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Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

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<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: An amazing chain of events</title>

Today's social media find comes from nailsbydanny, and it's all about the links.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: An amazing chain of events

Mr. T would pity the fool who doesn&#039;t find this funny. 

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Located in the former space of Nami Kaze, 

Thirty Eight restaurant opened for dinner at Pier 38

The eatery just launched its new lunch menu, and the restaurant is now open from Monday to Saturday.

According to chef de cuisine Daysen Masuda, the lunch menu is inspired by familiar flavors and plate lunch fare.

“I wanted to do something different from your normal plate lunch,” he says. “I feel like this menu is familiar to everyone — misoyaki butterfish, ‘ahi belly, Korean fried chicken and loco moco are staples here in Hawaiʻi — but we’re putting our own spin on it here. Here at Thirty Eight, how could we make it a little more elevated?”

Appetizers include popular selections from the eatery’s dinner menu, including maguro cabbage ($21), poke crackers ($12), calamari katsu ($17) and cabbage Caesar ($16).

The mix plate ($26) is not only aesthetically pleasing, but equally tasty. It includes a daily catch — in our case, guava chili ‘ahi — short ribs, spicy ‘ahi, watercress salad, potato salad and Spam fried rice.

“When you go out and eat a plate lunch, you want to have a little bit of everything,” Masuda says. “Especially here at Thirty Eight, we’re using really good seafood and fresh ‘ahi, so we wanted to highlight it. It’s just a mixture of flavors.

“The Spam fried rice is actually my mom’s Spam rice,” he adds. “(When I was) growing up, she made that for potlucks. I’m also a big fan of potato salad, so you gotta have potato salad. The potato salad is dusted with chermoula (a blend of spices); that’s paying homage to chef Mourad and (previously) working with him.” 

The black cod ($28) is served with shredded cabbage, potato salad and white rice. Meanwhile, the Korean fried chicken plate ($20) features a generous portion of chicken.

“We’re using the chicken quarter at dinner for the huli huli chicken, so I wanted to cross utilize that as well, but who doesn’t want a nice, big portion of chicken for lunch?” says Masuda, who notes this is one of his favorite dishes.

“It’s kind of inspired by my mom’s Korean fried chicken, but we do add a little bit of guava jelly in there,” he says. “It’s a little sweet and a little spicy.”

The eatery’s loco moco ($24) is expected to be a local favorite. The beef patty is topped with two sunny side up eggs, brown gravy and Hamakua mushrooms, and is served with rice.

“Everything starts with good quality,” Masuda says. “We’re using Prime ground beef topped with local eggs; we make grown gravy from scratch.”

The ‘ahi belly plate ($22) features local big-eye ‘ahi with ponzu butter, potato salad, watercress and white rice.

For dessert, diners can enjoy scoops ($9 each) from ice cream business Please Come Again, located in Kailua. Choose from shiso mint chip — topped with freeze-dried strawberries — and Vietnamese iced coffee, which is topped with condensed milk and cocoa nibs. Masuda notes that the restaurant is currently working on a dessert program.

“I’m excited (for this menu); for lunch down here at the pier, there’s a lot of guys that work around here, but a lot of tourists and locals. as well,” he says. “Lunch is always a little more casual; this is what I think people will like.

“That’s the cool thing about this project — we have a blank slate,” he adds. “Hawai

i is such a big melting pot of diverse cultures, so that’s why you’ll get some Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese flavors here, but it all works because that’s Hawai

Open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch, 5 to 9 p.m. for dinner Mondays to Saturdays

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Thirty Eight Honolulu lunch spread 030626

<title>Thirty Eight Honolulu launches lunch service</title>

The new eatery, which recently opened for dinner at Pier 38, just debuted its new lunch menu. The menu features some of the most popular pūpū from the dinner menu, along with elevated plate lunches like a mix plate, Korean fried chicken, loco moco and more.

Thirty Eight Honolulu launches lunch service

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

 graduated. So did the holder. Meanwhile, the 

 transferred to the defending national champion. 

