LIHU‘E — Eleven recipients of a Kaua‘i Filipino Chamber of Commerce Foundation scholarship received their awards through the mail instead of a gathering that was cancelled out of an abundance of safety due to the recent uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases on Kaua‘i.
“This year, the Scholarship Committee acknowledged that many of our applicants have done outstanding scholastically, especially during the pandemic,” the letter to the scholarship recipients states, signed by KFCC President Laurie Yoshida and Cyndi Ayonon, chair of the Scholarship Committee.
“Our organization has invested nearly $135,000 for college scholarships over the past 17 years from proceeds that are raised at our annual Labor Day golf tournament and other fundraisers.”
During the pandemic year of 2020, the Labor Day golf tournament was not held, instead being replaced by a fundraising Mama Lucy’s plate-lunch special.
Of the recipients, seven are heading to four-year colleges or universities, and four will be attending a community college or vocational school.
Marvin Jake DePeralta earned a $500 scholarship to help him at the University of Hawai‘i West O‘ahu College, where he will major in counseling. Julianne Castro, graduating from Kapa‘a High School, will be looking to major in early child education at Kaua‘i Community College with her $500 award.
Christian Lardizabal, another Kapa‘a graduate, will be studying liberal arts at KCC with his $500 award, and Pauline Ragus, graduating from Waimea High School, earns $1,000 to help with her KCC nursing studies.
Amber Asuncion is one of three seniors graduating from Island School who received a scholarship. She gets $750 before heading to Pepperdine University to major in biology. Sydney Jona gets $500 for her attend the University of California Irvvine, where she plans to major in environmental engineering. Kainoa Merano will use the $1,000 award at Colorado State University, majoring in environmental studies.
Braelyn Cayaban, the sole Waimea High School graduate to get a KFCC scholarship, gets a $1,000 award to help her at Colorado College, where she is in a pre-med program.
Leonila Fulgencio, one of three graduates from Kaua‘i High School who won scholarships, will use her $1,000 award while attending San Diego State University, majoring in nursing.
Jhanalei Sales earns $1,000 for use while attending the University of San Francisco, where she will major in architecture, and Amalya Sales, signed to play Division II basketball, gets $1,000 help while at Warner Pacific College, majoring in pharmacy.
The mission of the KFCC is to mentor and support youth and businesses in helping them on their path to success.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
If there was a Kauai Irish chamber of commerce handing out scholarships only to students of Irish origin, you’d be screaming racism until your fighting roosters retired.
Mina now what kind of self serving comment is this?! WE don’t look at racism like this. Who’s the bigot here? Go start your own CofC.