Gwen Battad Ishikawa
Gwen Battad Ishikawa is the Managing Editor of The Hawai‘i Herald, a semimonthly publication that covers Hawai‘is Japanese American community. As a second-generation Filipina, her goal is to make her Filipino-Japanese-Okinawan son aware of his ethnic heritage and to instill in him the plantation work ethic taught to her by her grandparents. She continues her interest in dancing hula and still strives to become a bon dance aficionado.
Updated May 2014
Stories from This Author
Cherry Blossom Festival Queen Melanie Carrié: 66th CBF Queen Brings an International Perspective to Her New Role
April 25, 2018 • Gwen Battad Ishikawa
Melanie Camille Michiko Carrié, the newly crowned Cherry Blossom Festival queen, has lived in places others have only dreamed of — and in less than a quarter of a century! Carrié was born in Antwerp, Belgium, to her Japanese American mother from Pearl City, Denyse Inouye Carrié, and her French father, Michel Carrié. Her father’s work as a chemical engineer took the family, which includes her younger siblings — sister Nadia and brother Matthew — to locations such as Beijing; …
A New Home For Japan’s Cherry Blossom Trees In Hawaii?
May 13, 2015 • Gwen Battad Ishikawa
Japanese Botanist Sees Potential in the Islands I stare out at the cherry blossomsIn marvel and joy I watch them bloomThen they burst out with their efflorescesAs though awaking from mother nature’s womb,And there I watch awestruck and in wonderAs though GOD splashed paint upon each branchThrough beauty, and only for beauty I cry a tearAs the blossoms explode in a pink and red avalanche. No more beauty and wonder could one man ever seeThan watching the cherry blossoms upon …
Moriso Teraoka - Nisei Veteran’s “What If?” Attitude Brings Joy to Kapi‘olani Community College
July 23, 2013 • Gwen Battad Ishikawa
Frequent visitors to Kapi‘olani Community College have probably seen the expansive garden of giant succulents growing along the front walkway of the main Diamond Head Road parking lot. Further up, fronting the ‘Ilima Building, are an herb garden and a relatively new addition to the campus, the “Po-e-tree.” Benches placed nearby make these gardens peaceful rest stops for students and the community alike. The person most responsible for these gifts is 88-year-old Moriso Teraoka, a 100th Infantry Battalion veteran and …
