We are so proud, but not surprised, with the news Kawika Shoji will be inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame along with his brother Erik. They will be the seventh and eighth volleyball players from Stanford to earn that honor. I read the announcement, then sat with it for a minute, because it’s one of those moments that makes you recalibrate how you think about someone you already know. Of course, I knew Kawika was an Olympian; I suppose it simply never truly registered how incredible a journey — and how high the mountain you need to climb — to be one.
Here’s the thing: I met Kawika when he made the decision to move home to Hawaii and, lucky for us, had chosen Regency for his next life chapter. What struck me from the start wasn’t a highlight reel. It was the way he showed up — present, competitive in the best sense, genuinely invested in doing right by the people he works with. That’s the Kawika I got to know first, and although there were many jokes about his general lack of office experience, there was never any doubt of the impact he would have.
It was only later that I pieced together the scope of what came before. At Stanford, from 2007 to 2010, he ran the offense as the Cardinal’s setter and helped turn a program around from a 3–25 record to a national championship in 2010 — a run capped off in front of a packed house at Maples Pavilion. That season he was named AVCA and Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Year and was co-MVP of the NCAA Tournament. Kawika picked up All-American honors three times over his career. He still sits second in Stanford history in career assists, with over 4,500.
And that was just the warmup for what came next. Kawika spent twelve years on the U.S. National Team, playing at two Olympic Games — Rio in 2016, where he won bronze, and Tokyo in 2021 as team captain. Along the way he won gold with Team USA at the 2014 FIVB World League and the 2015 FIVB World Cup, and built a professional career overseas that took him through Finland, Germany, Turkey, Russia, Italy, and Poland.
What I find genuinely great about this recognition isn’t just the résumé — it’s the timing, in a personal sense. I didn’t come to know Kawika through any of that. I came to know him after it, in the career he’s building next: as a financial advisor and portfolio manager. And what’s struck me most is that the same competitiveness and care he clearly brought to a volleyball court, he brings to this work — asking good questions, showing up prepared, treating client relationships like something worth being genuinely good at, not just professionally adequate at.
There’s a particular kind of privilege in getting to know someone that way — meeting the person before you meet the accomplishments. It means the respect you build isn’t borrowed from a highlight reel; it’s built from actually watching how someone operates. Learning about the Hall of Fame nod, the Olympic medals, the national championship — it didn’t change how I see Kawika. It just explained something I’d already noticed: that the drive and the care aren’t new. They just found a second home in a different vocation.
Congratulations to Kawika (and Erik) on a well-earned induction. It’s a great thing to see, and an even better thing to have seen the person first. Although, with him and Neil both being in their respective Hall of Fames, I do feel a bit underqualified to be a part of the team…if only my middle school dodgeball statistics were captured somewhere.
About the Author
Arthur J. Mallet is Regency Capital Management’s president and chief operating officer, directing the firm’s business functions and personnel.
