Although the school year will be different than past years, Senior Class President Tom Nitao ’21 is looking forward to adapting to the situation and coming up with creative solutions with his classmates to make senior year special.
Seniors are still finding ways to connect with each other and make the most of opportunities through distance learning, he said. Upcoming schoolwide activities, like the Aloha United Way drive and Thanksgiving food drive – which Nitao is helping plan – are additional ways students can participate and give back to the community.
Despite the disruptions, Nitao recognizes that it’s a unique opportunity to grow. “Although this might not be the year we envisioned, something we can all agree on is we are a part of history in a way that not many classes are able to be,” he said. “There will be nothing quite like the experience we have this year, and it’s very likely that we can learn a lot if we keep our heads up and hopefully, stay safe.”
Nitao said he and other seniors are hopeful they can graduate in person together. “Seeing everyone in the Class in the same room one more time would be a pretty special opportunity,” he said, adding that he didn’t realize how much would matter for him, until now.
Hear some of Tom Nitao’s ’21 thoughts as he enters his senior year.