Landon Choy is a senior at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama who entered the International Spellman Clean Tech Competition with his “Harnessing the Energy in Waves to Generate Electricity” project.  

Choy’s “Team Island Energy” was selected as one of eleven finalists worldwide in this competition and was also awarded the Hawaii Stockholm Junior Water Prize Winner with his project. 

Choy’s project stemmed from his passion for climate change and clean energy. Instead of centering his project on the common solar power or wind power, he decided to utilize one of Hawaiʻi’s natural resources: waves. With the help of his kumu, Choy’s vision was able to come to life. 

Financial barriers played a major roadblock in Choy’s project. His compromise: use simple household materials (i.e. fishing line, bubble wrap, rubber bands, etc.). Choy says that he was able to overcome the challenge of financial barriers by “learning to settle for what [he has].” The materials Choy used were simple, but materials were nothing without a brilliant design, and the “design is what made [the project] great,” Choy added. 

Choy plans to continue his passion for engineering in college, where he hopes to attend Stanford. With his accomplishments, Landon Choy hopes he can be a role model for other students to reach their goals.