Wheah you wen Grad?

That is the defining cultural question in Hawaii; "Wheah you wen Grad?" (Translation? "Would you mind telling me which High School you attended?") It matters not what you might have accomplished since high school, or what lofty heights you have attained... the defining question remains "Wheah you wen Grad?"

Senator Barak Obama is a presidential candidate who studied at Occidental College, Los Angeles, Calif., and Columbia University, New York City; studied law at Harvard University, where he became the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review, and received J.D. in 1992; lecturer on constitutional law, University of Chicago; member, Illinois State senate 1997-2004; elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 2004 -- but in Hawaii he will forevermore be "Punahou Grad Barry Obama." Harvard Law is a great accomplishment, but not as defining to local people in Hawaii as his high school, Punahou.

Punahou is the elite, private school of the wealthy and privileged. Kids who go to Punahou wear designer clothing and are dropped off in BMW's. Kids who go to public school wear clothing from ROSS and ride the bus. Punahou kids are "townies". Punahou kids are all on track to attend major universities, not community college. The Punahou label says more than quality education... it reflects socio-economic status and future expectations. 

When a local person in Hawaii asks "Wheah you wen Grad?" what they are really asking is:

In what community did you grow up?

Who was in your circle of friends?

Who might you be related to that I know?

Where do you fit in the social strata of Hawaii?

So, "Wheah you wen Grad?"