LIHU’E — Being chosen two out of 100 for anything in life is definitely quite an honor and for Lihu’e Pop Warner student-athletes Jordan Tottori and Mariah Navor-Gasmen, the fruits of their labor earned them regional honors. The two Chiefess
LIHU’E — Being chosen two out of 100 for anything in life is definitely quite an honor and for Lihu’e Pop Warner student-athletes Jordan Tottori and Mariah Navor-Gasmen, the fruits of their labor earned them regional honors.
The two Chiefess Kamakahelei eighth graders were recently named Wescon Scholars and have also been nominated for the All-American National Scholarship program, with winners to be announced on April 1.
In order to qualify for the honor, applicants must have a grade point average of 98 percent or better, participate in extracurricular activities, and include an essay on “The Six Pillars of Character.”
Judging was done at the national level and both students rank among the top 1 percent of all Pop Warner participants.
The Wescon Regional Conference is made up of 16 areas, which consist of O’ahu, Maui, the Big Island, Arizona, San Diego, New Mexico, Guam, and more.
Each area submitted one football and one cheer participant to the scholastic program and both Tottori and Navor-Gasmen were chosen.
“As long as I can remember, my parents have told me ‘life is full of choices’ and what we choose to do, what we say, how we behave, and the attitude we have, all involve making a choice. The Six Pillars of Character are a wonderful tool to use in the everyday decision making process. It provides us with a guide to making sound decisions on our way to becoming people of outstanding character. Becoming a person of outstanding character is a journey because we constantly learn from each decision that is made,” Tottori wrote in his essay.
Navor-Gasmen wrote, “Someone once told me that character is not inherited, but developed. Unlike physical characteristics like eye color or height, character cannot be passed down from parents, but is defined, developed, and shaped throughout life. These character-defining moments come through experience, challenges, victories, and even losses, but it is these moments that one has the opportunity to build either strong character or weak character.”
Mariah’s parents are Maile Navor and Lester Tugade. Jordan’s parents are Lelan and Shirley Tottori.
Mariah will be attending Kaua’i High School next year and Jordan will be heading off to O’ahu to attend ‘Iolani School.
Lihu’e Pop Warner’s Lance Delos Reyes and Kehau Medeiros are past winners of the honor.
For more information about the program, check out www.popwarner.com.
