making a meaningful impact while staying true to your values. And you have lived at ‘Iolani with some very lasting values that resonate with what I just read and can apply to all of the contexts of your life.
As I said earlier, the values we share create the culture we experience and connect us as a community.
We know our culture as “One Team.” That is the name we give it. However, the values we share and how we interact with each other within this school community are the most authentic definition of our school culture.
Now it’s important to recognize that “One Team” isn’t perfect and we don’t always live by these values. There are plenty of times each of you has thought that something “wasn’t very One Team” during your ‘Iolani experience. This is simply because we are human and flawed; the best we can do in our lives is to aspire to try and live by these values. Like building muscle, it is the effort we put into living this way that becomes a lasting part of who we are.
We care about each other, and this is a benefit and responsibility. It is a big part of how you’ve been very competitive outside of this school, and yet supportive of each other within it.
We embrace humility. It is our way to listen to each other, to learn from each other and help each other, regardless of our individual level of expertise. Our way is to elevate the people around us.
We act with gratitude and appreciate that no one achieves anything alone, that all the people of our lives, our family, friends, teachers and others, helped make our individual achievements possible. And we know that at times, the needs of our community rise above our self-interest.
This is how we got through the pandemic so well. That was not an easy time, we all sacrificed a lot, and we succeeded because we did what was necessary to not only protect ourselves, but also every member of this community and their families.
This is ‘Iolani. It is your school. It is how we live together. And how we achieve under the name “One Team.”
More than anything else learned at this school, our alumni talk about how these values helped them succeed in all aspects of their lives. And I predict that most of you will come to this same realization at some point in your future.
Act with kindness toward others.
Reject the performative cruelty that we see around us these days.
Be a light that shines for others and yourself.
And live by the values you learned within this school community.
Class of 2025, I am going to end my final ‘Iolani commencement address with a blessing to you. One from this Irish guy from the East Coast, who came and learned much in Hawai‘i and at this school.
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Bless you all.
* * * * *
Chair Mark Mugiishi and members of the Board of Governors: We, the faculty and administration of ‘Iolani School, in consonance with the laws of the State of Hawaii and our requirements, do certify that all students have satisfactorily completed the requirements for graduation and present the Class of 2025 to be awarded their diplomas.
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Congratulations to the 254 graduates from the Class of 2025!
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