SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
A STRONGER SAFETY NET FOR THE CLASS OF 2020
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t the start of the school year, the class of 2020 had much to look forward to: yearbook signing and goodbye hugs, high school graduation and celebrations with friends and family, stacks of lei, heaps of kaukau, and most importantly, planning for the crucial months after graduation. But COVID-19 stopped much of that from happening. That’s why First Hawaiian Bank and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation have teamed up to make sure Hawai‘i high-school graduates of 2020 feel supported in building a future they can look forward to. Each has contributed $1 million to seed an educational fund for a world in which anything can happen: the Stronger Together Hawai‘i Scholarship Fund. Most traditional scholarships are created to help certain types of students, like those attending a particular university, or studying a specific major. This scholarship is designed to assist a large cohort of students who are facing financial barriers due to COVID-19. Future students may experience different barriers—and when they do, the Stronger Together scholarship will be flexible enough to pivot and support those students. “We recognize that each senior has their own story and their own needs,” says Bob Harrison, Chairman, President and CEO of First Hawaiian Bank. “Our goal is to encourage students to pursue their dreams – and be supported in the process.” All Hawai‘i public school graduates taking part in Next Steps to Your Future, the free career-planning and personal advisory educational initiative offered to graduating seniors by UH Community Colleges and Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education, are eligible to apply for these funds. As of June, more than a thousand students have already signed up for Next Steps. One of those students is Brightlyn Ifenuk, who graduated from Farrington High School this year and wants to become an orthopedic surgeon. She was surprised to learn that her enrolment in Next Steps made her eligible to apply for a Stronger Together scholarship. “I was really shocked,” Ifenuk told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “I’m thankful that the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and First Hawaiian Bank are giving us this opportunity.”
With a new out-of-the-box scholarship fund, 2020 public high school grads are given a chance to look beyond the financial barriers to continuing education and pursue their goals—even in the era of COVID-19.
“Our goal is to encourage students to pursue their dreams—and be supported in the process.” - BOB HARRISON, CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF FIRST H AWA I I A N B A N K
Did you know? COVID-19 is creating economic need among families in our community that might derail a student’s aspirations even before he or she has graduated. First Hawaiian Bank and Hawai‘i Community Foundation invite you to contribute to a new trailblazing fund.
Support the class of 2020 through the Stronger Together Scholarship Fund at StrongerTogetherHawaii.org