Mina Pecoraro: Dear Mililani High School

Mina Pecoraro, Reporter

     I first moved schools when I was in kindergarden. I lived in Germany at the time and attended a small school on a military base surrounded by only other military kids who were living the same unexpected, temporary-feeling life I was. Over the course of my public school education, I ultimately attended 6 schools in 3 countries but I’m so eternally grateful that I got to spend all of high school at Mililani. 

     Reflecting on the time I spent here, I am amazed at how much I was able to experience in 4 very short-feeling years. I learned so many valuable lessons, discovered my interests and things I was passionate about, met amazing people, and for the first time in my life, felt like I had a place. Some of my favorite memories were made in my AP classes; where I felt provided with a safe and challenging learning environment, surrounded by brilliant individuals who inspired me everyday. Seeing how hard my classmates worked and seeing how passionate they were about education sparked passion inside of me too. I made many great friends from my AP classes, some that I still have online class with now and some that are about to complete their first year of college. From AP Spanish, where the nine of us drove our teacher absolutely loca, to AP Biology, where …. I am grateful for it all and will take the lessons I learned in those classes and carry them throughout life. To the classmates who became great friends, I’m so grateful for you and I wish you the best in your future endeavors. 

     I am also extremely grateful that I was able to participate in so many extra-curricular activities throughout my 4 years. Thank you to the Mililani choir, the Mililani marching band, Mililani Times, and Central Theatre Arts Academy for providing me with my best friends, learning experiences, and opportunities. I will never forget the amazing feeling of getting to perform nationally and internationally at BOA and WGI and all the countless lessons I learned from being part of the amazing colorguard at Mililani. I owe a lot to the program and never take for granted all the opportunities that it provided me with. Thank you for teaching me how to persevere, how to strive for greatness instead of being complacent, and for giving me the tools to strive for greatness in my own life. CTAA: I will never forget cast circles before each show and the amazing feeling of taking mic tape off. I will never forget the rush of adrenaline at “places” and the crazy amount of hands it takes to put on a show. Thank you Ms. Higuchi and Mrs. Chung for being incredible leaders, teachers, and sources of inspiration. Your guidance and belief in me helped me to find my light and build my confidence as a performer. Lastly, I am so proud of my amazing theatre friends who I know will go on to do spectacular things. Thank you Mililani Times for the lessons. I wasn’t ever a good reporter but getting to learn about MHS from the eyes of my interviewees and getting to telling their stories was a very special and eye-opening experience. I also had the honor of working with very talented and extremely dedicated individuals (and some very quirky individuals), all whom I love and have so much respect for. Thank you choir for being a home at school for 4 years; the place where I finally found my voice and truly felt accepted. Thank you to the teachers and directors who taught me so much and encouraged me in hard times. And to MHS: thank you for making me grow as a student and as a person. This isn’t the way that any of us wanted to say our farewells but I feel so lucky that my high school experience was one that is difficult to say goodbye to.