Changing the World, One Student at a Time

DR. BRANDY SATO ’97 ’02 KNOWS A THING OR TWO

ABOUT CATHOLIC SCHOOL. A KAILUA NATIVE, HER FAMILY HAS A LEGACY OF ATTENDING EITHER SACRED HEARTS

ACADEMY OR ST. LOUIS SCHOOL. SHE FOLLOWED SUIT, AND ATTENDED THE ALL-GIRLS SCHOOL THROUGH HIGH

SCHOOL BEFORE MAKING THE TREK ACROSS WAI'ALAE

AVENUE TO ATTEND CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY.

“The experience I had at Chaminade is one I want to duplicate for my students ... to make sure we continue to educate the whole child.”

“My family and I have a strong tradition of Catholic education,” says Sato. “I actually only attended Catholic schools until I was an adult in graduate school. Faith is really important to me, and continuing to learn in Catholic institutions has very much filled my heart, filled my soul, and fulfilled me spiritually.”

BRINGING THE FAITH ALIVE

Sato graduated from Chaminade in 1997 with a degree in business administration and historical and political studies, and immediately joined the financial services industry. But she recognized right away that it wasn’t the right fit. Throughout her entire educational career, Sato had been taught to serve—to give back to her community. The constant focus on money was new to her, and felt at odds with the values of service and faith that she had grown up with.

She wanted a career that offered fulfillment— something she could feel good about doing, and know she was having a lasting impact on the communities around her—a way to take her faith and put it into action by serving those around her. She began thinking back to her time teaching Sunday school when she was in high school, and she remembered the joy she felt when working with children.

Sato began talking to the director at St. Ann School in Kaneohe, and she soon landed her first teaching job in the three-year-old’s classroom. She loved it. Something clicked, and it felt so natural. So she went back to Chaminade University to get her Master of Education.

“Everyone has an opportunity to thrive and contribute to making this world a better place,” says Sato when asked what she loves about teaching. “That’s really what attracts me to

Pictured above: Dr. Brandy Sato '97, ME.D. '02

education. You can really make a difference and see that difference. You see that academic growth, and you see them mature as they get older.”

Not long after, she started to teach middle school and high school at her alma mater, Sacred Hearts Academy. Not only was it conveniently located across the street from her evening classes at Chaminade, but it was there where she really began to recognize and understand the impact that she could have as a teacher. She was able to help the older students hone in on their passions and interests and start to think about their futures in a way that would steer them for decades to come.

IT ALL COMES BACK TO THE VALUES

After graduating from Chaminade a second time, she left the world of Catholic education for the first time. She joined the faculty at Kamehameha Schools and pursued a Ph.D. from the University of Hawai'i in curriculum and instruction. But her time away from Catholic Schools never felt like too much of a change.

“In Catholic schools they talk about charisms, or gifts from the holy spirit,” explains Sato. “Those gifts are gifts that you can also find in other academic institutions or organizations that you work with. In every educational setting I’ve worked with, it’s about preparing kids to lead good, value-oriented lives, no matter what their background and where they come from.”

Ultimately, she saw a lot of similarities between her work at secular schools and her educational experiences.

“I truly believe that the ethics and values that are taught in secular schools are in alignment with our gospel values as well,” continues Sato. “For me, the venue is just an opportunity to serve, and making a connection between my faith and the values of the organization for which I work is something that is just very natural to me.”

After Kamehameha, she spent some time in Houston, Texas working as an assistant superintendent of curriculum and assessment at the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

“We had 60 elementary schools and high schools and over 1,000 teachers and 50 elementary principals that I worked closely with,” recalls Sato. “It was great because I got to work with so many educators from all walks of life—there was such great diversity, each school had its own unique charism.”

But she’s a Kailua girl at heart, and her island home called to her. When the role of vice principal at Sacred Hearts Academy opened up, she jumped at the chance to come home— both to her island and her school.

In June of 2020, Sato assumed the role of secondary school principal at Island Pacific Academy. Naturally, she was attracted to the school’s focus on values. She sees a strong connection between the values that guide Island Pacific—humility, love, respect, generosity and gratitude—with those that she was taught at Sacred Hearts Academy and Chaminade University.

“At Island Pacific, we have certain values that we live by and that we teach our children,” says Sato. “Those values are very easy for me to promote because they align with my Catholic faith.”

For example, Island Pacific places an emphasis on service and it is a requirement that their students serve in their homes, in their schools and in their communities. Service is also a charism within many Catholic schools, including Chaminade.

LEADING WITH FAITH

While she learns to navigate her new institution and lead the school through the novel coronavirus pandemic, she finds herself regularly drawing upon her faith.

“Faith is a benchmark and the foundation upon which we need to stand during this current health pandemic,” says Sato. “The gospels that were instilled in me throughout my education are really a good compass for how to thrive during these challenging times.”

Her time at Chaminade has also helped set a precedent for what she hopes to achieve at Island Pacific. Because Chaminade is a small school, it allowed her to learn in a way that best met her needs. It helped her understand the importance of personalized learning—something she’s really taking to heart as Island Pacific works to refine its distance learning program.

“During this pandemic, as we look to different ways of instruction, I think a lot about my personalized experience at Chaminade,” says Sato. “It has helped me make sure that we are really connecting with our students, that we know them well enough to continue to educate them in a way that helps them explore their passions.”

Chaminade also offers Sato an example of what it means to provide a well-rounded education. “Academics were very important at Chaminade, but so were social opportunities, particularly those that helped me explore my faith,” says Sato. “The experience I had at Chaminade is one I want to duplicate for my students here at Island Pacific, to make sure we continue to educate the whole child.”

Despite the challenges that this new learning style and the unpredictable virus brings, Sato is excited for this school year. She sees the challenges as an opportunity for growth and creativity.

“We’re in a time that has been disrupted by our current health pandemic,” says Sato. “Our traditional ways of delivering education have greatly changed. But through disruption comes innovation. This is our chance to be creative, and ensure our students will be well equipped to become caring and contributing citizens in our ever-changing world.”

Ultimately, for Sato, that’s her life’s mission—to build a new generation of individuals who strive to give back to their communities. Being an educator is the most powerful way for Sato to give back. By inspiring and motivating children, and helping them to reach their dreams and explore their passions, Sato believes she can change the world.

“I really want to leave the world in a better place when I’m gone,” says Sato. She pauses for a while, reflecting on her legacy and the meaning behind decades of hard work. “I see that my vocation in life is to inspire and motivate, to provide multiple opportunities for children to reach their dreams and explore their passions, and to help them to have lifelong careers and interests that will make the world a better place.”