Having not traveled east of California until 3 days before the start of his freshman year, Derek decided to attend Boston University hoping to experience something entirely different from his island upbringing. A graduate of Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, Derek never made his high school’s varsity team and tried out for the club volleyball team with little expectation. He then went on to start all 4 years as an Outside Hitter, making the NECVL All-Conference team in 2004. After graduating, he and fellow former club player, David Dantes (CAS ’07), coached the BU Women’s Club Volleyball team for the 2006-2007 season and helped lead them to an NWVCL title and a national ranking as high as 11.
After playing and coaching at BU, Derek began his career as a High School English teacher and volleyball coach with stints at his alma mater, Punahou, Campbell Hall (Studio City, CA), and most recently at Milton Academy (Milton, MA). He and his family will begin teaching, coaching and boarding at Taft School (Watertown, CT) in the fall of 2016.
