A quiet, attentive audience listened as University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu student Kamehalani Ortiz shared his recent involvement with Maui relief efforts — a moving story in which he assisted a woman who had lost everything in the August fires.
Ortiz, a Kāne‘ohe resident majoring in Public Administration with an emphasis on Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, recalled that emotional moment when the woman broke down in tears at a shelter.
“It was then that I put my hand on her shoulder and said, ‘It’s OK, aunty. … I’m a Honolulu firefighter volunteering with the American Red Cross and I’m here to help,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz was one of the featured student speakers at the He Lei Mahalo – UH West O‘ahu Scholarship Luncheon, held Sept. 29 on campus. Presented by UH West O‘ahu and the University of Hawai‘i Foundation, the event celebrated the donors who made generous gifts to support student scholarships at UH West O‘ahu and also honored the student scholarship recipients.
Ortiz is a recipient of the Chandler Scholarship in Social Sciences, which has helped the Kāne‘ohe resident thrive at UH West O‘ahu and move closer to his goal of graduating this semester with his degree, “not because I want to find a better job or make more money, but because I want to help as many people in my community and state as I can,” he said.
He continued, “To all the donors and professors, your generosity has been a key to unlocking potential. With every check you sign and every scholarship you fund, you put a hand on someone’s shoulder and you say, ‘I’m here to help.’”
He Lei Mahalo welcomed about 100 guests, including UH West O‘ahu students, donors, supporters, administrators, faculty, and staff. The program included musical entertainment provided by students and kūpuna partners, and words of aloha and mahalo from UH West O‘ahu Chancellor Maenette Benham. But the true highlight of the scholarship luncheon was that it provided an opportunity for donors to hear about the impact they made in students’ lives and for students to convey their appreciation.
UH Foundation Vice President for Development Karla Zarate-Ramirez shared with guests that last year, UH distributed about $17 million to 5,000 students throughout all 10 campuses.
“Thanks to the generosity from our donors in this room and the ones who could not make it here today, last year we awarded almost $400,000 to 116 UH West O‘ahu students,” Zarate-Ramirez said. “And this year we’re on track to award even more.”
Among the donors in attendance was Makai Freitas, representing the Dr. Rockne C. Freitas Scholarship at UH West O‘ahu. Makai Freitas is the son of the late Rockne Freitas, former UH West O‘ahu Chancellor.
“Dad felt that education was a path forward,” Freitas said. “I think he felt that that was a key component in the advancement of our local people, Native Hawaiians in particular.”
The scholarship that was created is a way to invest in future generations, he said.
“He’s helping students achieve their goals in life through education,” Freitas said. “I think it’s a great feeling that his legacy lives on.”
At the luncheon, Freitas sat at a table beside UH West O‘ahu student and Kahalu‘u resident Shayna Bing, a recipient of the Dr. Rockne C. Freitas Scholarship at UH West O‘ahu, as well as other scholarships, including the Charles R. Hemenway Scholarship – UH West O‘ahu Fund, the Joshua Hagi Armacost Endowed Scholarship, and the Osher Reentry Scholarship – University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu.
“These scholarships truly give me a second chance in life to rewrite the course of who I am,” said Bing, a mother of three. “Having the time and financial support to learn new skills, while I have personal and professional development, expands my career opportunities.”
Bing is double majoring in Sociology and Psychology, and pursuing a double certification in Hawaiian and Indigenous Health and Healing, and Substance Abuse and Addictions Studies. She plans to graduate in spring 2025. She then hopes to get a doctorate to become a pediatric clinical psychologist.
Bing wanted to mahalo all of the donors for their generous giving and kind considerations.
“When you change one person’s trajectory in a positive direction, their reach brings along their acquaintances, their friends, their ‘ohana and their immediate community,” she said. “Providing these financial seeds of hope contribute to not only one life changing, but the larger growth of our Hawai‘i people and the overarching health of our future generations here in Hawai‘i.”
UH West O‘ahu student Johnmurf de Vera, of ‘Ewa Beach, also wanted to share his appreciation with donors. A recipient of the Osher Reentry Scholarship – University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu, de Vera plans to double major in Sociology and Creative Media with a concentration in Video Game Design and Development.
Not only is he grateful to his donors for the financial help, but the scholarship also provides him with a positive outlook in life, de Vera said.
“I see hope in it … there’s more to come,” said de Vera, who wants to either be a sociologist or go into law. “I take everything as it comes, all the opportunities that I can have … everything, it builds up in the end.”
UH West O‘ahu Alumni Association Vice President David Dinh attended the event as a representative for the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. Dinh is a 2013 graduate of UH West O‘ahu, where he received a Business Administration degree with a concentration in Marketing, and is now a UH West O‘ahu business instructor.
“It’s nice to see going full circle, you know, I was able to come to school here through grants, scholarship,” Dinh said. “The table has turned and we’re the ones giving scholarships now.”
Dinh encourages others to consider donating to UH Foundation, the central fundraising organization for UH System.
“Give students the opportunity to go to school to better our community because they’re going to be the next generation of leaders,” he said.
Meanwhile Ortiz, during his presentation, shared that he and other Red Cross volunteers were able to assist the woman, who he referred to as “aunty,” by getting her medications and helping her find shelter, food, and clothing.
“Every principle of emergency management I learned at UH West O‘ahu found its practical application in coordinating relief efforts, assisting with community needs, and assuring the well-being of the affected individuals,” Ortiz said. … “It was about ensuring people had what they needed when they needed it the most. That would not have been possible without all the donors’ support.”
Ortiz concluded by emphasizing the importance of everyone endeavoring to help others and to give back to society and contribute to its progress.
“May we continue to uphold the spirit of giving, the pursuit of knowledge, and the commitment to putting others before ourselves in the true spirit of aloha,” Ortiz said.
To make a donation to UH West O‘ahu or to learn more about donating, please email darian.padilla@uhfoundation.org or call 808-594-6851.
To see more photos from the event, visit the He Lei Mahalo 2023 album on Flickr.
