A CRASHING SUCCESS!

November 23, 2013 · with Shunichirou Kusume

 
Shunichirou (Shun) Kusume, one of our Japanese tour guides, has tried many times to learn how to handle the large canoes at the Polynesian Cultural Center—with limited success. Still, when we needed extra help running canoe tours today, Shun came running.
 
He didn’t let his inability to do something perfectly stop him. He put his best foot forward, gave it all he had, and tried his hardest.
 
And yes… he fell off the canoe and into the lagoon—twice.
And yes… he crashed the canoe several times.
 
At one point, I steered my canoe past him as he paddled in the opposite direction, right after another crash. The passengers in my canoe pointed, laughed, and snickered.
 
I smiled and calmly explained that Shun is an exchange student from Japan—someone who attends college classes in the morning, then works hard here at the Polynesian Cultural Center in the afternoon, sharing Polynesian cultures with visitors from around the world so he can earn his way through school.
 
I told them how proud I was of him: a young man doing his very best in a foreign country—learning a new language, developing new skills, embracing new ways of life, serving others, and doing it all with a big smile on his face. I told them I wished we had more employees like Shun.
 
The laughter faded.
The snickering stopped.
 
And then something beautiful happened.
 
Everyone turned toward Shun and gave him a big, heartfelt round of applause.
 
It made me proud to be associated with this special place—one that has seen tens of thousands of students come in and out of its doors, working various jobs throughout the center while earning a higher education. Since 1963, the Polynesian Cultural Center has helped generations of students like Shun earn their degrees and return home better prepared to uplift their homelands.
 
I’m proud of these students. And I’m proud to have been one of them.
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Picture of Jimmy Mapu - The Governor

Jimmy Mapu - The Governor

Jimmy Mapu is the beloved Governor of the Polynesian Cultural Center, a title earned through decades of dedicated service and genuine care for people. He currently serves as Director of Guest Services, where he provides steady leadership and mentorship to the Center’s tour guides and frontline employees who bring Polynesian culture to life each day.

Known for his warmth, humor, and gift for storytelling, Jimmy’s reflections speak not only to guests but especially to the employees he leads—capturing the heart, history, and values that define the Polynesian Cultural Center.