By Caitlin Kelly

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From a job in retail to one in education, Student Activities Coordinator (SAC) Gail Nishimura has always been ready to take on life’s next adventure. After working for the state of Hawaii for 25 years, 14 of which were at MHS, she will embark on yet another journey in her retirement, which takes effect on Dec. 31.

“I’ve gotten to know a lot of people here that I’m really close to and I’m going to miss those people but it’s time for a change. It’s time to be able to do whatever, pick up and go if I want to,” said Nishimura. Because of the time she’s put in, she will now be able to receive retirement benefits, which played a part in her decision.

When Nishimura graduated from Leilehua High School, she was unsure of the career she wanted to pursue, but knew she wanted to receive a higher education. She took a leap and enrolled at William Woods University in Missouri with a major in home economics and business. “Going away for the first time, I had never been to the mainland until I graduated from high school,” she said.

Upon graduating, she held jobs in various fields, from retail to the travel industry. “I started off in retail at a Waikiki resort shop and then I moved to travel and I worked there (for) a while. And then I moved to working for a movie studio; I worked for Magnum P.I. for two years,” she explained.

After a few more jobs in-between, Nishimura returned to school to receive her master’s degree in education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her first job with the Department of Education was at Aliamanu Intermediate School, where she worked with special education students. After a year there, she found herself at MHS as the new SAC. “It was kind of a learning experience because the person that was here before me was a former student, so she knew what was expected and what the school normally did and I had no clue at all,” she explained.

As years passed and Nishimura gained experience in her position, she acquired one of her most valuable skills: the ability to plan ahead. “You have to do things in advance, so you have to keep on top of it, so like I can’t just have a regular 12-month calendar, I have a three-year calendar because you need to always plan ahead,” she said.

It is that sort of reliability that her students will miss. “Just knowing that since she’s been there for 14 years, she really has the knowledge of what to do. It’s really a comfort how you can just fall back on her when you don’t know what to do,” said Associated Students of Mililani High School (ASMHS) President John Delos Reyes.

Aside from her work ethic, her students have also enjoyed getting to know her as a person. “She’s really down to earth, and I don’t know if people know, but she has a really good sense of humor and she’s really easy to talk to. Not just about school related things, but personal things,” said Delos Reyes. Activities Chairperson and Co-historian Carissa Ochoco agreed, saying, “I’m going to miss her personality. She’s fun, she tells stories and there’s something about Ms. Nishimura that I’ll miss.”

Once she leaves, Nishimura hopes her students won’t be afraid to try new things, as the events leading up to her job at MHS weren’t always expected. “I never knew I would work for the movie studios, it’s like a whole different world. Or just even working in travel, it gave me the opportunity to travel and of course the money was just the pits but at that time I didn’t care. As long as you can support yourself and you’re happy, just go for it,” she said.

Students and staff alike wish Nishimura the best in her retirement. “Ms. Nishimura, I think you deserve this retirement after how many years of service to the high school. If anything, just have fun,” said Delos Reyes. “Ms. Nishimura will be remembered for the great things that she did at MHS.  I thank her for her years of hard work and dedication,” said English teacher Janet Ward-Riehle, who will take over Nishimura’s position starting in the second semester.

In her retirement, Nishimura hopes to help SACs at other schools around the island, catch up on sleep and travel as she did in her college years.