This year, Mayor Rick Blangiardi continued his longstanding tradition of visiting Punahou’s Business, Organizations, and Society (BOS) class, a practice he began years ago during his tenure at Hawaii News Now.
In the BOS class, the Mayor reflected on his own journey – from going to high school as an Italian-American in Boston to playing football for the University of Hawai‘i; from coaching for the Rainbow Warriors to becoming a television executive; from going into politics to his historic reelection in 2024 after winning 78% of the vote in the primary election.
For the first time, his visit expanded beyond the BOS classroom, thanks to a collaboration between the Case Accelerator for Student Entrepreneurship (CASE) and the Davis Democracy Institute (DDI). Together, Yolanda Lau ’98 of the CASE and David Ball of DDI hosted a larger forum where Blangiardi addressed students eager to explore the intersection of entrepreneurship, civics and business.
In the interactive discussion, the Mayor covered wide-ranging topics, including leadership challenges, housing issues, fostering innovation, and balancing economic growth with community well-being.
Blangiardi’s insights on leadership, business and public service inspired students, faculty and staff to think critically about their role in shaping Hawai‘i’s future.