Danny Yamashiro

On May 25, 2017, Yamashiro delivered Harvard Extension School's commencement address, titled "Falling 400 Feet."

Danny Yamashiro earned a Master of Liberal Arts degree at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a concentration in Government from Harvard Extension School. He graduated on May 25, 2017 at Harvard's 366th commencement. An interview by Harvard described Yamashiro's journey to Cambridge from Honolulu. His thesis, Religious Influences on Crisis Presidential Decision-Making: A New Belief in the Operational Code Analysis of George W. Bush (2017), under the direction of David F. Holland from Harvard Divinity School, was featured at Harvard's annual ALM Thesis Symposium. He attended the University of Oxford Theology Summer School at Christ Church, Oxford in England (2018, 2019).

Yamashiro won the Harvard Extension School Commencement Speaker Prize (2017). He was awarded Biola University's Young Alumni Award (2000) and has received numerous certificates of recognition from the Hawaii Senate, Hawaii House of Representatives, Honolulu City Council and the Mayor of Honolulu, Jeremy Harris. Yamashiro was the first ordained clergyman selected for the Pacific Century Fellows and offered a prayer at a celebratory dinner hosted by the Governor of Hawaii, Benjamin Cayetano at the historic "Washington Place" (1999).

He was the founding pastor of Christ's Church at Kapolei, affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America, and served as senior pastor for nine years (1998–2007).

In 1993, he founded Jesus Christ Is Calling You Evangelistic Ministry, Inc. (JCCY) and launched a series of large-scale revival tent meetings throughout Hawaii. Since 1998, his organization formed Paradise Global Mission and expanded to reach several countries worldwide with medical and dental clinics, sports clinics and numerous forms of humanitarian aid by supporting the work of Christian churches in rural locations.

Yamashiro studied at Chaminade University (1987) in Honolulu, Hawaii, before transferring to Biola University and Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and Theology (1991) and Master of Arts in Bible Exposition (1993). His thesis, Jesus Christ in Every Biblical Book (1992), directed by A. Boyd Luter, explored types, symbols, prophecies and pictures of Christ in all 66 books of the Bible.

Daniel Keauhou Matsu "Danny" Yamashiro was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is an American of Hawaiian, Okinawan, and Chinese ancestry. He is the great grandson of Hawaii detective Chang Apana. He graduated from Iolani School in 1986. He is married to Jamie Yamashiro. They have three children: Allie, Hugh and Luke.

On December 22, 1985, attempting to rescue his stranded girlfriend from a 20-foot (6 meters) mountain-climbing fall, Danny Yamashiro slipped and fell head first 300 feet (91 meters) and later another 100 feet (31 meters). The second fall took place during an attempted rescue and was captured on film. It aired on newscasts throughout Hawaii. He suffered severe head injuries, skull fractures, multiple tears in his scalp, a shattered ankle, damaged organs, extensive lacerations, and being comatose.

Danny Yamashiro (born December 5, 1967) survived a 400-foot (122 meters) fall from the ridge of the Nuʻuanu Pali in Honolulu, Hawaii, at 18.