« Back
an organization that keeps local working families in Hawai‘i by creating cross-sector solutions and executing sustainable pathways to make sure they can afford to stay
His earliest inspiration for pursuing the law was the first political campaign he ever participated in
Wisch campaigned for Student Council on the platform that he would start a student-run committee to pass the tax levy necessary to fund his school district
After winning the student council election
Wisch got many fellow students involved who were interviewed by local papers and television
had a “Pass the Levy” float in the homecoming parade
and held a massive rally in the high school gym before the night of the election
This experience encouraged Wisch to explore other ways to make a difference with voting and policy
and he decided an in-depth knowledge of the law would be a critical step to a career tied to policy
Carnegie Mellon had a profound impact on instilling a dedicated and consistent work ethic in Wisch's goals and endeavors
got to study with amazing professors and was involved on campus in many ways such as resident life
Wisch learned not just how to keep his head above water
Wisch was committed to attending law school and forging a career tied to policy
He encountered his biggest law school challenge from the start: getting in
Wisch worked hard and was very engaged in his community
but he had never been outstanding at standardized tests
Despite graduating from Carnegie Mellon with high honors and two degrees in under four and a half years
most of the law schools to which he applied waitlisted him
Of the law schools he reached out to speak about this decision with
an incredible admissions counselor at Georgetown had the most productive 60-second conversation Wisch has ever had
She concisely told Wisch he would not get off the waitlist or get his application reconsidered
but if he went to another law school and finished in the top 5% of his class
“Prove to us that the LSAT was wrong,” she said
While he had been waitlisted at Georgetown
Wisch was accepted by the University of Pittsburgh
He had an amazing experience there but was committed to moving to DC to be with his girlfriend and fellow Carnegie Mellon graduate
applied and got into Georgetown for his remaining two years of law school
Wisch loved his experience at both law schools and really enjoyed the wide access to legal opportunities and level of student competition at Georgetown
It was shortly after law school that Wisch moved with Malia back to Hawai‘i
What has made Wisch’s career as a lawyer so exciting was realizing he does not have to have a normal career as a lawyer
yet being a lawyer has helped him at every stage
Wisch’s law degree opened up the possibility of engaging in a wide variety of opportunities
He has two decades of cross-sector professional experience in Hawai‘i working in government
Wisch has served as the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawai‘i
deputy director for the Hawai‘i Department of Taxation
district director for Congresswoman Mazie Hirono and special assistant to the Hawai‘i Attorney General
Wisch has also managed multiple Hawai‘i political campaigns
He is currently on the board of directors for the Hawai‘i Book and Music Festival
Temple Emanu-El and the Kūpa‘a Network.
Wisch's advice to CMU students considering pursuing the law is to first get some sense of what you might want to do with a career in law
His next piece of advice is that once you have done your research and established an interest
don't talk yourself out of a law degree just because you think lawyers only do one thing: there are so many ways to put a law degree to good use and it is useful in countless different careers Wisch’s career is a testament to the variety of work you can apply your law degree to
His last piece of advice is to not postpone where you want your career to go
Take the leap to move places and pursue opportunities that align with your long-term goals
We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file
If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money
Online streaming is available upon family\u0027s request held within our funeral home chapel
\u003ca href=\"/resources/webcast-viewing-instructions\"\u003eRead More\u003c/a\u003e
The family of Dorothy Weaver created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories
© 2025 Daley Murphy Wisch & Associates Funeral Home and Crematorium
Made with love by funeralOne
Johnson created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories