Wednesday was a special day for Aleina Emayo. She was joined by Keane Shane Agoot in being honored by the Kaua‘i County Council during the council’s weekly meeting. Councilman Mel Rapozo authored a special commendation for the pair of student
Wednesday was a special day for Aleina Emayo.
She was joined by Keane Shane Agoot in being honored by the Kaua‘i County Council during the council’s weekly meeting.
Councilman Mel Rapozo authored a special commendation for the pair of student athletes who were named scholarship recipients for the Pop Warner Westcon Region.
“This is huge,” Rapozo said. “They were selected from the thousands of student athletes within the Westcon Region. This is not just Hawai‘i, but a lot of states and a lot of programs.”
Emayo, a sophomore at Waimea High School, is a member of the Kekaha Chargers cheer squad.
“This means a lot to me,” Emayo said. “I’m the first in the family to get something big like this.”
With the announcement, Millie Ah Hee, the Kaua‘i Pop Warner scholarship coordinator, said the student athletes receive an Excellence in Performance Award and a $500 scholarship good toward a college of their choice.
For Emayo, college is just two years away and she told the council she plans on going to college on the West Coast and plans to continue cheering.
Agoot, who has been accepted to Kamehameha Schools—Kapalama, is still in the 8th grade and college is something most eighth graders don’t give serious thought to.
But the player from the Kapa‘a Eagles program said he plans on attending a college on the West Coast where he hopes he can continue to play football and basketball.
Ah Hee said both players had to write an essay on whom their role models are, and in school, both have 96 percent grade point average.
Paul Pancho, the president of the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Association, acknowledged the parents of the student athletes for being supportive of their children and helping them make the right choices.
Both students received not only a council commendation for their achievements, Ah Hee also presented them with the Pop Warner awards and the $500 scholarships.
Adding to the excitement, Brenda Jose, one of the Kekaha Pop Warner Association leaders, confided that Wednesday was also Emayo’s birthday.