In 2026, the University of Hawai‘i football team will have the tall task of replacing former kicker Kansei Matsuzawa, the program's first-ever consensus All-American. Matsuzawa graduated and is currently going through the NFL Draft process. Additionally, punter Billy Gowers, after earning freshman All-America honors from Pro Football Focus, decided to take his talents to Indiana via the NCAA transfer portal. 

 to begin spring ball, starting practices on Feb. 3. New faces include freshmen Gannon Miller and Gehrig Heil, a Texas transfer originally from Arizona. The youth infusion is quite the contrast from last year, back when Matsuzawa was 26 years old and Gowers was 29, making their kicker and punter combo older than that of 10 NFL teams as of Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. 

Hawai‘i special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield says he'll take his time in assessing his young unit. 

"You're just getting to evaluate the new faces, kind of learn what they can and can't do, and giving them the opportunity to bring more value to our football team," Sheffield said. "It's been really good. What we did in the portal and what we did with our high school recruiting, we brought a lot of great football players into the mix. 

"Obviously, there's a learning curve anytime you change schools, from high school to college, but we got the best coaches in the country, and we're doing a really good job of just slowly integrating them, slowly teaching them, because we don't play until August, so we got time to make sure that we get all the little details, all the techniques and fundamentals put in place."

Because of a successful freshman campaign in which he averaged 46.2 yards per punt, Sheffield thought the Rainbow Warriors had their punter of the future. But after Gowers entered the portal shortly after the Hawai‘i Bowl, the 'Bows are back to square one at the position. 

"It's the business. College football has changed, and it continues to change, it just is what it is, and that's a nice way of saying it's not a great situation, but it is what it is," Sheffield said when asked about Gowers' departure. "We wish him the best of luck. But our focus is going to be on our players now and the guys who have stuck with us and who decided to make Hawai‘i home."

Miller has been getting repetitions at punter, while Nick Pang and returning starter Jack Mowrey are splitting the reps at long snapper. 

Sean Olvera-Harle, who began the 2025 season as the team's kickoff specialist before yielding to Matsuzawa, has been reinserted into the placekicker competition. Additionally, Tama Uiliata, Cam Barfield, Titan Lacaden and Kainoa "Kaikai" Carvalho were some of the names seen getting punt return reps. 

Heil, meanwhile, is who Sheffield calls the "Swiss Army knife" of the group. 

He'll compete for the punt job. He'll compete for the field goal job with Sean, and he'll compete for the kickoff job with Sean, and then he'll also compete to hold for field goals, and so just constant competition with Gehrig," Sheffield says of Heil. 

Heil walked-on at Texas to begin his collegiate career in 2025 but chose to enter the transfer portal after he was not awarded a scholarship following the season. 

"I entered the portal, and coach (Sheffield) just really sounded like he believes in me, and that's why I chose Hawai‘i," Heil said. "Hunger and knowledge for the game, like I just really want to be the best that I can be. Just help the team out however I can, whether that's punting, field goals, holding, kicking off, whatever it is."

Competition for the team's placekicker position will carry over into the fall when Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) graduate Hudson Borsari enrolls as a true freshman. 

"Hudson will be here in the fall, and then we're going to throw him right into the mix to compete," Sheffield said. "I really like Hudson's mentality. Hudson's got an obsession, almost like Kansei or Billy Gowers at a young age. And so I love seeing that. ... I just think that kid's going to have a very bright future. I do expect Hudson to come in here and compete and have the mentality to go take a job as soon as he comes in as a true freshman."

Whoever wins the kicking job will have large shoes to fill. Sheffield will be watching the start of Matsuzawa's professional career from afar, confident that his former pupil will continue to be among the best in the sport. 

"Kansei is going to be taken care of. Multiple teams have reached out to me specifically to talk about him, and so Kansei is going to control his own destiny, just like he did when he was here, and he's always going to work," Sheffield said. "He's got the mindset, he's got the leg. He's a very special kid, and whatever NFL team decides to take him, they're going to be really lucky and very happy that they did."

Gehrig Heil 2 030526

<title>Competition for key spots in Hawai‘i's special teams unit will carry into the fall</title>

The Rainbow Warriors will have the tall task of replacing both their historic kicker and prolific punter in 2026.

