Recipient Spotlight
Kamehameha Schools Class of '57 celebrating their 50th Reunion (photo courtesy of Ku'ulei Reyes '57)
Recipient Spotlight:
Alan Kojima, Kamehameha Schools Class of 1957 Scholarship
The year 1987 marked a major milestone for the Kamehameha Schools Class of 1957 who celebrated their 30th reunion year. It was also the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Kamehameha Schools and the class wanted to make a significant gift to memorialize the occasion, but the question was “what?”
After much brainstorming, Iwalani Carpenter Sowa suggested that the class collectively create an endowment for the purpose of providing financial assistance to graduating seniors of Kamehameha Schools seeking post-high school education. This class endowment, the first of its kind, was established thanks to proceeds from several fundraisers held in 1986 and 1988. The class continues to meet regularly and at their 50th Reunion in 2007, another class banquet auction generated a substantial increase in its endowment fund. To date, the class has provided over forty scholarship awards to outstanding students like Alan Kojima '05.
In a note to the class, 2005 recipient Alan Kojima’s father writes, “The Class of 1957 gave my son a scholarship to further his education at DePauw University. You folks were the only ones to give him support to start college. Alan has since graduated from Depauw with a major in Biochemistry in May 2009. He is currently in a masters program at Indiana University and Purdue University Institute (IUPUI). Yesterday Alan was accepted to the University of Indiana School of Medicine.”
In response, Class President Chester G. Kahape'a said “Your family must be very proud of your son’s accomplishments thus far and we appreciate you allowing us to share in your pride.”
"Education of our young people is very important to the Class of 1957,” says Ku'ulei Reyes. “These young people will become future leaders in government, the medical field, education and in the various walks of life. It is gratifying to know that the purpose for which the endowment was established is being realized.”
To make a donation to the Class of 1957 Scholarship fund or establish your own endowed fund – contact Ke Ali'i Pauahi Foundation at (808) 534-3966 or visit www.pauahi.org.
