{"id":168596,"date":"2022-11-03T14:17:13","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T00:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=168596"},"modified":"2024-03-14T16:39:03","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T02:39:03","slug":"founder-region-fellowships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/11\/03\/founder-region-fellowships\/","title":{"rendered":"$10K<\/abbr> fellowship for women awarded to 4 UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa doctoral candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Founder Region Fellowship board members, 2021 and 2022 awardees, and guest speakers at the 2022 gala<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For a third year in a row, women doctoral candidates from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa earned several grants recognizing their studies, research and work towards improving lives of women, girls, and society. Hannah El-Silimy<\/strong>, Crystal Kwok<\/strong>, Morsaline Mojid<\/strong> and Gabrielle Stedman<\/strong> each received $10,000 of unrestricted funds to cover expenses to complete their degrees by Soroptimist Founder Region Fellowship, Inc<\/abbr>. Four out of the six 2022 Founder Region Fellowships<\/a> were awarded to UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa students.<\/p>\n

“This award makes me so happy that my documentary film is recognized as an important vessel of knowledge,” said Kwok, a theatre student. “Filmmaking is expensive, and women\u2019s stories matter. I am honored to be a part of Soroptimist, and it encourages me to uplift other women and girls through my work.”<\/p>\n

“I am honored to be a part of Soroptimist, and it encourages me to uplift other women and girls through my work.” —Crystal Kwok<\/span><\/p>\n

Applicants may be doctoral women from schools in Northern California, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, Guam, the Mariana Islands and the Republic of Palau. This year, Soroptimist held their award gala in person for the first time in three years due to the pandemic. Recipients from 2021 and 2022 were invited to attend and were honored during the ceremony in Waik\u012bk\u012b.<\/p>\n

UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Graduate Division<\/a>\u2019s Fellowships, Scholarships and Professional Development Coordinator Kristen Connors<\/strong> delivered a keynote speech.<\/p>\n

“It was an honor being invited,” Connors said. “When you hear about the awardees\u2019 research and contributions, it\u2019s clear that they are making a significant impact and how impressive these women are. It\u2019s inspiring.”<\/p>\n

Kris Chorbi, Founder Region Fellowship president, said the non-profit has awarded more than $1.5 million to more than 350 doctoral women since 1948.<\/p>\n

“Awardees have the potential to become leaders within their fields,” Chorbi said. “The candidates from UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa consistently receive several monetary awards and we are honored to be a part of their educational journey. We applaud their determination to advance in their fields and wish them all the best in their amazing careers.”<\/p>\n

2023 applications now open<\/h2>\n

For those interested in applying for the 2023 Founder Region Fellowship, visit the organization\u2019s website<\/a> to learn more and register to attend an upcoming info session<\/a> on November 21 at 4 p.m. or on November 30 at 1 p.m. Application deadline is January 10, 2023.<\/p>\n

UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s 2022 awardees<\/h2>\n