Competition for key spots in Hawai‘i's special teams unit will carry into the fall

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Already thinking about the weekend? Aloha State Daily is here to help you make plans for the entire ʻohana. From live music at First Friday at Capitol Modern on Friday, March 6, to free admission to ʻIolani Palace for kamaʻāina on Sunday, March 8, there are lots of events on Oʻahu this weekend.

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 has open a new spot in Downtown Honolulu. The new location at 700 Bishop Street — next to Komala Curry and in the same building at Bar Leather Apron — offers bentos and musubi, as well as chicken katsu. 

Watch the Ballet Hawaiʻi Performing Ensemble. 

The Ballet Hawaiʻi Performing Ensemble will share classical and contemporary ballet in these performances, which run Friday through Sunday, at the Ballet Hawaiʻi Honolulu Studio. Tickets are $24. 

Listen to music at First Friday at Capitol Modern. 

Enjoy live music from Keahi Delovio and Aolani and browse art galleries at Capitol Modern, the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum. This family-friendly event starts at 5 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m. Performances start at 6 p.m. There will also be opportunities to purchase food. Free. 

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Back by popular demand, this all-women captain and crew will set off on a two-hour whale watching cruise. Complimentary Irish coffee or mimosas, as well as non-alcoholic refreshments, are available. The whale watching trip is a collaboration between Honolulu Snorkel Co. and Oʻahu Boat Cruises. The boat departs at 7:45 a.m. from Kewalo Basin Harbor. Tickets cost $45 plus fees and taxes. 

Paddle at Kualoa/Hakipuʻu Canoe Festival. 

The event is organized by the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation along with a number of nonprofits including the 

Polynesian Voyaging Society, which operates Hōkūleʻa

. The festival starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. at Kualoa Regional Park. There will be lots of hands-on activities, including a chance to jump in and paddle. 

, the education director for the PVS, shared some of the activities that ocean-goers of all ages can participate in at the one-day festival. 

This Vinyasa yoga session is donation-based or free. All levels are welcome. Bring a mat and towel to the Kakaʻako Waterfront Park. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SUNDAY, MARCH 8"}]

Mele Haliʻa: Maelia Carter & Ka Pā Hula O Ka Ua Noe O Waʻahila

. Kumu Hula Maelia Carter brings her award-winning hālau, Ka Pā Hula O Ka Ua Noe O Waʻahila, to the Waikiki Beach Walk stage. Watch the performance at 5 p.m. Free. 

 Kamaʻāina are invited to take a free tour of ʻIolani Palace, available in English or ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.  Enjoy hands-on activities such as lauhala weaving with Keoua Nelsen and Kōnane lessons. There are also opportunities to make a floral kūpeʻe with Maxeen Shea and more. Naomi Nascimento will offer lauhala earring workshops at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sign-ups for those workshops start at 8:30 a.m. at the Kīnaʻu Gate on Richards Street. There will also be performances from Hālau O Nā Pua Kukui with Kumu Hula Ed Collier, Ke Kula Kaiaupuni ʻo Ka Waihona o ka Naʻauao and ʻOhana Krug

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

First Friday at Capitol Modern.

<title>Live music, whales and yoga: Your guide to this weekend</title>

Wondering what to do on Oʻahu this Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Aloha State Daily did the research, so you can plan weekend adventures. Ready for live music? Head to Capitol Modern. Want to get out on the water? Try whale watching or canoe paddling.

Live music, whales and yoga: Your guide to this weekend

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Get your fix of locally made goods this summer when the Hawaiian Airlines presents the 32nd Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival returns to Honolulu.

Shoppers should note, though, that the days and times of the festival have changed from previous years.

The event will be held Aug. 20 to 23 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, 1801 Kalākaua Ave.:

“Due to active and ongoing construction at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, vendors and guests will not have access onsite until after 5:30 p.m. on weekdays,” MIHF spokesperson Olena Heu told Aloha State Daily in an email. “So, we opted to provide shopping options for Thursday and Friday night. With that, we expanded our dates of the festival to include Thursday for the buyers’ hours, sponsors and etc.”

Traditionally, that Friday is a state holiday — Statehood Day is 

 this year — and the festival would be open all day, she noted. But since access isn’t available until 5:30 p.m., “we decided to open at 6:30 p.m. and expanded the end time to 10 p.m.”

