Recipients

Ho'omau Foundation's scholarship program supports Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) attending college and are active in the NHPI community, through mentorship and networking opportunities.  Through our support for both academic success and the perpetuation of culture, we will help recipients succeed in their endeavors while maintaining and growing their cultural ties and identity. We aim to support their transition to college, nurture their cultural identity, and ensure they, along with more NHPIs, have opportunities and representation in prestigious fields. 

We are excited to announce that we are awarding ten scholarships for the school year 2023/2024!  We are renewing scholarships for seven returning students and awarding three to new recipients.  In total, we've awarded thirty-four scholarships in four academic years. 

Our Recipients are receiving the Kamery Lee Jr. Scholarship for demonstrating dedication to perpetuate the NHPI culture, entrepreneurship, perseverance, and aloha. 

Kahoku Dutro

Kahoku is a Freshman at Pacific University, in Oregon majoring in Social Work.  Kahoku testified for house bill 3144, to bring more awareness to Pacific Islander students in Oregon who are underrepresented, allowing Pacific Islander students to rise. She’s a certified peer specialist and a member of MŌHALA Youth Council and a volunteer at Ka ‘Aha Lahui O ‘Olekona Hawaiian Civic Club of Oregon and SW Washington. 

Carly Rose Raquino


Carly is a Freshman at University of Hawaii, Mānoa’s Direct Entry Nursing Program. Carly received her biliteracy certificate in Hawaiian and plans to integrate ‘ōlelo (language) Hawaiian and incorporate traditional Native Hawaiian healing techniques into the medical field.  She has a sense of responsibility to revitalize and normalize the Hawaiian culture being practiced in Hawaiʻi.  Carly wants to practice in areas of homelessness so she can advocate for those who are marginalized because of their home status or the color of their skin to help heal the people of Hawai’i.


 

Alex Ueoka


Alex is a Junior at Columbia University in New York City, pursuing a degree in Neuroscience and Behavior with a special concentration in Public Health on the pre-medical track. Through various teaching and mentoring roles within her hula hālau and volunteer organizations, she finds joy in building meaningful connections with children and being a part of their journey toward reaching their full potential. Alex's goal is to utilize the knowledge and skills she is acquiring to become a physician and return to her roots in Hawai'i to serve her community. In college, she shares her love for hula, Native Hawaiian culture, and Hawai'i as the Co-President of Mālama Hawai'i, Columbia University's Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander club. Alex also takes on a mentoring role, supporting students from Hawaii in their transition to New York City and the University. 

Returning Recipients

Kyla Rae Paglinawan-done

Kyla is a senior at the University of Mānoa. She is studying Hawaiian studies/Sociology with the dream of perpetuating her culture through language and improving health in her community by bringing back Native Hawaiian practices.  Kyla will continue to seek job opportunities as she will be graduating this December. Kyla is an exemplary wahine and makes time for her Resident Assistant job in Johnson Hall on the Hale Paʻakea floor as the Native Hawaiian student leader for her community.

Misimatoka Unutoa


Misimatoka is entering his final year as a Mechanical Engineer with an Aerospace Engineering concentration at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Misi wants to work for the federal government within the intelligence sector, putting his internship experience and his degree to good use for Hawai’i. He puts his energy toward STEM programs for youth and is a member of the Native Hawaiian Science and Mentorship Program (NHSEMP) and a former mentor at Lanai High and Elementary school (LHES). Misi’s goal is to pave the way for more Pacific Islanders to take up STEM careers in Higher Education. 



Lilia Davis


Lilia is in her first year of her Master’s Program at University of Hawaii, Mānoa focused on Natural Resource and Environmental Management. Her love of the ʻāina (land) started back with her grandfather who was a paniolo (cowboy) and taught her to protect natural resources, preserve native plants, and practice sustainable living.For her  master's thesis, Lilia will work alongside the University of Hawaiʻi, the Department of Land and Natural Resources along with the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, to develop an ongoing climate change plan, with emphasis on flooding, to serve the community of Waiehu Kou on Maui.

Ariell Siliado


Ariell is a Junior at University of Hawaii, Hilo studying Biology: Cell, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences. Her long-term goal is to become an OBGYN on her home island of Kaua’i. She feels there are not enough female doctors to support the local women and wants to bring a level of comfort to her community. Ariell is an event planner at UH, Hilo. With a deep passion for promoting Pacific Islander culture, her main goal is to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for the vibrant Pacific Islander population on campus. She hopes to create a space where everyone can come together, exchange knowledge, and celebrate the beauty and significance of Pacific Islander culture. 

Kainoa Azama-done

Kainoa Azama, hails from He’e’ia, Ko’olaupoko, O’ahu. He is a Senior and the current ASUH President of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, a former State President of the Hawai’i Future Farmers of America Association (2019-2020), and a current intern with the Olohana Foundation. Kainoa remains dedicated to He Wa’a ka moku, He moku ka wa’a, an island is a canoe and a canoe is an island. A wisdom rooted in the need for collaboration and stewardship in order to make the distant voyage and maintain our culture of continuity. 

Hoʻohila Kawelo

Ho’ohila is a Junior at Cornell University, in New York majoring in Environment and Sustainability with a concentration in Land, Air, and Water Resources and minoring in American Indian and Indigenous Studies. She knows this concentration will allow her to study broad ecological principles so she can tackle problems on a larger scale in Hawai’i. She hopes to disrupt environmental degradation by establishing a sustainable relationship between humans and nature. The first semester of this year, she is studying abroad in Ecuador and will engage in Marine ecology focused classes both in Quito and in the Galapagos islands. 



Mahina Silva


Mahina is entering her Sophmore year at Menlo College in California and is studying Business. Mahina is fluent in Hawaiian and she wants to combine her culture and language with business acumen and accounting and work for the existing organizations that already do great work for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. She competes with the Menlo College volleyball team in the GSAC conference.