Zooming down a zip line for the first time can be an exhilarating experience. The wind in your hair, the lift under your feet, and the excitement in your stomach. “I felt like I was flying,” exclaims a young child with a big smile who has been confined to a wheelchair due to a medical condition.

In moments like these, you know that a rare and in many cases, life changing experience is taking place.

For thousands of youngsters, April Uyehara, a King Kekaulike High School Class of 1999 graduate, has been doing just that – creating life changing opportunities through an organization called, The Painted Turtle. A non-profit residential camp, The Painted Turtle encourages children and their family to reach beyond their serious illness and discover joy, confidence and a new world of possibilities.

Uyehara first volunteered for the organization in 2001 while still attending college and for five summers worked at a sister camp in Florida. In 2007, after receiving her graduate degree, she began year-round work for The Painted Turtle.

Today, she serves as the Director of Programs and Initiatives, a leadership position for the camp located in Southern California.

Founded by Paul Newman, the camp is part of SeriousFun Children’s Network, a worldwide network of camps and programs serving children with serious medical conditions.

The camp provides on-site medical support that allows The Painted Turtle to provide a unique and safe camp experience to children with special medical needs. They serve over 30 medical condition groups through their family weekend and summer camp sessions.

At the camp, there are all the traditional camp activities: woodshop, arts and crafts, horseback riding, teambuilding games, creative arts programming, fishing, boating, swimming, campfires, the high ropes course and zip lining.

According to Uyehara, life outside of camp for many of their campers may mean a series of medical procedures, hospital stays, and isolation from their peers.

“When kids are at camp they connect with other children who take the same medicines, have the same scars, and share similar experiences,” she said.

The Painted Turtle strives to provide an environment that is physically and emotionally safe, uplifting, fun, a place where they can sing, dance, develop important friendships and be a place where campers are free to be themselves.

“After seeing what their child accomplishes at camp, parents have gone to their child’s school to advocate for their child and changed their child’s IEP, this time with a new goal to graduate from high school,” said Uyehara.

“Painted Turtle campers overcome a great deal in their lives. And when they’re at camp, believe me, they are kids in the purest form,” she said.

Working at The Painted Turtle was a natural fit, according to Trisha Grimley, former KKHS Student Activities coordinator, “April has always been a compassionate, service oriented person, in high school, in college, in her personal life and in her career,” she said.

“April is passionate about her job and seeks to offer the best experiences for the hundreds of children who attend the week long camps,” said Grimley.

Uyehara graduated from Perpperdine University in 2003 with a Bachelors of Arts in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Elementary Education. She went on to receive a Master of Arts Degree in Education with a concentration in Child Life from Mills College in 2006.

She credits Kekaulike for preparing her well for college.

“Throughout high school, my teachers were supportive and empowering, showing me that hard work pays off,” says Uyehara.

“I tried a lot of things in high school – classes, sports teams, clubs – I found a few things I loved and was pretty good at and other activities where I was not nearly as good, but in everything that I participated in, I was encouraged and accepted,” she said.

She noted that the KKHS not only allowed her to identify passions in life, but it also taught her how to face and overcome challenges.

“My KKHS education gave me such a strong foundation going into college, my career and the community, which has helped shape me to be the best version of myself,” she said.

In keeping with her spirit of helping others, in 2010, Uyehara began a journey to document an act of kindness, service, or highlight an organization for every single day of the year on her blog, serve365.blogspot.com. Twelve months later on November 24, 2011 she accomplished her goal of posting 365 entries, one for each day of the year.

At the conclusion of her project she wrote, “I’ve been inspired by each organization, each individual, and every story. And, most of all, I’ve learned that if you look for service, you will see it around you every single day. It can be as simple as a Snuggie or as strong as standing up for a survivor. It can be something huge someone does around the world or it can be in your neighborhood or in your good thoughts. You can help save the planet or sing. Use your passion to make a difference.”

“If you look for it, if you listen for it, service is all around you,” Uyehara concluded.

It is because of this passion for serving others and making a difference one small step at a time, that King Kekaulike Alumni Association is proud to name April Uyehara as our 2015 Alumni of the Year.

Since opening its doors, King Kekaulike has educated thousands of students who have gone on to make unique achievements throughout our community, both here at home and afar. Many go unrecognized, but the successes of Kekaulike alumni are quite amazing and are important to share.

Class of 2014 student, Joebelle Bonete, wanted this to become a reality and decided that the best way of memorializing achievements of alumni and sharing it with the Kekaulike community was through an alumni award. Yearly awards already exist for a Kekaulike Teacher of the Year, Class of the Year, and Student of the Year and an Alumni of the Year award seemed only natural.

Bonete took on the award as her senior project and laid the foundational components for the award, which focuses on recognizing individuals who have demonstrated unique accomplishments following graduation from Kekaulike.

Her hope was that the Alumni of the Year would not only inspire up and coming students to think big in what they can accomplish in their future, but also showcase the value of a Kekaulike education.

Nominations were sought and an alumni award panel vetted each applicant with one finalist being awarded the recognition per year.

In 2014, Dallas Nagata White, a class of 2004 graduate, was awarded the distinction of being named the first recipient of the Alumni of the Year Award.

Dallas Nagata White.

Nagata White, a professional photographer, is well known for her vibrant photos that grace the covers of publications such as National Geographic, Vogue, Huffington Post, Honolulu Magazine, and other renowned publications both locally and internationally.

Most recently, she had the privilege of taking the official photo of newly elected Governor David Ige in his Executive Chambers in front of the seal of Hawaii.

Official photo of Governor David Ige by Dallas Nagata White.

This however, is only one of many of her adventures. In 2012, one of Nagata White’s photos went viral, as she captured the “Hottest Kiss Ever by Active Lava Flow.” The photo even landed her in the Huffington Post, which showcased the photo and reported the background of the photo. The story goes that when she and her husband were visiting the Kilauea lava flow on the Big Island, they decided to snap a quick photograph. Using a DSLR, tripod and wireless flash system, Nagata White’s photo got an added something special when her husband, ever the romantic, dipped her into a dramatic kiss as the rain started falling.

The photo is quite breathtaking and is only one of many that you can find in her dramatic collection.

Although much of her talent was built up from experience, Nagata White holds a bachelor’s degree in studio art with an emphasis in painting and photography from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

She was born and raised on Maui but currently resides in Honolulu with her husband Ed. With her newfound reputation, she is now more selective in her projects and considers herself an editorial and commercial photographer.

Ed White and Dallas Nagata White.

When asked about her being a Kekaulike graduate, she stated that, “I’m proud because it was one of the newer public school in the State of Hawaii but we know we went to good one,” she said.

“It was a good place to come out of and there has been a lot of successful people to come from our school,” said Nagata White.

Despite all her success, Nagata White understands that although getting work done is important, you still need to set aside time for fun.

Her advice for those looking for success is to, “work hard and get your work done. Learning to work hard early really pays off in the long run,” she said.

“Having the discipline to keep working hard and goof off is good but don’t forget to schedule time to goof off because you’ll need that for a full life and a good experience.”

A collection of Nagata White’s photos can be found online at www.dallasnagatawhite.com.

Nominations for the 2015 Na Ali‘i Alumni of the Year is currently open until Wednesday, April 8. Criteria and the application can be found HERE.