Scholarship winners. Pictured (L-R): Aulii Ching, Sharmaine Elan and Meleana Kurokawa. (Courtesy: Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset)
The Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset has announced the recipients of three “Go for the Green” $2,500 scholarships.
These scholarships were offered to select high school graduates who reside in West Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi or Hāna. The applicants must be attending an accredited college and be pursuing a field of study that will benefit the environment and/or the community. The funding for one of these three scholarships was made possible by the generous donation by Virendra Nath in the memory of his late father, Dr. Vishwambhar Nath.
Aulii Ching is a graduate of Molokaʻi High School. She will be attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and will be majoring in marine biology. While at Molokaʻi High School over the past four years, she was involved in school and community through service, leadership and athletics. She served as a student ambassador for two years, helping to welcome and guide new students and community members. Her passion for environmental stewardship led her to volunteer with Ka Honua Momona, Keawanui and the Molokaʻi Land Trust, where she participated in conservation projects that serve the health of Molokaʻi island’s ecosystems and cultural sites.
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Sharmaine Elan is a graduate of Lānaʻi High School. She will be attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and will be majoring in computer engineering. While at Lānaʻi High School she was an elected student leader for four years and served as student body president during her senior year. Outside of leadership, she participated in athletics as a three-year member of the Letterman’s Club and the varsity girls paddling team.
Mealana Kurokawa is a graduate of Hāna High School. She will be attending Pepperdine University and will be majoring in political science. While at Hāna High School she observed that media preservation is the process of documenting cultural and community events through photography. After noticing the lack of resources, she began offering free senior portraits, which led to starting a social media platform to share her work. The community began reaching out, asking her to capture events like birthdays and family portraits. She volunteered to photograph the class of 2024 graduation and the Aloha Week. As a result, she was asked to create and manage content for Hāna High School social platforms.
The Go for the Green Scholarships program is one of many projects sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset. Rotary is a leadership organization made up of local businesses, professional and civic leaders. The club members meet regularly, get to know each other, form friendships and, through that, they can get things done. The club offers in-person and hybrid meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at Sacred Hearts School located in Kāʻanapali.
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For more information about the club, speakers and calendar of events, visit the club website at https://www.rotarycluboflahainasunset.org.
