From Student to Principal: Michael Mukai Comes Full Circle as New Leader of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

When Michael Mukai, the new principal of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), first walked the halls as a student in the inaugural class, he had a sense he was part of something very special.

On the cusp of the computer revolution in 1985, the world was changing at a fast pace and teenage Mukai wanted to be at the forefront.

Back then, he recalls his parents having to be convinced that the experimental magnet STEM school had a future — the principal assured them it would be open for “at least four years.”

“It was an amazing time, we were at a tipping point for the computer age,” recalled Mukai. “We knew computers would be important but we didn't know how it would affect us and our society.”

“Being part of that lead class meant we could experiment with something different. The teachers and the staff were amazing because they were ready and prepared to help support us and give us every opportunity.”

He added, “I remember what it was like to sit together as a class, to take a risk, to put ourselves out there and have that opportunity to do something new. At 14 to 18 years old, we were trying to find ourselves while also being on the edge of a new frontier. It was a wonderful experience.”

In January, Mukai will bid farewell to West Springfield High School, where he has served as principal for 10 years, and return to lead his alma mater with a vision for the school that prepares students for a future yet to be imagined.

Just as 40 years ago, the former math and science teacher recognized that we are living through another tipping point in the age of information with the promise of artificial intelligence. He wants to make sure the students who come before him can push boundaries and innovate in the way he was able to.

“I was at alumni weekend, over the Thanksgiving holiday, and had a chance to look at the school. While the physical structures may have changed, so many things feel the same and I have a lot of sentimentality and emotion wrapped up in those walls,” he said.

“It is very special when the things that you want and the things that you owe, come together. I have a debt of gratitude to pay to a place that changed my life. TJ gave me a chance to do more and to be more. Coming back, it's my greatest hope that I will be able to serve and be able to leave my mark, and be able to show how much this very special place has meant to me.”