{"id":26061,"date":"2026-10-14T14:08:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T00:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/?p=26061"},"modified":"2026-10-14T16:53:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T02:53:10","slug":"22026-alumni-spotlight-sydney-patanapaiboon-james-campbell-high","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/22026-alumni-spotlight-sydney-patanapaiboon-james-campbell-high\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Spotlight: Sydney Patanapaiboon (James Campbell High)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sydney Patanapaiboon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Occupation: <\/strong>Carpenter
College:<\/strong> Leeward Community College, <\/strong>University of Hawai\u2018i at West O\u2018ahu
What school you grad?<\/strong> James Campbell High \u201822
Location:<\/strong> \u2018Ewa Beach, HI<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by home improvement shows on HGTV, Sydney Patanapaiboon discovered her interest in carpentry during a woodshop class in her junior year at James Campbell High School. After graduation, she completed a six-week Hawai\u02bbi Carpenters Union summer internship and entered its apprenticeship program, which she is now close to completing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through Campbell\u2019s Early College program, Patanapaiboon earned her associate degree in liberal arts from Leeward Community College in 2024, followed about a year later by a bachelor\u2019s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Hawai\u02bbi at West O\u02bbahu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany local families, including mine, face challenges and I know how difficult it can be for young people to envision a future here. However, the (carpenters) apprenticeship program has shown me there are rewarding careers available that allow us to build meaningful lives without leaving the island communities we love,\u201d she wrote in a July 2026 editorial for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patanapaiboon attended Holomua Elementary, \u02bbIlima Intermediate and James Campbell High, where she helped lead the Sabers to its first O\u02bbahu Interscholastic Association Division I girls basketball championship in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What was your journey like after high school?<\/strong>
A: <\/strong>After high school, I did a summer internship with the Hawai\u2018i Carpenters Apprenticeship Training & Fund. After six weeks on a construction site, I decided to pursue this as a career and join the Carpenters Union. Nearly four years later, I am a couple months away from completing the program and becoming a journeyman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What are you up to these days?<\/strong>
\u4e00\u500b<\/strong>: These days, I\u2019ve been working a lot and staying focused on building my career. I\u2019ve also been putting more time into building my social media presence<\/a> because I feel like more people need to hear about the great opportunities available in the trades, along with the importance of financial education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of my professional endeavors, I\u2019ve continued coaching basketball at the club I formerly played for. I\u2019ll also be starting a new season with Kamehameha Schools, where I\u2019ll be assisting with the girls\u2019 junior varsity team. Coaching has become something I really enjoy because it gives me an opportunity to give back, share what I\u2019ve learned and hopefully have a positive impact on the next generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Why did you choose this career path and what do you enjoy most about it?<\/strong>
A: <\/strong>I chose this path because carpentry was interesting to me and aligned with my wants and needs. What I enjoy most is the constant challenge the job provides on a daily basis. If it\u2019s not physical, then it\u2019s mental, and I enjoy having to think on my feet and solve problems. I really love the fast-paced nature of the trade because every day brings something different and gives me another opportunity to learn and improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Favorite subject in school?<\/strong>
A:<\/strong> My favorite subject in school was math, and I think that\u2019s one of the reasons construction has been such a good fit for me. We use a lot of math in the trades, whether it\u2019s measuring, calculating angles, reading plans, or making sure everything comes together correctly. I\u2019ve always enjoyed the problem-solving side of math, so being able to apply those skills in a hands-on environment makes construction even more enjoyable for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What type of extracurricular activities were you involved in?<\/strong>
A:<\/strong> I played basketball for Campbell High and also played for a club called Westside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What was your favorite school lunch or breakfast?<\/strong>
\u4e00\u500b<\/strong>: I really liked the pizza pockets the school would make. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What makes you #PublicSchoolProud?<\/strong>
