REPORT FROM OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS – More than $718,000 in scholarship money has been awarded to 303 Native Hawaiian students who are seeking a college education.
The total scholarship money awarded this year by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs represents a 44 percent increase from a year ago, when OHA contributed $500,000 to helping make college more affordable for its beneficiaries.
This year’s scholarship winners each received between $1,000 and $4,500 to assist with the costs of tuition for about 80 institutions of higher learning, including Cornell University in New York, Stanford University in California and the University of Hawai’i.
“These scholarships reflect our commitment to helping ensure that Native Hawaiian students have an opportunity to not only pursue a college education, but to also graduate,'” said OHA Chief Executive Officer Kamana’o Crabbe.
Kailly Ahuna, a recent Kamehameha School graduate, was among the OHA scholarship winners who were recognized during a luncheon, Aug. 10, at Windward Community College in Kaneohe. She summed up her feelings about her scholarship this way: “It’s nice to know that there’s a Hawaiian organization backing Native Hawaiians’ pursuit of education.”
For more information about applying for a college scholarship from OHA, call (808) 594-0243.
To view photos from OHA’s scholarship luncheon, visitwww.facebook.com/officeofhawaiianaffairs