Pacifica Stories

Timo Sumida, ’12
Timo attended Pacifica all four years and was a member of the graduating class of 2012. At Pacifica, he participated in soccer and track, and the arts.  Track became his main sport under the tutelage of Coaches Shaw and Lane. In his senior year, he was selected by the faculty to receive the Ryan Faculty Award given to the senior boy who best exemplified perseverance in overcoming personal adversity during his high school journey.

Timo attended Vanguard University in Costa Mesa where he participated in music and sports while studying Kinesiology and working part-time. In his freshman year, he auditioned and was selected by the music department to play acoustic guitar for the prestigious Vanguard Singers and Band ensemble that performed around the country, and during the summers toured other countries including China, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Germany.  He also performed as a member of worship praise bands at various churches around So Cal. In collegiate sports, Timo competed on the D-III track and field team as a sprinter. He graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology.

Since college graduation, he has pursued a career as a professional photographer, while working full time as a Specialist at the Apple Store in Manhattan Beach. He also has worked as an athletic trainer at Pacifica for the track and field team from time to time. 

Andrew Sumida, ’14
Andrew attended Pacifica all four years and was a member of the graduating class of 2014. He was an active member of the track and field team, and participated in the chapel music group as a guitarist. During his senior year, a United States Navy representative came to Pacifica to publicly present Andrew's acceptance letter to the United States Naval Academy (USNA) located in Annapolis, MD. Later he was selected by the faculty to receive the Hammer Award given to the senior boy who best exemplified what it means to be a Pacifician during his high school journey. He received the Salutatorian Award along with several other seniors for the second highest GPA in the graduating class.

Andrew reported to the USNA in July 2014 to begin his training as a midshipman. While at the academy, he was actively involved in The Navigators, an on-campus Christian Fellowship, and he continued to help play guitar on the worship team. He studied Electrical Engineering and participated in intramural dodge ball and soccer. Additionally, he was afforded the opportunity to participate in various military training courses, including the Army Airborne School in Fort Benning, GA, where he earned his parachutist badge (also known as Jump Wings). He graduated in May 2018 with a Bachelor's degree in EE, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.

Andrew is now serving as a Field Artillery Officer at 1st Battalion, 12th Marines, located at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. He is married to Cara, who is currently serving as a Submarine Officer in the United States Navy at Pearl Harbor. They have a baby girl, Kalea, who was born in April 2022.

Michael Sumida, ’18
Michael attended Pacifica all four years and was a member of the graduating class of 2018. He was an active member of both the soccer team as well as the track and field team. In his senior year, he was awarded the Most Valuable Player award by his soccer coach. During that same year, his uncle (retired USAF Colonel Ken Hasegawa) recognized Michael in a special student assembly for his acceptance to the US Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) in New London, CT. Later, he was selected by the faculty to receive the Leadership Award given to the senior boy who best exemplified leadership and initiative during his high school journey. 

Michael reported to the USCGA in July 2018 to begin his training as a USCGA cadet. He studied engineering, and played winger on the Rugby club team.  During the summers, he participated in various Coast Guard training exercises including a cruise on the USCG Cutter Barque Eagle (nicknamed “America's Tall Ship”, a three-masted training vessel for the USCGA) which sailed around Europe and then across the Atlantic with island stops in the Azores and Bermuda. During his college senior year, he passed the national Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam which is the first of two exams that engineers must pass in order to be licensed as a Professional Engineer (PE) in the United States. He graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, and was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Coast Guard. His older brother USMC LT Andrew participated in the commissioning ceremony presided over by US Vice President Kamala Harris. 

He is currently stationed at the US Coast Guard Base in Alameda, along with several of his USCGA buddies. He serves as a deck watch officer on a national security cutter that patrols the Pacific Ocean.