"She has been as brilliant an athlete as a student," said Hugh Llewellyn Simpson. "I named her Star, and she lives up to my name."

Some who know Star Simpson were surprised by the news that the 19-year-old MIT sophomore was arrested Friday for wearing what authorities called a fake bomb at Logan International Airport in Boston. According to state police, she had a computer circuit board and wiring over her black-hooded sweatshirt. Police said she described the device as a piece of art.

"She's a really nice person, and I'm shocked that she got arrested," said Tiffany Yee, a 2006 Kamehameha Schools Maui graduate who is also a sophomore at MIT.

At Hawaii Preparatory Academy, the private Big Island school from which Simpson graduated in 2006, "we were all very shocked about what had happened," said Phyllis Kanekuni, the school's director of public relations.

Starting in the 7th grade, Simpson was a boarding student at the college preparatory school in Kamuela.

"She was an exemplary student and athlete, incredibly hardworking, enthusiastic about learning and very humble and courteous," Kanekuni said. "She was quite active."

Simpson was captain of the HPA robotics team that assembled a robot for competition. She also was captain of the swim team, setting school records in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events. She won state medals in 50- and 100-yard freestyle competitions as well.

Simpson was named most outstanding in swimming in 2004 and was a member of the school's Cum Laude Society, or honor society. She was the recipient of the Hiatt college scholarship for community service, Alumni association prize and Junior Science Scholar award.

At MIT, Simpson is pursuing a major in a combination of engineering and computer science known as "Course VI."

Yee met Simpson last year before the two Maui residents began their studies at MIT. Both are members of the MIT Hawaii Club.

While they haven't spent a lot of time together, "I know that she's really cool," Yee said. "She's really creative.

"She's a really scientific person. She's very smart. She's really into being creative, artsy."

Simpson lives on the east side of campus where dormitory residents are known to be "unique and creative people," Yee said.

Yee's mother called her Friday to tell her about Simpson's arrest.

Initial media reports seemed to exaggerate what happened, Yee said. But then she read a story about the arrest in The Tech, the college newspaper.

The story, which mentions that Simpson was formerly a photographer for the college newspaper, described the device she had as a circuit board connected to a battery that lit up with "green LEDs arranged in the shape of a star." She had worn the device at an MIT career fair the day before, according to the newspaper.

Officials said the incident was a reminder of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that included two passenger planes that took off from Logan International Airport.

But Yee said she hadn't been aware of the 9/11 connection to the Boston airport and thought Simpson also may not have known.

"It's kind of crazy. I don't think it was that big of a deal, but it was really blown up," Yee said. "Poor thing, she got caught up in it."

Hugh Simpson, a Maui Weekly contributing reporter and columnist who is better known as "Mauka," declined to comment on his daughter's arrest "in the interests of not creating any further legal entanglements."

But he said he spoke by telephone with his daughter Friday morning. After being released, he said one of the first things she did was to go to Boston Common, a public park "where she could stretch her arms because she had been in small rooms for hours and hours."

Star Simpson was born on Maui in a home delivery when her parents, Hugh and Stephanie Simpson, lived on Laau Street in Kahului, her father said.

"She was born right into my own two hands," he said. "She's been very carefully raised."

Later, the family moved to Kihei, where Star attended a Montessori preschool before going to Montessori School of Maui in Makawao.

"We're very proud of her," Simpson said. "We have no reason to have any doubt about her.

"If you have children, they sometimes make mistakes. But you don't abandon them. You help them work through it."

Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.