{"id":82472,"date":"2018-07-26T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2018-07-26T18:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=82472"},"modified":"2021-03-31T12:49:26","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T22:49:26","slug":"oha-native-hawaiian-scholarships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2018\/07\/26\/oha-native-hawaiian-scholarships\/","title":{"rendered":"OHA<\/abbr> $1M<\/abbr> award creates scholarships for Native Hawaiian students at UH<\/abbr>"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Yvonne
UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa nursing graduate Yvonne Yokono was one of many OHA<\/abbr> scholars to earn degrees in 2018.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs<\/a> (OHA<\/abbr>) is providing $1 million for need based scholarships for Native Hawaiian students attending University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> campuses over the next two years. The Hoʻonaʻauao<\/span> Higher Education Scholarship<\/a> program aligns with UH<\/abbr>\u2019s and OHA<\/abbr>\u2019s commitments to better serve Native Hawaiian students and to improve college access, college affordability, student support and graduation.<\/p>\n

The scholarships are expected to support approximately 200 Native Hawaiian students each year with awards ranging from $2,000 for students at community colleges, $3,000 for undergraduates at four-year universities and $4,000 for graduate students.<\/p>\n

“There\u2019s a need, a gap in the educational attainment of Native Hawaiians in the state,” said project director Joshua Kaakua<\/strong>. “But it\u2019s on its way up…And if we can improve education, research shows it can affect other measures of individual and community well-being—everything from economic opportunity to quality of life.”<\/p>\n

Last year the UH<\/abbr>–OHA<\/abbr> partnership awarded scholarships to 181 students across the state, including UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa nursing graduate Yvonne Yokono<\/strong>, who completed her doctorate of nursing practice in May. <\/p>\n

“It wasn\u2019t always easy and I couldn\u2019t have done it without the support from OHA<\/abbr> and my mentors at UH<\/abbr>,” Yokono said. “I\u2019m glad the UH<\/abbr>–OHA<\/abbr> program will be here for students in the future.”<\/p>\n

The scholarship application is available to all current and potential students seeking a degree at any of the 10 campuses in the UH<\/abbr> System via the online portal<\/a>, October 1, 2018–March 1, 2019. Priority consideration will be given to:<\/p>\n