Punahou’s New Volunteer Leaders

Stephanie Chun ’97 Nomura
Punahou Alumni Association (PAA) President

As a student, alumna, volunteer and now parent, Punahou has always provided a community for Stephanie Chun ’97 Nomura. As this year’s Punahou Alumni Association president, she wants to provide the same sense of community to other alumni.

A portfolio manager at First Hawaiian Bank, she began volunteering with PAA in 2014. She has served on a number of its committees, including as chair of the inaugural Dinner in the Buff (‘n Blue) dining event in 2018. “I enjoy the people whom I have met and the friendships that I have made through PAA,” she said. “Having the commonality of Punahou made it easier to talk to people and get to know them.”

The pandemic provided an opportunity for PAA to reach more alumni around the world through digital platforms, and the group is hoping to plan a mixture of in-person and virtual events and programs this year to reach, connect and engage alumni even further.

Family travel has been on hold recently, but Nomura and her husband, Evan ’97, look forward to exploring Japan again soon for dollar-store shopping and eating. During the pandemic, she’s also taken up crafting with her Cricut machine and has been making an assortment of personalized craft items. – By Erin Teruya ’93 Kinney

Ben Komer ’98
O-Men President 2021 – 2023

President Ben Komer ’98 describes O-Men as a charitable organization comprised of former Punahou athletes dedicated to supporting athletics at the School. Members have great memories of playing for the School, and are bonded in this camaraderie, regardless of their graduation year or sport, Komer said.

As the new president, Komer – a former paddler and kayaker – has a goal of expanding the group’s membership beyond its base of active members, increasing engagement on social media through their O-Men Instagram account (@punahouomen1841), and raising additional funds for the School’s Athletics programs. One of the group’s key fundraising events is the Kona Safari, which annually provides fresh produce for the Punahou Carnival.

Komer sees O-Men as a way current student athletes and young alumni can remain connected to Punahou. “I want to present the O-Men to the current student body and inform the athletes of our mission early, so when young men come back from college, they have a network of alumni they are familiar with and can use as a resource,” he said. “This sense of connection shows how deep the School really goes and is one of my favorite things about Punahou – that the experience does not end with graduation.” – By Rachel Breitweser ’03 Nakamura

Kāne Ng-Osorio
Parent Faculty Association (PFA) President

New Parent Faculty Association president Kāne Ng-Osorio has been involved with the group since he was a kindergarten room parent for his daughter, Petra ’26, now in eighth grade. Before accepting the nomination, he served as digital media chair, then vice president of the PFA communications team. He also is an active volunteer at Carnival and lends support to new families.

As president, he hopes to enhance the Punahou experience for parents by continuing to offer educational programs through monthly gatherings, Parent Coffees and other opportunities. “I’m excited about the work with parent education and where it’s heading as we meet the needs of our families from across the grades,” he said.

Most important for Ng-Osorio is the sense of connection the PFA can provide. All parents of current students are automatically members of the PFA so are invited to join in the offerings of the PFA. “My favorite part about volunteering is meeting other families and getting to know our faculty and administrators,” he said. “I want to increase the awareness of PFA, so more families feel included and connected to the School. While we will continue to offer virtual meetings, we hope to see PFA events slowly returning in person with continued safety protocols.” – By Rachel Breitweser ’03 Nakamura

Note: Kellie James ’01 Schmidtke continues to serve as president of Nā Wāhine Pā‘ani o Punahou. She was named president starting in the 2018 – 2019 school year.

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