KAPA‘A — Keith Kitamura said without the help of people, he would not be where he is today. Kitamura, a paraplegic teacher at Kapa‘a High School, was announced as the Kaua‘i Vocational Rehabilitation Employee of the Year, Thursday, in front
KAPA‘A — Keith Kitamura said without the help of people, he would not be where he is today.
Kitamura, a paraplegic teacher at Kapa‘a High School, was announced as the Kaua‘i Vocational Rehabilitation Employee of the Year, Thursday, in front of one of his math classes at the high school.
Brenda Viado, the Kaua‘i director of the vocational rehabilitation department, said that Kitamura was involved in a car accident prior to graduation from high school in 1997. He sustained injuries to his thoracic spine resulting in paraplegia that confined him to a wheelchair.
He was already accepted at the University of Hawai‘i at the School of Engineering, but needed help and accomodations to reach his educational goals.
It was at this point that the state VR department stepped in with assistance.
“Keith met every challenge dealt to him with the help of his supportive mother and brother,” said Viado. “He also got help through the Kokua Program and the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and Island Skills Gathering.”
Eventually, Kitamura changed his major and earned his bachelor’s degree in education and continued on to earn his master’s degree in education in school counseling, said Layne Shigeta in Kitamura’s nomination form.
Kitamura was hired by the Department of Education as a math teacher/peer and mediation counselor at Kapa‘a High School, his alma mater, achieving his goal for successful employment, the nomination form states.
“If it wasn’t for VR and all the other people who supported me, I would probably be sitting at home doing nothing,” Kitamura said as his class and principal Gilmore Youn showered his achievement with rousing applause in the portable classroom.
As Kitamura achieved success in gaining employment with the help of the community, his sense of giving back overflows as he has his peer mediation students embarking on beautifying the school campus through the creation of artful murals.
When The Home Depot, one of the sponsors solicited by Kitamura for the beautification project saw the murals, they requested a similar mural be done by the students for the store employees.
“When you need help, you can ask for help,” said state representative Mina Morita who presented Kitamura with a certificate of commendation from the state legislature. “And when you achieve your goal, remember to give back what was given you.”
Kitamura has surpassed that saying, his most recent achievement being the school-wide participation in a Peace Day project where the school’s students created pinwheels for peace and displayed them on the campus to coincide with Peace Day.
This project was also spearheaded by the school’s peer mediation class.
Kitamura has also joined his students at fundraising activities such as selling food at major community events to fund scholarships that was created through Kitamura’s efforts at helping students graduating from Kapa‘a High School.
Shigeta pointed out that without agency help, Kitamura would have encountered hardships and difficulty in achieving his employment goal.
“I’m home now,” Kitamura said. “I’m happy I can hopefully be a contributing member of the community.”