Scholarships for furloughed, unemployed residents at UH Community Colleges

VIDEO NEWS RELEASE

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Kelli Abe Trifonovitch, (808) 228-8108
Chief Communications Officer, UH Office of Communications
Posted: May 25, 2021

David Ochoco, former pilot
David Ochoco, former pilot
David Ochoco studying
David Ochoco studying
Lindsey Brown, former resort employee
Lindsey Brown, former resort employee
Lindsey Brown studying
Lindsey Brown studying

Link to video and sound (details below): https://bit.ly/3hIhMaD

What: Applications for the Kūlia Scholarship ($500) are open.  

Why: The scholarships were created to assist unemployed or furloughed Hawai‘i residents, due to COVID-19 impacts, with tuition and fees at any of the seven University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges.

Who: More than 300 Hawai‘i residents were awarded Kūlia Scholarships for fall 2020 and spring 2021. They included:

David Ochoco, a 27-year-old Kaua‘i resident and former commuter airline pilot, now enrolled at Kaua‘i Community College with the goal of eventually becoming an elementary school teacher.

Lindsey Brown, a 32-year-old O‘ahu resident who spent a decade working for the Four Seasons Resorts and is now enrolled at Kapi‘olani Community College. Brown has applied to the radiologic technology program.

How: Apply here by August 8. To be eligible, Kūlia Scholarship applicants must:

  • Be a resident of Hawaiʻi 

  • Have been furloughed or laid off from a job in Hawai‘i because of COVID-19 impacts (since March 2020) and have documentation. Priority will be given to those who were full-time employees.

  • Have graduated from high school prior to 2020.

  • Be admitted and enrolled as a UH Community College student for fall 2021. Priority will be given to those who are pursuing their first degree or industry-recognized certificate.

  • Be new to the UH System or have attended a UH System campus prior to 2020.

VIDEO:

BROLL: 1:37

5 scenes David Ochoco

5 scenes Lindsey Brown

2 scenes Kulia Scholarship website screen captures

SOUND:

David Ochoco, Kūlia Scholarship recipient (:21) 

“The Kūlia Scholarship itself has been a big help. Just knowing that someone is there to support you, with all the negativity in the world, knowing that someone in the community is there to help you get to your goals is really beneficial.”


Lindsey Brown, Kūlia Scholarship recipient (:08) 

“And I think that this scholarship is certainly a great opportunity for people to do that, to take what life hands you and turn it around and turn it into something good.”