As for other changes to note this year, Heu says there will be special signage and designation for Native Hawaiian- and wahine-owned businesses and for those who manufacture their products within the Islands.

“The special distinction allows for clarity when it comes to comparing designed in Hawai‘i with manufactured in Hawai‘i; and we also want to provide additional transparency for our guests to learn more about who the vendors are and what their ownership and focus look like,” she says.

MIHF is produced by the Hawai‘i Food Industry Association, or HFIA.

“For more than 30 years, the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival has served as the state’s premier showcase for locally made products, connecting thousands of residents and visitors with Hawaiʻi’s most innovative producers, artisans, and food and beverage companies,” the 

 notes. “What began as a platform to support local businesses has evolved into one of Hawaiʻi’s most anticipated annual events and a critical economic driver for hundreds of companies statewide.

A record-breaking MIHF drew approximately 70,000 attendees and generated approximately $10 million in sales in 2024. About 70,000 visitors over three days 

 and vendors reported sales just under $10 million, Heu says.

The HFIA and Servco Foundation, along with MIHF ticket purchasers, donated a total of $30,000 to the Hawai‘i Foodbank and The Food Basket DA BUX program last year, she noted, adding that the festival will partner with Hawai‘i Food Bank and The Food Basket again this year.

Tickets for this year’s festival go on sale Aug. 1, with vendor highlights, special announcements, new features and on-stage performances to be announced on social media in July.

For tickets, event schedule and updates, visit 

(ICYMI: Aloha State Daily spoke with several vendors during last year’s event. You can 

MIHF 081525 entrance

<title>Made in Hawai‘i Festival to return in August</title>

The popular event will be held Aug. 20 to 23 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Read on to learn more about some of the changes to this year's festival.

Made in Hawai‘i Festival to return in August

The overhead lights are bright on this Wednesday morning.

In the commercial kitchen at Leeward Community College’s Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center, Kenny Tsuru carefully pours a bright green syrup into the creamy base for his ice cream. A melon scent fills the air.

After it’s mixed, he talks as he moves to the ice cream machine, pours it in and presses the buttons to make it go. It would take him 24 hours to make a batch at home, he says. This produces six times as much in less than 10 minutes.

When that step is done, he moves to the table and begins to meticulously scoop his Melono ice cream into individual cups.

“When I started this business, I really wanted to bring in a Melono [flavor], but make it unique,” Tsuru explains. “I really like the taste of Melona shave ice and the mixture of that with condensed milk and ice cream, so I started and I made my own creation, which is ‘Melono’ which is exactly that — all combined into an ice cream with a very creamy texture and really my dream ice cream flavor.”

The entrepreneur — and Pearl City High School senior — is the namesake and driver behind Kenny Boy Ice Cream. He produces out of the WVAPDC commercial kitchen and sells his ice cream online and at the center’s monthly market.

He’s also a member of ‘Āina to Mākeke’s newest cohort, and the youngest participant in the program’s history. The day we meet him — Feb. 18 — was his 18th birthday.

‘Āina to Mākeke is a 12-week program is offered by the LCC’s Office of Workforce Development and the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center in collaboration with the Hawai‘i Ag and Culinary Alliance. It aims to help local makers turn home recipes into market-ready products.

Aloha State Daily caught up with Tsuru to learn more about his business and participation in the program.

Tsuru started Kenny Boy Ice Cream after dealing with some health problems.

He was an active teenager, working two jobs, participating in sports and used to work out daily, but with his health condition, he could no longer do that. It even got to a point he says he couldn’t walk, couldn’t go to school and had to stop working.

“I wanted a way to put a smile on my face,” he told ASD. “I went out and bought a Ninja CREAMi ice cream maker for Black Friday [in 2024], and I just started making ice cream for myself and my friends and my family. I really got into it.”

His sweets-loving family was supportive and encouraged his work, and Tsuru began selling to friends, family, neighbors and people around him.

He “really got official” last summer. Tsuru says he started to feel better and his health problems began to go away.

“I decided that this wasn’t just going to be a passion project. This was going to be my business. This was the first thing I ever found in my life that I really enjoyed, and I felt this is my purpose. I felt this was a calling. This was really the career I wanted to go into,” he says. “And I know as a high school teenager, not a lot of people say that, and it is early on, but I really found that this made me happy. This helped me during that hard time in my health, and I really felt that this is what I wanted to do, so I went all-in in July.”

