{"id":215079,"date":"2025-05-05T11:30:34","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=215079"},"modified":"2025-05-07T09:26:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T19:26:33","slug":"kapiolani-cc-lunalilo-scholars-program-changed-grads-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/05\/05\/kapiolani-cc-lunalilo-scholars-program-changed-grads-life\/","title":{"rendered":"From lost to lifted: Kapi\u02bbolani <abbr>CC<\/abbr>\u2019s Lunalilo Scholars Program changed grad\u2019s life"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-1.jpg\" alt=\"Jamilyn Moriguchi in blue graduation cap and gown\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-215150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-1.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-1-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>After nearly a decade of uncertainty, setbacks and searching for direction, Jamilyn Moriguchi is graduating from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu\/\"><span aria-label=\"Kapiolani\">Kapi&#699;olani<\/span> Community College<\/a> with an associate\u2019s degree in psychology&#8212;and a transformed sense of self.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I\u2019m most proud of how far I\u2019ve come,&rdquo; said Moriguchi. &ldquo;I enjoy school now, and I honestly could never say that before.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/tag\/commencement\/\">Meet more amazing <abbr>UH<\/abbr> spring graduates<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Reluctant student<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_215153\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-215153\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-4.jpg\" alt=\"woman standing in front of posters on whiteboard\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-215153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-4.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-4-130x130.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-215153\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Moriguchi stands beside a student activity centered on finding purpose.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A 2015 Kalaheo High School graduate, Moriguchi started college reluctantly, struggling with the pressure to succeed despite not feeling ready.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I wasn\u2019t motivated at all,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I felt like I was forcing myself to attend college to meet others\u2019 expectations instead of listening to what I needed. That led to poor performance and a complete lack of interest in college. I didn\u2019t feel like I was moving fast enough or in the right direction, which discouraged me. I didn\u2019t want to be there.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Things began to shift in 2018 when she transferred to <span aria-label=\"Kapiolani\">Kapi&#699;olani<\/span> <abbr title=\"Community College\">CC<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When I first witnessed the support and community other students had built at <span aria-label=\"Kapiolani\">Kapi&#699;olani<\/span> <abbr>CC<\/abbr>, I started to realize that I could find my place in college,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>After a challenging detour to Las Vegas in 2021 left her feeling adrift, Moriguchi returned to <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> in 2022 and reconnected with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu\/support-and-campus-life\/lunalilo-scholars\/\"><span aria-label=\"Kapiolani\">Kapi&#699;olani<\/span> <abbr>CC<\/abbr>\u2019s Lunalilo Scholars Program<\/a>. The program, funded by the Kaneta Foundation, offers scholarships, mentoring, and a strong support network for students who may not have initially planned to attend college.<\/p>\n<h2>Uplifted and valued<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_215152\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-215152\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-3.jpg\" alt=\"4 people taking selfie in sunflower fields\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-215152\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-3.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-3-130x130.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-215152\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jamilyn Moriguchi and Sydney Burgher, front, with Josiah O\u02bbSullivan and Kapilialoha Kidder, back.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;From the start, this campus felt like home, a place filled with connection, community and support,&rdquo; Moriguchi said. &ldquo;Being accepted into the Lunalilo Scholars Program and becoming a peer mentor became one of my biggest goals. Both allowed me to restart and find purpose in my education. I felt a sense of freedom and control over my choices for my life and future.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>She credits the Lunalilo Scholars Program&#8212;and individuals such as Josiah O\u02bbSullivan, Sydney Burgher, Kapilialoha Kidder, Colette &ldquo;Aunty Coco&rdquo; Andrade-Fujii and LaVache Scanlan\u2014for helping her see her potential.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I never felt discouraged or ignored,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I felt uplifted and valued. My grades began to improve, and I finally saw myself succeeding. The support was something I had never experienced before in school. They showed me that my past does not define me, and that I am much stronger than I once believed.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Always a Lunalilo Scholar&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_215151\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-215151\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-2.jpg\" alt=\"people taking selfie group shot\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-215151\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-2.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kapiolanii-commencement-2025-moriguchi-j-2-130x130.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-215151\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lunalilo Scholars<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Moriguchi plans to continue her studies at the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa to pursue a bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology, and hopes to keep mentoring others on their own journeys.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Finding the right place and people makes all the difference,&rdquo; she shared. &ldquo;Surround yourself with those who believe in you and truly want to see you succeed.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Her support system, rooted in the Lunalilo Scholars Program, is something Moriguchi will carry with her wherever she goes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Once a Lunalilo Scholar, always a Lunalilo Scholar,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;No matter how far I go, I\u2019ll always have a home here.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;By Lisa Yamamoto<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jamilyn Moriguchi found support, success and self at <span aria-label=\"Kapiolani\">Kapi&#699;olani<\/span> <abbr>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],"tags":[234,63,1533,637,71],"class_list":["post-215079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-commencement","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-lunalilo-scholars","tag-psychology","tag-uh-community-colleges","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215079"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":215447,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215079\/revisions\/215447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}