Makani Freitas
Office of Admission

Makani Freitas has been working in the Office of Admission at Smith College for 12 years.  Originally from Hawaii, he has been living in the Valley since 1993.  Makani’s two favorite things about his work in the Office of Admission is the opportunity it provides for him to interact with prospective students and their parents at such a crucial and exciting point in their lives and the view from his cubicle window, which has inspired some of his photography.

Outside of his work at Smith, Makani is a certified “movement meditation teacher.” He has had a regular practice of Qigong and Tai Chi for 20+ years and has been teaching classes since 2003.  Makani has a close connection with the monks at the New England Peace Pagoda and is one of a few people who make origami paper cranes for them.  Since 2011 Makani and the other volunteers have made 15,000 cranes.  Throughout the year the monks do local Peace Walks as well as travel to various places spreading Peace and Healing with their main purpose to encourage the closure of Nuclear plants.  You’ll find the origami cranes in the Temple at the pagoda for guests to take and some have traveled with the Monks on their Peace Walks.

Makani considers himself to be an “extremely amateur” photographer. His photography falls under the categories of “being in the right place at the right time” and “seeing something beautiful when others may not notice.”  He has taken many photos on Smith campus, including those he has shared here. 

Makani Freitas lighting tea lights.