Name: Neal Kido
Age: 18
School: Hawaii Baptist Academy
Pastimes: Drawing, going to the beach, basketball, camping
Future: Architect

He is an artist, a singer, a model and an athlete - all while maintaining a 3.9 grade-point average.

"I don't know how he does it. It just blows you away," says Mark Kaneshiro, who teaches art and mechanical drawing at Hawaii Baptist Academy.

Kaneshiro says Kido has a creative passion: "Once he gets his mind stuck on the project, he won't let go until he's done his best."

Art is his first love. Kido has displayed his artistry in the school's yearbook and newspaper, on class T-shirts and in sets for programs and plays. The senior also recently won the Top Mechanical Drawing Student Award at his school and was named a scholar athlete for being on the paddling and volleyball teams.

He is in the select choir and the International Thespian Society. Kido also moonlights part time as a model and was recently featured on an Ala Moana Center television commercial.

The son of Herbert and Susan Kido says many of his accomplishments have been driven by hard work and determination.

"A lot of my friends are gifted and smart; everything comes natural to them. I have to work a little harder," he says.

Student Council adviser Todd Yokotake says Kido is the most hard-working student he's known.

"For what he lacks in talent, he shows in persistence to make up for those differences."