Kaiser's Bradley Wood poses with Gwen Miyasato — HMSA’s executive vice president, chief internal operations officer, and chief of staff — at the 2018 HMSA Kaimana Awards Luncheon. Michael Lasquero | SL

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Bradley Wood need not look very far for inspiration.

The four-sport athlete and recent Kaiser High School graduate finds all the motivation he needs in his mother Jessica, and if Bradley's accomplishments are any indication, she is quite the muse.

Bradley Wood participated in football, basketball, baseball and track and field in high school, was involved in numerous other extracurricular activities and completed the rigorous coursework required for the prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma.

Oh, and he graduated with a 5.0 cumulative grade point average.

How, one might wonder, did Wood find the time to juggle such a heavy course load?

"I learned very good time management and knowing what to prioritize was a big deal," said Wood, who was one of 16 recent high school graduates recognized as recipients of a $5,000 HMSA Kaimana Scholarship at a luncheon at the Hawaii Convention Center on June 9.

Wood explained that the IB program went beyond just taking tough classes.

"It's a very rigorous. It's actually one of the most rigorous college preparatory programs and it really helped me develop my complex critical thinking skills and writing skills," he said. "I really enjoyed the program because it forces you to become well-rounded and well-balanced because there's mandatory community service, there's a college-level paper you have to write and then the courses are difficult themselves, so you have all those and then if you want to play sports or work, you have to be able to balance everything, so that was big for me to learn how to manage my time."

It's a lesson that Wood learned first-hand, thanks to his mom.

"My mom was a huge help. She's been a huge help my whole life," he said. "She works so many jobs and she helps me with schoolwork sometimes when I need it and she's just always there to support me."

Jessica Wood went from a stay-at-home mom to earning a master's degree in psychology and working numerous jobs to support Bradley and his younger brother Caleb.

"That just meant such a huge deal to me and instilled in me the work ethic to know that no matter what, if I put my mind to it, I can get it done and that there's a lot of challenges in life, but you can overcome them with the right mindset. That's the main thing she taught me," Bradley said. "We have a great relationship and she means the world to me."

Jessica's sacrifice put into Bradley's head the importance of a quality education.

"As a stay-at-home mom, it's so hard to provide for your children without work or education and a lot of moms out there have a hard time because they feel like they can't spend that time toward their education because they have to care for their children, but getting that education is what really allows so many opportunities to open up and I saw that. I saw how many opportunities it brings and just how much more you can do with that education and in turn, provide for your family," he said.

With such a strenuous academic schedule, sports provided Wood with an outlet for fun and games.

"It's definitely my fun time, my time to relax and decompress," said Wood, who recalled watching his first full football game at three or four years old.

"I've liked sports my whole life and I've always been into a wide variety of sports. My family actually moved to Germany when I was in the first or second grade and I got into soccer there because it's a huge deal and then I came back to the States and everyone plays like football, basketball, so I got into that," Wood said. "It was just always super fun to play sports and release the energy and have that team bonding, which has allowed me to make relationships with people."

It wasn't always fun and games, however. Wood served as a captain on the Cougars' football team last season, which didn't exactly go as planned.

Kaiser played a modified schedule due to a shortage of players and forfeited six of its seven planned games. The lone game it did play resulted in a 71-0 loss. Whatsmore, an off-the-field incident led to the resignation of its head coach.

It was a tumultuous season to say the least, but Wood did his best to keep the team together through all the chaos.

"I tried to be a leader whenever I could and just leave a good impact — sometimes more with my actions than my words — and just hold myself with a standard where I don't get down on people, don't become sour from the situation and just keep everything in perspective," he said.

Wood admitted it was a disappointing season, but he was able to see through the shortcomings and value the virtue of perseverance.

"It taught me that it doesn't matter sometimes what happens, per se, it's more about our attitudes and our character; that's what's going to leave a lasting impact and we need to value that above all else, because not everything is going to go right for us all the time," Wood said. "It's all about how we take a situation and what we take from it and learn from it. This season ended very unfortunately, but if we were to hang our heads, it would have left a bad impression on our community and it's just all about keeping your head high and making a good impression."

Wood kept things in perspective by keeping busy off the gridiron. He was involved in the Key Club and participated in youth mentorship and also spent time volunteering with a homeless outreach.

"We were put on this planet to make it a better place, I feel like, and the homeless, they don't have the opportunities as us sometimes and I feel like by giving back to them, it means just as much as giving back to people who have all these wonderful things in their lives," Wood said.

Wood will attend Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he plans to study criminal psychology.

For more information on the HMSA Kaimana Awards and Scholarship Program and bios of this year's winners, visit the HMSA website.