Aikawa receives Golden Key

Whether running lines or hitting the books, local tennis star Kana Aikawa is always making headlines, and her parade of praise continued earlier this month when she was inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society.

According to the society’s website, Golden Key is an academic honor society which recognizes and encourages scholastic achievement and excellence among college and university students from all academic disciplines.

Additionally, Golden Key awards its members over $400,000 annually through a number of scholarship and award program, but that’s not all. One of the biggest advantages of membership is the connection to exclusive career opportunities and assistance through its partnerships with major corporations and graduate programs.

Aikawa was proudly inducted into the society on Sunday, Nov. 5, but the local netter said that she wasn’t exactly sure what to make of the invitation when she received it and actually thought it was some sort of mailing scam.

After receiving numerous letters from Golden Key, Aikawa decided to speak with her campus advisor about it, and that’s where she learned about the honor being bestowed upon her.

“Honestly when I first received the letter, I didn’t think anything of it since I had never even heard of the Golden Key but when I went to the induction ceremony and found out what it was about and met with some of the members, I realized it was a privilege that I got invited to be a part of it. And it’s a lifetime membership so it really is an honor. Being a member will definitely help me build a network with people and companies and hopefully help me get a job in the future,” she said.

The award would not have been possible were it not for Aikawa’s intense work ethic that she uses to tackle opponents and textbooks. One of the reasons for Aikawa’s success is her ability to prioritize her schedule, and the University of Hawaii-Manoa provides her with the tools to get the job done both on and off the court.

“I plan out my days and make sure I do whatever needs to get done. The Student-Athlete Planner that we get every year definitely keeps me on track. I try not to waste any time. I pretty much just train, study, eat and sleep. I’ll try and fit surfing in there whenever I can. I’m doing what I love to do everyday so I really have no complaints,” she said.
Rather than wait until her training and class schedule are through to get her studies done, Aikawa said that she jumps at the opportunity to hit the books early in the day, which allows her to rest after evening practice.

“It helps that we have to get up super early for training because we get a few hours of free time before our classes. We finish lifting at around 7:30am and my first class isn’t till 10:30am so I try to get as much done then because I’m pretty exhausted by the time I get home from practice,” she said.