He came up with the name — Kenny Boy Ice Cream — and borrowed the slogan from an uncle: “It’s ono ono brah!”

From there, Tsuru says he started selling 32-ounce family-size tubs of the sweet treat, began networking and attended business entrepreneurship opportunities.

Tsuru also is in the management cohort program of the 

International Business and Design Academy

 at Pearl City High School, where he can earn early college credits and a certificate of achievement. His mentor at school suggested he check out the WVAPDC and he went to the showcase for the ‘Āina to Mākeke cohort six.

“I got to see what the ‘Āina to Mākeke program was and I was so amazed,” Tsuru says. “I wanted to make it happen for me. I wanted to be a part of that, so I really made it my goal to figure out what it was going to take for me to be a part of the cohort. As a young entrepreneur —  at the time under 18 — I didn’t know if it was possible.”

He kept talking with employees of the center, participated in workshops and went to events the center hosted to get in the door. When applications for the new to ‘Āina to Mākeke cohort opened, he jumped at the chance to apply.

"I said no matter what, no matter my age, I want to do it, so I signed up."

Tsuru says, too, that he was working to become a WVAPDC kitchen user at the same time he was applying for ‘Āina to Mākeke.

Using the center has allowed Tsuru to scale his production, commercialize his product and made the process much faster.

 — Melono, a melon cream flavor; Strawono, a strawberry flavor made with fresh fruit; and a cookies and cream flavor — as well as rotating flavors. He sells them in 32-ounce tubs but you can find 6-ounce cups at pop-up events and for his newly launched catering component.

When he started his business, Tsuru says he not only wanted to support himself financially and save for college, he also wanted to dedicate a portion of his profits to helping local organizations. This year, he’ll donate 10% of all profits to Make-A-Wish Hawai‘i.

Tsuru is one of 15 food entrepreneurs from O‘ahu and Kaua‘i that’s part of the seventh ‘Āina to Mākeke cohort, which ranges from early-stage makers to established local chefs.

When asked why he wanted to participate in the program, Tsuru say he saw the opportunities it provided when he attended the showcase for cohort six.

“The whole thing about ‘Āina to Mākeke is you take a value-added food product — ice cream is my product — and you get it to market,” he says. “That’s something I wanted to do. I wanted to share my ice cream in the market, and I wanted to someday live out that childhood dream of having a product that I can go to the store and say ‘That is mine. I’m proud of that.’”

He also wants to grow his business and help more people.

In addition to Kenny Boy Ice Cream, other cohort 7 entrepreneurs include Hawaiʻi’s Only; Honolulu Mochi; Kahawai Farms; Kauaʻi Fresh Fish; Mālama Protein Bar; Myna Trading Co.; Nā Kālai Waʻa; Nourish Your Soul; ReBran; rōmu; SAVA Provisions; Shaka Butter; Shaka Mex and Sol Food Kitchen.

Now, more than 100 entrepreneurs have participated in the ‘Āina to Mākeke program since its launch in the spring of 2023.

“It’s incredible. It’s surreal, in a relatively compact period of time,” Chris Bailey, manager of the WVAPDC told ASD of hitting the milestone. “I think it demonstrates the need and the interest from local entrepreneurs to figure out how to take all the parts and put it together and continue to build that mindset for actually taking an idea and really having a strong and stable business that they can grow and take to the next level.”

Kenny tsuru 021826 1

<title>The scoop on Kenny Boy Ice Cream</title>

Entrepreneur — and Pearl City High School senior — Kenny Tsuru began making ice cream after going through a challenging period with his health. He is a member of the newest cohort for ‘Āina to Mākeke, a food business program from Leeward Community College's Office of Workforce Development in partnership with the Hawai‘i Ag and Culinary Alliance, and at 18, he's the youngest participant in the program’s history.

The scoop on Kenny Boy Ice Cream

College basketball was always the goal for Jessiya Villa, and he's certainly seen his share of it. After graduating high school in 2017, could he have imagined he'd still be playing NCAA basketball as a 27-year-old? 

