The second cohort of prestigious Dorrance Scholarships has been awarded to 10 Hawaii Island high school students who will begin their studies at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in the fall. The second cohort of prestigious Dorrance Scholarships has
The second cohort of prestigious Dorrance Scholarships has been awarded to 10 Hawaii Island high school students who will begin their studies at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in the fall.
The Dorrance Scholarship is an innovative, four-year award designed to benefit local students who are the first in their family to attend college. Each year, up to 10 eligible students are awarded need-based scholarships of $8,000 per year to attend UH-Hilo. Awards are renewable for a total of eight semesters of funding, and additional cohorts of scholars will be added in subsequent years.
The 2013 recipients include: John Alokoa, a Kealakehe High School student from Waikoloa;
Rachel Gristock, Keaau High School, Kurtistown; Tawanaka (Puki) Kaupu, Kamehameha Schools Hawaii, Ocean View; Richard Kerr, Hilo High School, Hilo; Cheyenne Losalio, Konawaena High School, Captain Cook; Gabriel Lubbess, Kamehameha Schools Hawaii, Keaau; Stareynelle (Kaua) Mitchell, Ke Kula‘o ‘Ehunuikaimalino, Holualoa; Justin Shiigi, Hilo High School, Hilo; Benjamin Wada, Christian Liberty Academy, Pahoa; Luana Zablan, Kanu o ka ‘Aina, a Waimea resident.
Prior to their freshman year, Dorrance Scholars will participate in a custom-designed summer bridge program to help them transition from high school to college.
In future summers, scholars will take part in international travel and employment preparation, bringing the estimated total value of each award to over $60,000 for the entire four-year period.
“Higher education is the key to a brighter future,” said Chancellor Don Straney. “The Dorrance Scholarship goes to the heart of our mission at UH-Hilo, where some 70 percent of our students are the first in their family to attend college and an equal number rely on some form of financial aid.
“The support from the Dorrance family is a very important gift to UH-Hilo and we are extremely grateful for their commitment to our Hawaii Island students,” he added.
UH-Hilo’s program is an extension of the highly successful Dorrance Scholarship Programs that have operated in Arizona for the past 13 years.
The program is credited with opening the doors of higher education while boosting graduation rates for more than 400 first-generation college students.
