Mr. Ginoza has been a huge influence in my life for over 35 years. While I enjoyed his class and his homemade chocolate chip cookies in high school, I didn’t fully realize his impact until after high school. In college, chemistry was a lot easier for me due to his help in high school. This gave me the confidence to pursue chemistry where I eventually took over my father’s class (he was also a chemistry teacher, but at Baldwin High School).

Throughout my career, Mr. Ginoza has supported my professional growth. He got me involved in local science workshops, traveling to Wisconsin for a 3-week chemistry course, co-teaching AP classes, and persuading and helping me to work on getting board-certified (NBTC). His mentorship and friendship continued even after his retirement – he was like extended family to me.

In his early years of retirement, he continued to provide advice to my husband and me as our financial advisor. Later, even my son became a part of the next generation positively influenced by Mr. Ginoza! A true educator, Mr. Ginoza could not stay away from helping students and became a coach for Maui High School’s Science Bowl and Ocean Bowl Teams for many years. My son was fortunate to be a part of several teams, some of which became state champions and advanced to the national competitions!

Mr. Ginoza has the ability to relate with students no matter what age or generation. An example of this is my son, now 27 years old, who still keeps in touch with Mr. Ginoza, and always tries to find time for a round of golf with him whenever he is back on Maui. While this is how Mr. Edwin Ginoza has impacted my family and me, I know that many others can attest to his genuine desire to share his love of science and himself through his intelligence, generosity, and compassion. Several generations on Maui have been very fortunate to have had such an influential teacher make such a positive impact on their life.