A: <\/strong>I’m #publicschoolproud because the academic, athletic and personal growth opportunities public school gave me prepared me for life after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think oftentimes when we’re young, we believe that life finally starts after we graduate. I didn’t see it that way. Once I got to high school, I was already thinking about what I wanted to do after graduation and what I needed to accomplish over the next four years to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public school gave me a head start toward earning my college degree by offering Early College courses and Advanced Placement. My teachers and counselors were more than educators to me; they were people who helped guide me. They encouraged my curiosity, challenged me to think differently, and helped me navigate the decisions I needed to make to reach my goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My woodshop teacher, Mr. David Perreira, opened the door to a career that has allowed me to build a great living for myself. My counselors helped prepare me for college by making sure I had the right classes and foundation to succeed. My high school coach, Coach Brian Ka\u2018a\u2018a, helped me develop mental toughness, discipline and the soft skills that have continued to serve me well into adulthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, I don’t think we always realize the impact teachers, coaches, counselors, and staff have on our lives while we’re still in school. Sometimes, it takes leaving those halls and looking back to understand how much they really gave us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m proud of where I came from because I know I didn’t get here by myself. I put in the work, but I was also fortunate to have people who were willing to invest their time, knowledge, and energy into me. They saw potential in me, gave me opportunities, and helped point me in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those opportunities didn’t guarantee my success, but they gave me a foundation to build on. And I’m grateful for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s why I’m #publicschoolproud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Name of a teacher or mentor you\u2019d like to thank?<\/strong>
A: <\/strong>I want to thank my woodshop teacher, Mr. David Perreira. At the time, I don’t think I fully understood how much of an impact he would have on my life. He introduced me to a trade that eventually became a career and allowed me to build a great living for myself. More than teaching me skills in the shop, he gave me an opportunity to discover something I genuinely enjoyed and could build a future around. I’m incredibly grateful that he took the time to teach me and open that door. I wouldn’t be on the path I’m on today without that opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What advice do you have for students?<\/strong>
A:<\/strong> My biggest piece of advice to high school students is simple: Don\u2019t wait until the opportunity arrives to start preparing for it. Start preparing now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take advantage of every program, class, activity and opportunity your school has to offer. You never know which experience, skill, or connection will end up making a difference later in life. More importantly, surround yourself with the right people, people who encourage you, challenge you, and want to see you succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to have everything figured out while you\u2019re in high school. But you should be putting yourself in a position where, when an opportunity does come your way, you\u2019re ready to take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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Apprentice carpenter Sydney Patanapaiboon installs fascia along a roof hip. She pre-sets the nails before positioning the board, allowing her to secure each nail into the rafter tails with a single hammer strike. Photo courtesy: Sydney Patanapaiboon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sydney Patanapaiboon Occupation: CarpenterCollege: Leeward Community College, University of Hawai\u2018i at West O\u2018ahuWhat school you grad? James Campbell High \u201822Location: \u2018Ewa Beach, HI Inspired by home improvement shows on HGTV, Sydney Patanapaiboon discovered her interest in carpentry during a woodshop class in her junior year at James Campbell High School. After graduation, she completed a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":26094,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"856,893,1022,1619,1622,1623","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","wp_popup_display_lightbox":0,"wp_popup_suppress":"","wp_popup_trigger":"","wp_popup_trigger_amount":0,"wp_popup_disable_on_mobile":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59,22,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-spotlight","category-hoohaaheo","category-news"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":59,"label":"Alumni Spotlight"},{"value":22,"label":"Ho\u2018oha\u2018aheo"},{"value":21,"label":"News"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sydney-STEAM-1024x512.jpg",1024,512,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Kim Yuen","author_link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/author\/kimberly-yuenk12-hi-us\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":59,"name":"Alumni Spotlight","slug":"alumni-spotlight","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":59,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":22,"count":24,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":59,"category_count":24,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Alumni Spotlight","category_nicename":"alumni-spotlight","category_parent":22},{"term_id":22,"name":"Ho\u2018oha\u2018aheo","slug":"hoohaaheo","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":22,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":94,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":22,"category_count":94,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Ho\u2018oha\u2018aheo","category_nicename":"hoohaaheo","category_parent":0},{"term_id":21,"name":"News","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":21,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":377,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":21,"category_count":377,"category_description":"","cat_name":"News","category_nicename":"news","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-10-21 22:38:00","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"post_status","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/zh_tw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}