Super Students
Saturday, May 16, 1998
Name: Kawika Uechi
Age: 16
School: Iolani School
Favorite subject: Math
Pastimes: Reading, watching TV
Future: Engineer
Kawika Uechi describes himself as klutzy and somewhat strange, but others see him as a genius. 'Thinks on a different level'
"I make lots of noise," he said. "I'm pretty clumsy, always dropping stuff or bumping into a table."
But that didn't stop the Iolani School junior from earning a perfect score of 36 on the American College Testing (ACT) exam.
According to ACT President Richard L. Ferguson, Uechi is the only college-bound Hawaii student (out of about 500 tested) and one of just 14 in the nation (out of some 192,000 tested) to do so well.
Math teacher Michael Park said Uechi's score comes as no surprise because Uechi is a whiz at school. "I think academics is natural for him; he doesn't have to work too hard," Park said.
"He would be a good math teacher.Æ.Æ.Æ. He thinks on a different level than most students. His thinking is more creative; he can see solutions that other students can't."
Uechi said he does study hard to do well in school, often burning the midnight oil to get work done.
His goal is to get good grades that will get him accepted into a West Coast engineering school, and to improve his performance on the track and cross-country teams.
Uechi also hopes to improve his ceramic art -- no more lopsided bowls, vases or pots for him. "I'm probably better at photography than I am at ceramics," he said.
Kimberly Fu, special to the Star-Bulletin