"I didn't expect to be a super duper senior, but I do appreciate every second of this time that I've been granted, and I do believe that there is a reason for it, whether it is to inspire certain people or for me to learn a life lesson," Villa told Aloha State Daily in a recent interview. "It's been a long journey, but I've appreciated every step of the journey."

Born on O‘ahu, Villa spent his early childhood in the Philippines as his father finished his professional basketball career. The oldest of 10 children, Villa immediately took a liking to basketball and shined on the court. A three-year standout at 

West Virginia, Villa played his senior year at Kahuku under his uncle, Brandyn Akana. 

Led by Villa, a shifty 5-foot-11 point guard, the Red Raiders won the state title in 2017. He went on to win a bevy of individual awards, including Gatorade Player of the Year in Hawai‘i. He signed a National Letter of Intent with the University of Hawai‘i on a basketball scholarship before going on a two-year church mission to Ghana. 

"It definitely opened my eyes quite a bit," Villa recalled. "You grow up pretty fast. After you leave the comfort of your own home and the comfort of your own family, I definitely grew up quite a bit at a rapid speed, just being on my own and trying to figure life out."

Upon returning from his mission, Villa redshirted the 2019-2020 season for the Rainbow Warriors to get his bearings back. In the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Villa transferred a mile over to 

, where his grandfather, Bill was the athletic director from 2008 to 2020. 

Villa competed for four seasons for the Silverswords, yet by the time the 2023-2024 season was complete, he still had two seasons of collegiate eligibility remaining. The 2020-2021 season did not count towards a given player's eligibility clock due to the pandemic, while Villa was granted a medical hardship waiver for the 2021-2022 season after an injury limited him to play just two games. 

Prior to the 2024-2025 season, Villa joined Hawai‘i-Hilo, where he joined forces with his brother Telryn, the second oldest of the 10 Villa children. 

Telryn Villa, a 2020 graduate of Martinsburg High School, is curently a junior. 

Jessiya and Telryn never competed on a team together prior to Hilo. 

"I wanted to play with my brother, and that would have been the first time in our family that it has ever happened," Jessiya recalled. "I just wanted to represent our family in a different way, and obviously play alongside him, and then play under a great coaching staff as well."

The on-court chemistry between the brothers is there, despite their previous childhood battles. 

"We competed every day," Jessiya Villa recalled of their younger days. "We would fight over who would plug in something first in an outlet. When our mom asked us to go to bed, who could turn the TV off first?"

In his final season of collegiate basketball, Jessiya Villa has been a steady presence at the point for the Vulcans. Despite a 98-46 loss to Hawai‘i on Wednesday night at the Stan Sheriff Center, Villa had 10 points, two assists and no turnovers in a start against the team he began his collegiate career with. 

 have generally tried their hand at adulthood first. In Villa's case, a set of circumstances have kept him in college following his mission in Ghana. 

"It's crazy that it's been nearly a decade. I didn't think my career was going to be this way. However, I'm grateful and appreciative that it has because I was able to inspire a lot of people that I've played with, and vice versa. I've played with a lot of amazing athletes and very high IQ individuals," Villa said. "I've played under amazing coaches, amazing staffs, and hopefully it continues to the professional level."

When his playing days end, Villa already has a head start on his next chapter. His business, Island Grind LLC, assists in helping young hoopsters with skill development. 

Another indication of how long Villa has been in college? UH-Hilo freshman guard 

Nahiku Nahale-a is one of Villa's former youth clients at Island Grind LLC. Villa's Vulcan teammates occasionally rib him about his age, skipping the "unc" description and going straight to "grandpa." But to Villa, getting a prolonged college career beats never having one.

"One of my main takeaways will be a piece of advice that I actually strive to live by, and that's to expect nothing but appreciate everything," he said. "I cherish it every day. There are times where adversity hits, there are times where I see the lows, but for the most part, it's been up, and it will continue to be up. 

"I think I'm continuously learning a lot. You got to have fun your last year. If it's any piece of advice I could give to seniors in their last collegiate game, or season for any sport, it's to just cherish the moment. Have as much fun as you can, because you don't get this time back."

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: An amazing chain of events

ASD Staff

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: An amazing chain of events

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