WASHINGTON, May 30, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- APIA
Scholars has announced the launch of a new partnership with the
Nakupuna Foundation, the foundation arm of the Nakupuna Companies,
a Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO)–owned family of companies.
Under this new partnership, the Nakupuna Foundation has committed
to a one-year $175,000 contribution
that will help APIA Scholars
provide college and career support to Native Hawaiian students.
This includes the APIA/Nakupuna
Foundation Scholarship program, set to begin in Spring 2020, which
will provide two-year scholarships for eighteen Native Hawaiian
students studying in science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM)–related fields, as well as virtual Scholar programming in
response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Nakupuna Foundation, named in honor of the Nakupuna
Companies' founder, the late Warren Nakupuna Ah Loo, is dedicated
to the economic advancement of Native Hawaiians, and is especially
enthusiastic about supporting educational programs and
opportunities focusing on STEM subjects.
"We are grateful to the Nakupuna Foundation for their support
and partnership in our mission to make a difference in the lives of
APIA students," said Noël S.
Harmon, President and Executive Director of APIA Scholars. "There are tremendous
disparities within the APIA
community, both economically and educationally, that are often
overlooked especially for underrepresented communities. We are
grateful to the Nakupuna Foundation for addressing the needs of
Native Hawaiian students in communities across the country and
working with us to make a difference."
"We are extremely excited to begin building a long-term
partnership with APIA Scholars,"
remarked Cariann Ah Loo, Warren
Nakupuna Ah Loo's daughter and Chair of the Nakupuna Foundation.
"Their integrated approach to support the entire student—from
college entry into the workforce—is exactly the type of partnership
the Nakupuna Foundation wants to build. We are grateful and
appreciative for their tremendous efforts to get funding to
college-bound Native Hawaiians."
Applications to the APIA
Scholarship Program for 2020-21 academic year were available from
September 2019 to January 2020. More information about our
scholarship criteria can be found on the APIA Scholars' website.
For more information about the Nakupuna Foundation, please visit
https://nakupunafoundation.org.
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About the Nakupuna Foundation
The Nakupuna Foundation is a non-profit Native Hawaiian
Organization with a mission to support the economic advancement of
the Native Hawaiian Community. A cornerstone of our support
includes a vision to prepare Native Hawaiians for 21st century job
opportunities through a portfolio of targeted investments in
students studying STEM subjects. Named in honor of the late Warren
Nakupuna Ah Loo, the Nakupuna Foundation owns a family of Native
Hawaiian–owned companies, the Nakupuna Companies, that act as the
main vessel of support for the Foundation.
About APIA Scholars
Based in Washington, D.C.,
APIA Scholars is the nation's
leading non-profit organization devoted to providing college
scholarships for Asian Pacific Islander Americans (APIAs).
APIA Scholars works to create
opportunities for students to access, complete, and succeed after
post-secondary education; thereby developing future leaders who
will excel in their career, serve as role models in their
communities, and ultimately contribute to a vibrant America. Since
2003, APIA Scholars has awarded
more than $150 million in
scholarships to deserving APIA
students. APIA Scholars manages
three scholarship programs: APIA
Scholarship, the AANAPISI Scholarship, and the Gates Millennium
Scholars/Asian Pacific Islander Americans, funded by a grant from
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
SOURCE APIA Scholars