PUHI — Leaders from The Boeing Company, who already donated nearly $500,000 worth of high-technology equipment to officials at Kaua‘i Community College for a photonics lab at the Puhi campus, again put their money where their high-tech future is, offering
PUHI — Leaders from The Boeing Company, who already donated nearly $500,000 worth of high-technology equipment to officials at Kaua‘i Community College for a photonics lab at the Puhi campus, again put their money where their high-tech future is, offering a scholarship to a technology student.
Jason Badua won the award this year, announced at the Annual Scholarship Reception and Student Employee of the Year Awards ceremonies on campus.
The gathering allows scholarship donors to meet the students who receive the money.
Shirley Tani, KCC’s director of development, noted that Ginger Pittman of The Boeing Company was able to attend the event, her first trip to Kaua‘i, joining Rick Zelenka, who delivered the keynote address for the gathering that paid tribute to scholarship donors as well as recognizing the importance of student employees.
Pittman was instrumental in coordinating contributions totaling over $468,000 from The Boeing Company leaders for the transfer of equipment, training, and setting up of the photonics lab that is currently housed in the KCC Technology Building.
Zelenka said Boeing takes its involvement in the community seriously, and announced that they are in the process of planning a program that will enable science teachers to visit Maui for training in hands-on approaches to teaching in the fields Boeing is involved in there.
Boeing officials are helping to craft a high-tech future on Kaua‘i, with Jason Badua winning the Boeing KCC scholarship award.
KCC Derek Del Conte was just one of the winners when leaders at KCC hosted their Annual Scholarship Reception and Student Employee of the Year Award.
The multifaceted event brought several areas of the community college into the limelight, and Travis Gray, the director of annual giving and development for community colleges, University of Hawai‘i Foundation, was so impressed by the overall event that he suggested that it might eventually spread to all of the community colleges in the system.
Del Conte was named as the Outstanding Student Employee by members of a KCC committee, from a field of five candidates who were nominated for consideration by their respective employers.
For his achievement, Del Conte earned a tuition waiver for the fall semester, gift certificate from the KCC Bookstore, as well as a special wooden pen created by KCC staff member Joseph Vegas, who always has his wooden handiwork available during the KCC public events. Each of the nominees also received the Vegas creation, as well as a certificate touting their achievements.
KCC Chancellor Peggy Cha noted that the student population at Puhi is made up mostly of working students, 84 percent of them holding either fulltime or part-time jobs while pursuing their higher-education goals. Cha pointed out the importance of scholarship donors who provide help so these students, since many of the students also work to support families and pay other bills.
Additionally, the talents of the KCC culinary-arts program was featured, as guests were hosted to a reception featuring foods created by students in the culinary-arts department. Their dishes were enhanced by art pieces on display that were created by students in Wayne Miyata’s ceramics classes.
Tony Kilbert, the KCC Performing Arts Center manager, was the host for the afternoon event, with Pat Watase and Kent Tanigawa providing the media support.
- Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
