Stella Ma ’26 added, “Mr. Kim’s recipes aren’t just instructions for making a dish, but connections to memories with his family and represent an essential aspect of his culture as a Korean in America.” Kim also visited classes in Creative Writing, Creative Non-Fiction, Photo- graphy, and Newsroom. In all classes, he encouraged students to open themselves to new experiences through food. “A thought that I had after talking with Mr. Kim was about how important it is to immerse ourselves in different cultures to become more open and more knowledgeable,” said Sunny Ching ’26, a student in Ms. Yakshi Palmer’s Creative Writing class. “When we make foods that belong to cultures not our own, we discover and enjoy new foods, but we also create special connections with more people.” In December, bestselling author Cathy Park Hong visited ‘Iolani School as our second Keables Scholar of the year. Hong is Professor and Class of 1936 First Chair in the College of Letters and Science in the Department of English at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning,” which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Hong’s visit was a valuable opportunity for students to talk story with an important writer who has written powerfully about social justice issues. Hong shared about her experiences as an Asian American woman and writer in America and was also interested in hearing from students about their experiences growing up in Hawai‘i. Her visit to Mr. Andrews’ English 9 class raised questions about identity many students had not previously considered. “I realized that the environment you grow up in affects how you think about identity and that our perspectives were far different from her own,” said Kingston Chang ’28. “She implied that when we travel to the mainland for college, we would all probably experience a shift in perspective and ‘realize we are Asian,’ as she put it." Hong also encouraged aspiring ‘Iolani writers. In Ms. DiBella’s English 10 class, Annaliese Pang ’27 loved Hong’s use of sensory details and the relatability of her prose. Said Pang, “Her willingness to be vulnerable in front of a crowd of teenagers is very admirable.” Similarly, Amy Kwock ’27 was inspired to share her own writing more frequently, explaining, “I relate to Ms. Hong because she, too, feared sharing her own writings with others. I have similar feelings when sharing my personal writing pieces. But seeing her finding the confidence to share and express herself through poetry gave me hope that I can be like that one day, too.” Mahalo to Cathy Park Hong and Eric Kim for their memorable visits! Mahalo also to our donors who make it possible for us to honor and perpetuate the important legacy of Harold Keables and his love of great writing.
Harold Keables cultivated in students a “creative attitude toward human life,” in part by presenting them with challenging ideas. Mahalo to our donors who make it possible for us to honor and perpetuate his important legacy. We are also grateful to our administrators, teachers, and staff for helping bring these inspiring Keables events to our students.
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