Students tour ten colleges during Fall Break
Thirteen high school students and four chaperones crisscrossed Southern California from October 11-19, completing the first KCS College Tour Trip. In March 2020, a similar tour was originally planned after students volunteered at the LA Dream Center, but their time in California was inevitably cut short due to the pandemic. Five years later, this year's group enjoyed the fruit of months of fundraising, planning, and preparation as they spent one week touring ten college campuses.
Students visited a mix of schools, from large state universities (UC Irvine and UC Riverside) to Christian schools (Biola, Westmont, Concordia Irvine, Life Pacific, Azusa Pacific, and Cal Baptist) and private universities (Chapman and Pomona). While tours and presentations varied from school to school, highlights included attending chapel & class, visiting dorm rooms, and eating at campus dining halls. The group also enjoyed reuniting with current Biola students Micah Branner '23 and Noah Sumikawa '25.
Thanks to his connections in the area, Dr. Kwong arranged for evening guest speakers, many of whom serve in ministry, to share experiences and encourage students as they look ahead to their college years. The entire trip proved to be impactful for high schoolers, giving them a glimpse of college life as they continue to process all they learned and saw during a productive Fall Break!
Two students hope to inspire others by sharing "acts of kindness"
“How will you make Hawaii a better place through acts of kindness?” This was the question posed to students as they were challenged to "identify an act of kindness and illustrate how it can positively influence and inspire our community." Congratulations to Tytus Ahn '26 and Addy Shelverton '28, who are grade-level winners for the 13th Annual Inspired in Hawaii "Acts of Kindness" Essay, Poster, Digital Media Poster, and Video Contest, sponsored by The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation. Along with their respective teachers, Mrs. Fong and Mrs. Takahashi, Tytus and Addy were recognized at an awards program held at Kahala Mall Center Stage on February 22.
Addy's "Acts of Kindness" poster, a sweet depiction of simple and small ways to show kindness to others, earned her first place and a cash prize of $200. As an aspiring graphic artist, Addy enjoys drawing cartoon and anime characters in her free time. Through his essay, Tytus powerfully described what he learned through sharing Chris Tomlin’s song “Good Good Father” with his family’s first foster child: “An act of kindness does not have to be a significant, grand action that makes headline news; it can simply be spending quality time with someone.” As the first-place winner for the ninth-grade division, he also received $200. With 1,900 students from across the state submitting entries for this year's contest, we applaud Addy's outstanding artistic talent and Tytus's excellent writing skills!