{"id":191286,"date":"2024-02-04T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2024-02-04T18:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=191286"},"modified":"2024-03-14T15:42:52","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T01:42:52","slug":"kauai-recipient-hawaii-promise-scholarship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/04\/kauai-recipient-hawaii-promise-scholarship\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaua\u02bbi recipient: Hawai\u02bbi Promise scholarship ‘needs to be there’ for 4-year campuses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"DainaWith the help of Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Promise<\/a>, Daina Landeza-Olivier earned an associate\u2019s degree in Hawaiian studies from Kaua\u02bbi<\/span> Community College<\/a> in May. Draped with the Hawaiian studies program\u2019s red kihei (traditional wrap used to mark formal ceremonies) and a Phi Theta Kappa national honor society yellow sash, her commencement walk was also a testament to the scholarship\u2019s uplifting of underrepresented students, such as Native Hawaiians and Filipinos.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]\n

When COVID-19 shut down much of Kaua\u02bbi<\/span> in 2020, Landeza-Olivier lost her two jobs and had trouble making ends meet. The 63-year-old single grandmother and former domestic violence specialist got a needed boost from the Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Promise scholarship, which enabled her to enroll at Kaua\u02bbi<\/span> CC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was having challenges with how to survive and just working. Initially, I was working so many jobs,\u201d Landez-Olivier recalled. \u201c[The Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Promise scholarship] has helped me with food, school supplies and gas for my car.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was one of more than 1,700 University of Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Community College<\/a> students who received Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Promise scholarships in 2023. Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Promise is only available for UH<\/abbr> Community College students who have proven financial need by qualifying for federal financial aid.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Dc1GRUzs4y4″ el_aspect=”916″ align=”right” el_id=”wrap-video-right”] [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

\n\u201cKnowledge is power. I think that\u2019s so important and just trying to encourage other people to learn about our culture,\u201d Landeza-Olivier said.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Promise<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Now working toward a bachelor\u2019s degree in Hawaiian and Indigenous health and healing online through UH<\/abbr> West O\u02bbahu<\/span> and holding down a part-time job at a Hanalei Taro and Juice Co. lunch wagon, Landeza-Olivier is fervent in supporting efforts to expand the Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Promise scholarship to students at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, UH<\/abbr> Hilo and UH<\/abbr> West O\u02bbahu<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"Daina<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m just very grateful it’s there for those who are part of the community college level and it definitely needs to be there for the UH<\/abbr> four-year level of education for students,\u201d Landeza-Olivier said. \u201cIt’s so important that all of our students and children and adults get educated at a higher level. It’s just so important for us to be able to survive out here in the state of Hawai\u02bbi<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n

A 2023 annual report on the program to the legislature<\/a> found Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Promise recipients earn more credits, have higher passing rates (3.0 grade point average or better) and are more likely to stay enrolled (69% vs. 65%) compared to non-Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Promise UH<\/abbr> students. About 60% are Native Hawaiians, Filipinos or from other ethnic groups underrepresented in higher education.<\/p>\n

\u2014by Kelli Abe Trifonovitch<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Promise scholarship helped a UH<\/abbr> West Oʻahu<\/span> student earn her degree from Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,12],"tags":[61,1216,62,63,64,65,71,14,9,60,947,59,56,66,1626],"class_list":["post-191286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","category-video","tag-hawaii-community-college","tag-hawaii-promise","tag-honolulu-community-college","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-kauai-community-college","tag-leeward-community-college","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-manoa","tag-maui-college","tag-uh-system","tag-uh-west-oahu","tag-video-2","tag-windward-community-college","tag-women-of-uh","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t