Andres Gonzalez, abaforlawstudents.com, March 08, 2019
Excerpt:
Brandon Marc Higa wears multiple hats in his community. In addition to attending the University of Hawaii at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law, Higa works full-time as director for Resource Development, is a model and actor, and plays the clarinet in the Royal Hawaiian Band—and in his free time, he is an avid swimmer.
Whether in his role as director, law student, or pursuing his love of the arts, Higa’s strong community involvement, both personally and professionally, has proven itself to advance the lives of others.
Higa decided to enroll in law school as he wanted to strengthen his advocacy skills and take advantage of this new knowledge to further his commitment to public service. Soon after finishing his 1L year, he was appointed by Hawaii’s governor, David Y. Ige, to serve a two-year term on the University of Hawaii Board of Regents. In his role as Student Regent, Higa advocated for the university’s over 50,000 students, while also holding a fiduciary duty to the institution as a $1 billion enterprise.
Prior to starting law school, Higa worked in the area of public diplomacy [JB emphasis] at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo, the National Diet of Japan, and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. When he started in his role as a grant writer, Higa brought a wealth of knowledge to the university system regarding best practices for developing sustainable partnerships and cross industry collaboration as well as a strong commitment to advancing research and innovation within the university and at the state level. …
Time management, attention to detail and having exceptional writing skills have all contributed to Higa’s success as a law student and beyond. But also important is to “stay close to your loved ones and trust that you will have the strength and support to take risks through this journey.” Through the difficult times, Higa always likes to remember that “there’s someone less fortunate” out there and that staying healthy and happy is crucial for his work to continue to touch the lives of others in a positive way.
In his own words, Higa’s is committed “to become a better advocate for the people I represent,” and his commitment to those individuals remains strong. After law school, he hopes to continue to support the university’s research and innovation efforts. He remains open to new challenges and opportunities that allow him to continue to grow his commitment to being a public servant.
