A holiday break tradition of bringing together young alumni with Academy juniors, seniors and their parents returned to Punahou this year. College Previews, jointly sponsored by the PFA, College Counseling Department and Alumni Relations office, was held in the P.E. Pavilion in December.
College-aged alumni, proudly wearing their school shirts, sat at tables and fielded questions about their schools from curious students. More than 70 alumni attended from 40 different colleges and universities on the U.S. mainland and other countries. Students and parents were also invited to attend a panel discussion featuring four young alumni.
“I’ve had a couple questions about the admissions process,” said Abigail Matsumoto ’20 of Stanford University, “so I guess that’s what’s on people’s minds. I’ve also had a couple people ask about class sizes.”
Brian and Suzanne Canevari, parents of Gabriel ’24, mingled through the pavilion meeting alumni. “We’ve talked with some of the kids who are here, and it’s super exciting to hear the energy and experiences that they’re having,” said Brian.
Xavier “Nahoa” Ah Yo ’23 used the opportunity to ask questions of Matthew Chang ’21 and Dane Mizuno ’19, both students at Case Western Reserve University. He wanted to know about access to professors, what activities they were involved in and also how CWRU was similar to Punahou.
They shared about their new passions for rock climbing and kendo, and let Nahoa in on CWRU’s unique grading system that does not include plus or minus grades. “They only have A, B, Cs,” explained Mizuno. “So if you get a 91-percent, they round that up to an A. That is a life hack! I am so thankful for that.”
“Getting the opportunity to talk to people who are from Punahou, so people we can relate to, and who are at this university, it helps us gain a different perspective that can’t be gained just by looking at their website,” said Ah Yo.
Read more college advice from alumni and view the colleges represented this year.