Originally from Maui, Michael lived in New York for 20-plus years, where he completed his undergraduate degree at Ithaca College. During his college years, he enrolled in a language and cultural immersion program in Seville, Spain and, as a result, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. He then moved to New York City and earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Manhattanville College. For seven years he put his education to work and taught various subjects, including language arts, math, social studies, and special education within two bilingual middle and high schools in Manhattan. He eventually found his way back to Maui and Kihei Charter School. At KCS, he taught humanities and Spanish for two years at the middle and high school divisions before taking on the position of high school director. He served in that role for two and a half years before being named the head of school. As always, his goal is to uphold the school’s mission and place the well-being of students as his highest priority.
