From Bulls to Harvard

Our motto at the Honolulu Bulls is “Success is Winning at Life”.  Today we are proud to feature recent graduate Noa Maeva for his accomplishments on and off the field.  Noa is a graduate of Punahou School and is attending Harvard University.  Noa has always been a fierce player on the field.  His work ethic at practices and in school have always been exceptional.  During high school, he played club soccer, school soccer, and participated in ROTC and many community activities.  Noa is studying Economics and playing on the A Club soccer team.  We salute Noa for his success and winning at life.  

When did you join the Bulls?
2014

Why did you choose the Bulls?
I wanted to be a part of the best club on the island.

What was your academic path? When did you enter Punahou?
Throughout my academic career, I transferred schools seven times (both private and public) before finally attending Punahou which I entered in 9th grade.

What activities did you participate in outside of soccer and school? The many volunteer projects and travels that you did?
JROTC
Club Soccer
JV and Varsity Soccer
Punahou Outdoor Education Counselor
Student Tutor
Foreign Exchange Ambassador – Ehime, Japan
Punahou Carnival Class Division Head
Work – Worked full time during the summers and part time during the school year
Community Service – Youth Soccer Coaching Aid, Honolulu Marathon Water Station Support,
Beach Cleanups, Adopt-A-Road Cleanups, Homeless Shelter Dinner Service, Mentored
Students from Kaneohe Elementary School, Restored ancient fishpond, Landscaping work at a local kalo farm
Being a part of the Bulls has given me the opportunity to travel internationally (Denmark) and
throughout the U.S. (California, Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, etc).


How did you balance playing soccer, school and extracurricular activities?
To balance everything going on I had to make sure to manage my time accordingly. I also had to make sure I had my priorities set straight.

Did you work during high school?
I worked various on campus jobs during the school year, including the cafeteria, student monitor for the lower school students, and delivered packages throughout campus. I would work full time during the summers at some of these positions.

7)What was your process in applying to colleges? How many did you apply for? What were you looking for?
When choosing which colleges to apply to, I based my decision on location, academic rigor, and the opportunities offered through the school. I applied to 21 different schools-accepted into 16, waitlisted at 4, and rejected at 1.

How did you make your final decision?
It was a difficult decision, but in the end, I chose to attend Harvard University because of the opportunities and academic experiences offered. They have a tremendous support system there as well. Finances also played a very big part in my decision and the university had given me a very generous offering.

Are you going to play soccer? Collegiate or Intramural etc.
I am going to try to walk on to the soccer team. If I am unsuccessful in my attempts, I will continue to play soccer by joining the club team and also play intramural.

Any words of advice for our younger soccer players?
My advice for the younger soccer players is to work hard in all that you do. My friend told me once to “be relentless in your pursuit of what sets your heart on fire” and that has driven me to continue shooting for the stars and putting the utmost effort into everything I do.


Any words from mom and dad?
It has been such an honor and a privilege to be a part of the Bulls Ohana. Nowhere else can you find such supportive coaches, team managers, and parents. We believe it truly takes a village to raise a child and we thank everyone for being a part of Noa’s “village.”

Help Kaimana Newman collect soccer shoes for Haiti

My name is Kaimana Newman and I’m currently working on my Eagle Project for Troop 33 Boy Scouts in collaboration with GOALS Haiti, a non-profit organization that gives Haitian children the opportunity to play soccer.

The GOALS Haiti program provides soccer shoes, academic support and encourages youth to get involved with community service projects. 

The goal of my Eagle Project is to spread awareness about the current violent and unstable living conditions in Haiti and show support and bring hope to the children by collecting 100 pairs of new or gently used soccer shoes and new soccer socks. 

Details:
Kaimana’s Soccer Shoe Drive for GOALS Haiti
Saturday, August 21, 2021
8:30am – 1:30pm 
Manoa District Park (Upper Parking Lot-Manoa Road)

4 new Bulls players committed to college soccer programs

We are so excited to announce that 4 other players committed to top US soccer programs and will play college soccer starting this upcoming fall. This year, 11 Bulls players already committed to college soccer programs.

Lucas Shearer will join the Colonials of Robert Morris University, a D1 school in Pennsylvania.

I chose RMU because of the solid academic programs and the option to study away from home. The soccer team welcomed me into their family and everyone has a great relationship with one another which made my decision to attend very easy”.

The offensive midfielder will study science and will attend Robert Morris University this upcoming fall. 

Sheyliene Patolo will also play D1 soccer next year. However, she will find a much warmer weather down south in Texas. Shey will attend the University of Texas El Paso.

“I chose to go to University Of Texas, El Paso because I always wanted to go out of state and play at the D1 level. Also, many colleges don’t have a philosophy that plays possession but, at UTEP they work on actually working the ball up the field instead of blasting it. They need that attacking player that can just go to goal and score. I know playing with the Bulls helped me to become that player. I also want to further my education in Criminal Justice/ Criminology. I talked to some of my future teammates there at UTEP and some are pursing the same major as I am and same interest in careers. I want to play at the highest level and hope to play after college which UTEP can also provide for me, as many alumni has played pro after college and I hope to be one of them”.

Daniel Fujiwara, another senior, will pack his bag to Closer to home and will relocate to the west coast in the fall. He will attend California Lutheran University.

I chose Cal Lutheran obviously to continue playing soccer, but also because of the majors it offers. I really like the campus and the area that’s surrounds it” shared Daniel.

The winger will study either finance or accounting. 

Last but not least, Rayden Daijo will also fly to California this upcoming fall and will attend the University of San Francisco, another D1 program.

The left back, who started with Keiki Bulls, committed to USF earlier this month and is very excited about it: “ I chose the University of San Francisco for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost is because of their outstanding Coaching Staff with a proven track record. They believed in my abilities as a left back and their values aligned strongly with mines. In addition, they have an incredible business program with a large internship selection. And lastly the school is literally 15 blocks away from where my father grew up and I’ll have the ability to connect with family. I see an amazing future for myself at USF. Thank you so much to the Bulls Ohana/Coaches for over a decade of support. I would not be the player I am today without you.” 

We look forward to seeing all of them on the field defending their new colors. Good luck and congratulations!