Her days start as early as 6 a.m. and end near midnight, but that doesn’t bother Tiana Lum-Tucker, who blames a subtle case of insomnia for her super-active life. “I don’t get much sleep at night,” said Lum-Tucker, a Kaua’i
Her days start as early as 6 a.m. and end near midnight, but that doesn’t bother Tiana Lum-Tucker, who blames a subtle case of insomnia for her super-active life.
“I don’t get much sleep at night,” said Lum-Tucker, a Kaua’i High School senior who sometimes wakes up early to work out and falls asleep (hopefully) after games, practices and late-night homework.
Lum-Tucker, who will be inducted into the 2002 Nissan Hall of Honor this Sunday, seems to attribute her successes – the KIF Volleyball MVP award, the run for the KIF state volleyball and tennis titles and her 3.9 grade point average – to a lack of sleep. But everyone knows productivity isn’t determined by how much of the day you spend in bed, but what you do during the time you’re awake. And while many people have problems getting adequate sleep at night, few can get in a full day quite like Lum-Tucker.
During the fall, Tiana led the Kaua’i Red Raider volleyball team to a KIF championship and a run at the state title. In the spring, she partnered with Kareen Konishi to place third in girls doubles at the HHSAA State Championship Tennis Tournament in Wailea, Maui.
In between, she also excelled in soccer, cross country, track and swimming.
Six sports, a part-time tutoring job she just picked up and an impeccable report card aren’t feats most students can handle in a calendar year. Other than her brother, Brad, who was a Nissan Hall of Honor selection in 2000 and is currently playing tennis at the University of Idaho, few students deserve this kind of ending to their high school career. And it will only lead to better things in the future.
When asked if she was expected to become a Nissan Hall of Honor because of her brother’s selection, Lum-Tucker said, “I don’t think it was expected of me. But Brad has been a great role-model and my parents have been supportive, so I had help along the way.”
Lum-Tucker wanted to thank Larry McNiell, Rich Roberts, Dennis Chan, Kareen Konishi etc… “and all of those who put in the effort, don’t get to play, but still come out for the team. They have alot of heart.”
Lum-Tucker will spend her freshman year of college at the University of San Diego, where she will study environmental sciences.