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| | The Class of 2025 Graduates from Pacific Buddhist Academy: A Brief Epilogue
Dear readers of the What's New,
That Friday, my wife and I walked from our Kaka‘ako home to King Restaurant and Bar for the family’s graduation party for my niece Addison Hernandez, who had graduated the previous week with her Class of 2025 classmates at the Moanalua Performing Arts Center.
The grad dinner was hosted by Addi’s maternal grandparents, who I’ve ever only known as Po Po and Gong Gong. Before the meal began with our first course of scallop and mushroom soup, Po Po rose to say a few words, and my sister-in-law followed with a blessing for the meal.
There was something for everyone. At the great table where 20 members of the extended family and close friends sat together, we enjoyed chicken wings and cold ginger chicken, braised tofu and ong choy with garlic, spicy salt and pepper pork chop, roast duck in bao bun, steamed fish fillet, dry fried string beans with minced pork and dried fish, two noodle dishes, a rice course with poached egg, and every now and then conversation about what Addi’s first year at Washington State University might look like, bursts of reminiscing from those of us who’d attended college ourselves, stories about early friendships and venturing out, small kine plans for when the family bursts onto the scene on the Cougar campus, is there anything to do in Pullman, Washington?
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| My favorite moment from the meal was when Addi stepped up to break the karaoke ice with her rendition of “Mamma Mia,” a moment I imagine repeated at numerous other grad parties, when the young adult in the full flower of her moment assumes the mantle and courage to sing to the full family. We watched and listened – “My, my, I could never let you go” – enjoyed the good company and kinship, before departing the restaurant in the middle evening of Friday night traffic on Kapiolani Boulevard. | This year, PBA graduated 19 students. They will attend colleges and universities in Hawai`i, Japan, the West Coast, Southwest, East Coast. They will adventure and travel and struggle and learn. While we ready the PBA Sangha for the new school year, they will ready themselves to join new communities and take advantage of new opportunities.
The Class of 2025 was talented in many ways – academically, artistically, musically, socially. On behalf of the school, their teachers, and the growing community of PBA alumni, we wish them well and look forward to visiting with them in the future, to hear stories about all they have learned and seen. | Warmly,
Josh Hernandez Morse
Head of School | Kai Chang-Schultz ’25 Awarded for Mental Health Advocacy | | 
| Recent PBA alumnus Kai Chang-Schultz ’25 received the Outstanding Youth Mental Health Advocate Award at Mental Health America of Hawai`i’s 2025 celebration on May 29. Mental Health America of Hawai`i promotes mental health and wellness through education, advocacy, service, and access to care.
With a busy schedule of community activism | during his high school years, Kai championed these values as an advocate for mental health. This school year, he served as a panelist on the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma’s Tackling Youth Loneliness Amid Bullying, Social Pressure, and Increased Technology Use forum. He also participated in the Transgender Day of Visibility at the Hawai`i State Capitol. “I always knew I wanted to be someone who helps others,” Kai said. “I also knew that meant putting in the work and being present in the community.” With the support of Pacific Buddhist Academy, Kai’s community engagement was centered through his involvement with Spill the Tea Café, Hawai`i’s only teen-focused mental health clinic providing support in a welcoming cafe atmosphere. Tomorrow, Kai will co-emcee the Youth Thrive Fest, a celebration of youth empowerment and resilience. “Winning this award meant so much more than just me succeeding, it was proof that making a change is just as easy as applying myself authentically and entirely,” Kai said. “While this award is a big win for me, I couldn’t have done it without all the incredible people I am surrounded with. Without this support, I could never have gotten here or become the man I am today.” Looking ahead, Kai is excited to begin a new chapter as a freshman at the University of California, Riverside, where he plans to study psychology. Pacific Buddhist Academy is incredibly proud of Kai’s commitment to fostering a more inclusive community and celebrates this well-deserved recognition! | Transforming PBA's Fitness Room for Our Student Athletes | | 
| Raising a total of $12,110 for the PBA athletics program, ultramarathoner Roman Chavez spent the last cycle of school transforming the fitness room for PBA students. “I think the biggest thing was just changing it from a classroom with weights in it to an actual weightroom by taking out the whiteboards and old junk that was stored in there,” he said. “We repainted the walls – one wall will have the First Noble Truth, 'Life Is Suffering,' with the PBA Dragon logo. | | 
| We also got a full set of dumbbells from 5 to 50 pounds, two new benches, a dip bar, a lat pulldown machine, a row machine, a weight plate storage tree, and a curling bar. Otake Sensei and I joined the students to make it happen!” The upgrade is much appreciated by the students as evidenced by the surge in time spent there. | “A group of kids are noticeably gone at the halfway mark of each lunch period,” said Head of School Josh Hernandez Morse. “They’re over there improving their workouts and enjoying each other’s company. It was such a joy to see the community support Mr. Chavez’s vision and benefit from the hard work that went into fundraising for these improvements. In addition to the fundraising, Mr. Chavez is a strong believer in elbow grease. He and the students really put in the work!” | | PBA student and Pac-Five paddler Ilan Ampudia looks forward to enjoying the improvements during his senior year. “I’m grateful Mr. Chavez put his time and effort into raising money on our behalf,” said Ilan. “I’m happy that we have better quality weights and even more useful equipment. I think especially about students who may not be able to drive to the gym. They can get a good workout at school, which is really helpful if they’re playing sports.” | 
| | “I’m deeply moved by the incredible support shown for this initiative,” said Advancement Director Megan Lee. “We received many donations from people who saw the ultramarathon story on the news and reached out just wanting to help our student athletes, though they knew no student personally at the school. I hope those who contributed know that they made an immediate difference in our students’ lives and helped strengthen our school’s athletic community." | 
| “Your contributions support our athletics program,” Mr. Chavez said. “They also show our students the importance of teamwork, commitment, and charity. Truly, thank you!” | | OFFICE HOURS
7:30 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.
Office Closed - June 19, 2025 | | |
