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The Academy for Creative Media (ACM) at the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu awarded two students the inaugural Roy and Hilda Takeyama Foundation Scholarship.
Mavric Agustin-Carino and Mikaela Briones are recipients of this first-ever full scholarship in the ACM program. They will receive multi-year assistance and an additional $1,000 annually to support their studies and enhance their experiences at UH West Oʻahu.
The scholarship is part of a $1 million commitment made in 2015 by the Roy and Hilda Takeyama Foundation to support and advance the mission and priorities of the ACM program through tuition, books, internships and state-of-the-art equipment for the Creative Media facility, which is set to hold classes starting this fall.
Roy and Hilda Takeyama’s children, son and foundation trustee David Takeyama, and daughter and UH Regent Jan Sullivan, said their late father would have been overjoyed with the news of the two scholarship recipients.
“Our father, Roy Takeyama, who started the foundation, was an early donor of the ACM program and its vision to broaden and diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy,” David Takeyama said. “As we work through this pandemic, the importance of those early insights are highlighted today and if he were still alive today, he would be overwhelmed with joy to see that these promising two students have the opportunity to make a real change in Hawaiʻi’s future.”
Agustin-Carino’s motivation
Agustin-Carino, resident of ʻEwa Beach, is a second-career student who went from working in the construction trade to pursuing media and design in ACM.
“This is the first scholarship I have ever received and I consider this to be one of my greatest personal achievements,” said Agustin-Carino, who transferred from Leeward Community College where he received an AS in digital media.
Agustin-Carino said earning a bachelor’s degree in the creative media program will give him more opportunities in the video game industry. He ultimately wants to create art in an effort to design a wonderful gaming experience for all ages.
“I am motivated, now more than ever, to excel in my work and make my family and loved ones proud,” Agustin-Carino said.
Endless possibilities for Briones
Briones said that the significance this scholarship has for her is “huge.”
“It’s honestly everything to me because I’m not in such a fortunate position that I’d be able to pay for college out of pocket without any financial assistance,” she said. “But this scholarship really opens up more doors for me as I know that my hard work pays off.”
Briones, who is a 2020 graduate of Waiʻanae High School where she was part of the school’s Searider Productions, added that she gained a love of graphic design and creative media as a whole from her high school experience.
“Once I get my degree, I hope to maybe return to my alma mater and teach or even start my own design firm,” Briones said. “The possibilities from here are endless as long as I stay on this track.”
—By Zenaida Serrano Arvman
For the full story, visit E Kamakani Hou.
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