Throughout his long recovery, as the stab wounds turned to scar tissue and his broken neck began to heal, Nicholas Iwamoto found inspiration in the kindness of strangers. Letters, email, hugs.
But today the roles are reversed: Tom Apple, chancellor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, was so moved by Iwamoto’s story — detailed in a Star-Advertiser article Aug. 21 — that he gave him a four-year scholarship.
The Chancellor’s Scholarship is worth $4,000 per semester and available for up to four years, according to an email Iwamoto received from Alan Yang, director of admissions at the Manoa campus and associate vice chancellor for students and enrollment management.
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"Your courage and persistence in ‘reclaiming your life’ is something to be celebrated and recognized," Yang told Iwamoto.
Iwamoto, 26, couldn’t believe it.
"I was shocked," he said. "And then I was just grateful. This is what we have been praying for. My mom cried a lot."
Iwamoto was the victim of a vicious attack Feb. 1, 2009, at the summit of Koko Crater. He was stabbed 18 times by Benjamin Davis, who then threw him from the rim of the crater and into a ravine 30 feet below. Iwamoto broke his neck in the fall and fractured his skull.
His recovery has been marked with pain, setbacks and bad luck. He has been in two separate automobile accidents that whipped his neck around like a rag doll. His mother, Kitty, who became his caregiver, went through her retirement savings. Going to college was financially impossible.
But his attacker, acquitted of attempted murder by reason of insanity, has been in the custody of the Hawaii State Hospital for a course of treatment that includes classes at nearby Windward Community College, part of the UH system.
"That irony was not lost on us here in the Chancellor’s Office, and that was part of our decision," Yang told the Star-Advertiser. "I think there were a number of things that struck us. One was just what he went through and the incredible events after, events one on top of the other that almost approached a level of disbelief."
Apple hopes Iwamoto will share his story with students, Yang said.
Iwamoto, who wants to be a history teacher and could begin classes as early as the spring semester, is more than willing to share what he has learned. His post office box and his email in-box have been filled with expressions of support since the article came out, and Iwamoto said he wants to return the expressions of hope.
"I look forward to the opportunity to speak in front of students and their parents or in front of Aloha Stadium," he said. "I love to talk. If people listen, even better. And if I can send a positive message, that’s amazing."
