After twelve months of living in Kailua, Hawaii, Carlsbad local, junior Bethanie King, returned with a new perspective. King and her family moved to Hawaii for her Dad’s work with the NCIS, giving King a chance to complete her sophomore year of high school in the Aloha State.
For many students, moving to a new place happens once or twice. While King has moved five times, she says that Hawaii was the most exciting and influential.
“It was a lot of different people all coming together in class and sports,” King said. “It was really great to have a community where everyone was different.”
Outside of school, King participated in cheer, tennis and track. King explained how the environment made her feel welcome in her new home on Oahu.
“The school I went to was an outdoor school like CHS, but there would be chickens and other animals on the campus and you could see the mountains,” King said. “It was just such a great environment.”
Kalaheo High School had a sophomore class of about 240 and everyone knew their peers. The high school schedule ran from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, giving King plenty of time to experience Hawaii like a local.
“My favorite memories were all the beach days with my friends,” King said. “It’s a huge part of the culture in Hawaii, and I loved being a part of that.”
Engaging in local pastimes helped King adjust to Hawaiian culture. King believes that while not on a tropical island, the culture in Carlsbad is special in its own way.
“Here, in Carlsbad, I really love our school spirit and how we are so committed to our sports and our school,” King said. “Football games are also way more fun.”
While in Hawaii, cheer team tryouts for the 2025-2026 school year at CHS took place. Unable to try out in person, King did an online audition and earned herself a spot on JV Cheer.
“It was an online Zoom meeting, and my past coach from Frosh was the judge,” King said. “I had to do the fight song, dance and all of my jumps and tricks just in my house.”
Once back from Hawaii, King was reunited with all of her Carlsbad friends. However, she also had to leave her Hawaiian friends behind.
“It is always such a hard thing to leave your friends,” King said. “ It was probably harder to leave my friends here because I’ve known them for so long, but it was really hard to leave Hawaii as well.”
King remains in touch with all of her friends from Hawaii, and facetimes with them every week. Blending old and new, Carlsbad and Hawaii, King says that her experience has taught her lessons she will never forget.
“Living in Hawaii definitely changed my life by having to adjust to new cultures,” King said. “But, I also got to experience Hawaiian culture, and meeting all the people who live there at a young age was really impactful.”
