Nearly 350 scholarship donors and their student recipients came together to meet and celebrate at the University of Hawaiʻi Scholarship Celebration on the UH Mānoa campus, April 5.
The annual event presents an opportunity for students to personally express their gratitude to the people invested in their college education. It also gives donors the chance to hear firsthand about the impact their giving has on the students’ education, lives and futures.
Madison Kim, a UH Mānoa student majoring in animal science and Rainbow Wahine tennis player, earned a scholarship funded by UH Mānoa Chancellor Emerita and Professor Virginia Hinshaw.
“This scholarship has been able to help me not only academically but athletically as a tennis player,” Kim said. “I’ve been able to follow my dreams and take the classes that will allow me to succeed in that dream.”
Hinshaw said, “I’m a believer. It takes all of us to support the university and these students and their educational programs. It’s so important in so many ways for them, for the state, for the nation and for the world.”
The attendees met at a luncheon at the UH Mānoa Campus Center Ballroom.
“We look forward each year to this event where we can bring together students and their donors to celebrate their academic achievements and the generosity that makes it all possible,” said Tim Dolan, UH vice president of advancement and CEO of UH Foundation. “I am truly inspired to see up close how our donors’ passions align with the work these students are doing.”
Last year, UH Foundation distributed nearly $14 million in student aid to 4,620 students statewide, including 2,306 students at UH Mānoa. Every gift makes a direct impact on the lives of UH students and their families and makes it possible for them to reach their goals.
“Our students work so hard and persevere despite many obstacles,” UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno said. “The private support the University of Hawaiʻi receives validates that hard work and shows how much these donors care about making sure our future leaders in Hawaiʻi receive a top-quality education.”
The first permanently endowed scholarship was created at UH Foundation in 1976 to benefit students attending UH. Since then, providing access to higher education through private gifts has become a tradition. Today, the foundation manages more than 2,200 student aid accounts.
