Around The Islands
Mini Profile
Reynaldo Corpuz:
Leading With the Heart
by Mike Yoshiura
Reynaldo Corpuz is a senior at Pahoa High School, who has dedicated his young life to making communities on the Big Island a better place to live.
"Our island is starting to develop more, and I just want to make it a safer place for everybody. I have two uncles who are civil engineers, and it seems cool because they make decisions that affect everyone on the island," said Reynaldo Corpuz.
The 17-year-old will attend the University of Hawaii-Hilo next fall, and he will be majoring in civil engineering. The Pahoa native has been getting straight A's since he was in the seventh grade, accumulating a 4.025 GPA in the process.
"I tell everybody you can't be lazy. Sometimes you're not going to want to do things, but you just have to do what you have to do."
Corpuz is also a member of the National Honor Society, and a founding father of a school club called, Nerds Anonymous. With a name like Nerds Anonymous you would think this club is some kind of study group. The club was actually formed to fundraise for Pahoa students to take Advanced Placement (AP) Exams, which would normally cost the students $86 per exam.
According to Corpuz, Nerds Anonymous raised all of the money it needed and then some, so they decided to fundraise for a second straight year. Reynaldo took AP English last year, and this year he's enrolled in AP Literature. The AP courses give high school students the opportunity to earn credits or an advanced standing at most colleges and universities.
"My mom and dad are my inspiration. They used to go through some tough times because of some really bad jobs. They worked really hard and now they have everything they ever wanted. They're the reason I work so hard and continue to push myself."
Reynaldo is the starting point guard for the Daggers Varsity Basketball team, and he's been helping his dad coach youth basketball since he was 14-years-old. "Coaching these kids makes me want to help people, and lead them in the right direction. It feels so good sharing with them something that means so much to me."
His dad is now the Daggers' assistant basketball coach, and according to Reynaldo, having your dad for a coach does have its downside. "You never stop hearing it. You'll hear the squawking in the car and once you get home, it never stops," he says, as he laughs aloud, like your average easy-going teenager.
Reynaldo's all-time favorite basketball player is a former Bulls superstar who went by the name of Michael "Air" Jordan. "In the beginning of his career he wasn't much of a team player. He learned that he had to get his teammates involved, and he made them better players. That was a big motivation for me."
Playing basketball is a great escape from stress for this teenager, but he would much rather be on the sidelines coaching than running the team via the point guard position. After reading Duke Basketball Coach, Mike Krzyzewski's book, Leading With The Heart, Corpuz changed his outlook on a lot of things; basketball, coaching, and the way he lives his life.
"He's a real good influence on his players and makes an impact on their lives. He focuses on who his players will become later on in life. He teaches them life skills, and how to be successful once their basketball careers are done. I want to be able to impact people just like that."
From the looks of things, Reynaldo is groomed to dribble down that road to success once his high school career has come to a close.
