Member Profiles
Na Koa Member Spotlight: Matt Sakakida
0184 days
The spotlight is on Matt Sakakida, possibly Na Koa’s youngest member.
Name/Hometown: Matt Sakakida, Aiea
Current City: Aiea
Company/Position: Aiea High School, Student, Junior.
Who is your role model and why? I’m too young to have a role model.
Name one thing you’re passionate about. Wrestling, it’s challenging and it pushes me to my physical limits
What is the most interesting place you’ve ever traveled to and what made it the most interesting?Alaska, I saw glaciers and snow for the first time.
One thing that most people don’t know about you. I really enjoy anything Disney.
How long have you been a UH football fan? When did you join Na Koa and why did you join? Why would you encourage a UH football fan to join Na Koa? 8 years, since the third grade. My father signed me up. Because Na Koa provides benefits to the players that protect them on the field and helps them with school.
Who is your all-time favorite University of Hawaii football player? Greg Salas.
What is your favorite memory of University of Hawaii Football? Watching them beat Boise State.
Na Koa Member Spotlight: Mei Ling Chun
0191 days
Name/Hometown: Mei Ling Chun
Current City: Honolulu,HI
Company/Position: Retired from Northern Arizona University; currently fun-employed.
Who is your role model and why? I’ve had many role models and mentors over the years. One of the first was Charles Campbell, the originator of political sign-waving inHawai’i, who hired me for a summer soliciting jobs for teens, and pairing the students with employers. I learned from Mr. Campbell to see the potential in people and situations, as well as gaining an appreciation for community service.
Name one thing you’re passionate about. Seeing students graduate from college.
What is the most interesting place you’ve ever traveled to and what made it the most interesting? Guangzhou,China. My paternal grandmother was raised there after being born here in Honolulu. Her father was very progressive and sent her to school at the (pre-Communist named)Chen Family Temple in Guangzhou. Armed with that education, she taught school until moving back to Hawai’i. It was nice to visit the origin of that educational “seed” in our family on a tour of China in 1993.
One thing that most people don’t know about you. I played Topsy in a production of “The King and I.” My son was involved in light opera productions when in high school, so I auditioned for a part in “The King and I” to make memories with him. I sang as one of the wives, and was Topsy in the “Small House of Uncle Thomas.”
When did you join Na Koa and why did you join? Why would you encourage a UH football fan to join Na Koa? I only started following the Warriors in 2007 from the mainland. I kept up with UH football through Stephen Tsai’s “Warrior Beat” blog. When I moved back to Honoluluto be closer to family in 2008, I became a season ticket-holding Tsaiko. I joined Na Koa in 2009 in order to support the student-athletes through summer school.
Who is your all-time favorite University of Hawaii football player? ‘Ikaika Mahoe, defensive lineman 2008-2010, from Moku o Keawe. I met ‘Ikaika when he was a Freshman at NAU and I was the Hawaiian club advisor. He transferred back to Hawai’i after a couple of years, and saw some playing time.
What is your favorite memory of University of Hawaii Football? On September 26, 1992, I was lucky enough to catch the UH-BYU game on TV! Standing in a dark living room in AZ, it was probably 1 a.m., and I was jumping up & down trying not to wake my husband and son who were asleep.
Na Koa Member Spotlight: Mike Biscotti
0198 days
Our member spotlight is on Mike Biscotti who played quarterback for the University of Hawaii from 1970 to 72 and is now a member of Na Koa’s board of directors.
Name/Hometown: Gardena, California
Current City: Ewa Beach, HI
Company/Position: Hoakalei Country Club/General Manager
Who is your role model and why? I have several people who I look up to and who have helped me develop personally and professionally, but Stan Smith, my high school coach at Gardena High is someone who means a lot to me. He was tough, demanding, fair, giving and very passionate about developing high school kids into young men. He taught me how to overcome adversity as well as how to compete and be a winner. He could have been a successful head coach at any college program in the country but he enjoyed being a high school coach and a very successful one.
Name one thing you’re passionate about. I am passionate about strengthening the relationship between all former UH football players, the football program and Na Koa. I believe keeping the former players connected to the program is the foundation for all highly successful Division I college football programs.
What is the most interesting place you’ve ever traveled to and what made it the most interesting? I am not a big traveler, but I would have to say the Grand Canyon inArizona. It is a sight that you cannot describe but have to see.
One thing that most people don’t know about you. The Pop Warner football team I played on when I was 10 years old raised money to travel to Hawaii to play. I remember saying to myself that it would be great to go to college at the University of Hawaiiand play football and that thought became a reality.
When did you join Na Koa and why did you join? I became a Na Koa member about two years ago because once I understood how important the money raised by Na Koa was needed to offset the financial needs of the program, it made it easy to write the check.
Why would you encourage a UH football fan to join Na Koa? The University and the State of Hawaiido not provide all the required funds to support all the financial needs of a major Division I football program. If the people of the state of Hawaii want the program to survive and be competitive, they to have financially support it at a much higher level.
Who is your all-time favorite University of Hawaii football player? As a former player I have several great teammates but the one that stands out is Jim Kalili. He played offensive guard and could have started for any college team in the country. He was a soft-spoken leader who led by example and with a lot of class and respected by all his teammates.
What is your favorite memory of University of Hawaii Football? I have several but there are two that top the list and a third that I am proud of. Having the opportunity to play against the National Champions, University of Nebraska in 1971 in Honolulu Stadium; and the other was playing against the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1972 in front of the 5th largest crowd in UT history at that time. The last thing is the three years I played quarterback for the University of Hawaii, our team record was 24-9.
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