Ava Sinacori | Head Photography Editor
March 5, 2021
For San Clemente residents, surfing is at the core of the community, and that is no different for senior Raiki Nishida. Having grown up by the beach, Raiki has remained dedicated to building his skill level in the water. Even through Covid, his passion for surfing provides an outlet to stay engaged with the community and has continued to be an impactful part of Nishida’s everyday life.
“Surfing to me now is an escape from the hardships of reality as well as a platform where I can show off my hard work,” senior Nishida said. “The tight-knit surfing community is the perfect way to form a lot of connections and make friends. (Theclickreader) ”
Nishida now spends most of his surfing days at T-Street, a popular San Clemente beach where local surfers go consistently. Although he concentrates a lot of his efforts to catching waves and improving his skills when at the beach, focusing on keeping the beaches clean is another important aspect of Nishida’s mindset.
“On campus I’ve joined and been a contributing member to clubs that encourage students and community members to keep our beaches clean, including the Blue Oceans club,” Nishida said. “I’m usually occupied with competitions and schoolwork, but I do my best to make time to participate in beach cleanups regularly.”
Although his future plans remain undecided at the moment, Nishida hopes to travel to a variety of different countries, soaking in all of the different cultures and a wider perspective of the world before hopefully attending a school by the beach.
Nishida continues to inspire young surfers to persevere and pursue their goals, and he strives to make an impact in and out of the water.
Awesome article, Aves! I hear a lot about Raiki, so it’s great to learn even more about him.