Author: Gavin Arucan

Lisa Kobuke

Professor Lisa Kobuke has been teaching Japanese for 16 years at KCC, although she began teaching at UH Mānoa. Professor Kobuke first got into teaching back when she attended UH Mānoa and was required to teach Japanese in order to earn a scholarship. Her mother, who came from Japan, taught Japanese as well, so that interested Professor Kobuke as well. She loved getting her first class, but she also remembers scripting her entire lectures the night before during her early semesters of teaching.

“I just love Japanese literature and I see so much that I want to share about Japanese culture. Language is just one avenue in which I can share that,” said Professor Kobuke. “It’s more of a package. You cannot separate language, culture, and history. Everything is together. It’s my mission to share that.”

Some of her favorite Japanese literature includes “The Tale of Heike” and “Hōjōki.”

Professor Kobuke loves the KCC community. “I feel a deeper connection with the students here,” said Professor Kobuke. “I love getting to know the students, getting to joke around in class, or finding out how you’re going to use the language you’re learning.”

Professor Kobuke currently resides in Kāneʻohe because she “has to see the Koʻolaus.” In her free time she likes to read or appreciate art in museums.

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Manny Batinga

Manny Batinga is in his second semester of college. At the age of 19, Manny is taking classes at two UH community colleges. While he is majoring in Fire at HCC, he is taking his Japanese language requirement at KCC with Kobuke sensei.

Manny wants to major in Fire because he “wants to become a firefighter and help other people.”

Manny graduated from President William McKinley High School in 2016 where he earned a scholarship from the McKinley Foundation that aided him in attending college. In his free time, Manny enjoys weightlifting and working on his car, a 1986 Toyota Corolla.

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If you could be fluent in another language besides English, what would it be?

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Voices & Views

  • Matthew YoshikawaMatthew Yoshikawa
    Matthew Yoshikawa is a 22-year-old student at both KCC and HCC. As a native of Hawaiʻi Kai, Yoshikawa is majoring in the Fire Program over at his home campus, HCC. As a fourth year student, Yoshikawa hopes to receive an associate degree from the Fire Program so that he can become a future firefighter, a job that he said he has always wanted to go into. Along with wanting to become a firefighter, Yoshikawa is also majoring in Botany here at KCC. "I took a couple of classes for Botany to see what it was like, and I liked it," he said. Yoshikawa's love for Botany stems from his likable and passionate instructor, Mike Ross.  As a 2015 high school graduate, Yoshikawa has interest in plants and loves to learn new facts about them. Along with looking forward to being a firefighter, Yoshikawa said that majoring in both a Fire Program and Botany is "a good mix."

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