6 things you didn't know about the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship

I recently got an email from a Paubox Kahikina Scholarship recipient that went along the lines of:

"I plan to pursue graduate school and was wondering if the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship applies to medical school as well."

That got me thinking. There's a blog post idea in that email.

Without further ado, here are six things you didn't know about the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship.

About the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship

The mission of the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship is to encourage Native Hawaiians to pursue careers in STEM or technology in general.

The scholarship is recurring in nature. In other words, recipients receive $1,000 per year until they graduate.

The 2026 application period ends on May 31st. Apply today.

1. The Scholarship is now a Non-Profit Entity

The Paubox Kahikina Scholarship is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

All donations to the scholarship fund are tax-deductible.

Our EIN is 39-4926437

Interested in making a donation? Donate now.

2. The Scholarship Applies to Graduate School and Beyond

The scholarship has an auto-renew feature built in.

In other words, if you're a Paubox Kahikina Scholarship recipient who is about to graduate from college and plans to pursue an advanced degree, there's no need to reapply. The scholarship automatically renews.

We want to be a part of your future success. 

3. Changing Majors is OK

As mentioned, the mission of the scholarship is to encourage Native Hawaiians to pursue careers in STEM or technology in general.

If you're selected as a recipient and decide to change majors later on, that's ok with us. Your scholarship is not in jeopardy.

We do require you to be enrolled in an accredited college or university and to annually publish content on your college journey.

4. We Have the Best Networking Event

In 2020, we held our first winter networking event for the scholarship. It was attended by three people: recipients Nick Wong, Alyssa Lyman, and myself. 

We've since expanded it to more than 100 attendees, most recently at our sixth annual winter networking event at The Pacific Club in Honolulu.

See also: 2025 Paubox Kahikina Scholarship winter networking event

5. You Can Apply at any Stage of Your College Journey

You don't have to be an incoming freshman to apply. We accept applicants at any stage of their college journey, including graduate studies.

6. We have the Best Advisor Network

Trends that don’t change are big ideas. These big ideas are simple and obvious. Yet they are worth paying attention to, even if they appear obvious.

We know scholarship recipients want financial aid and access to our professional network. These are big ideas that will not change over time.

To that end, we created the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship Advisor network. It's low-time commitment for the advisors, we simply ask they be listed on a shared Google Sheet. Recipients are encouraged to reach out to them for help with internships, job placements, or career advice.

The Advisor network itself has a network effect, as it becomes more valuable as more people join it.

See also: The big ideas behind the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship

Conclusion

Our mission at Paubox is to become the market leader for HIPAA compliant email security.

We are driven by the Paubox Foundations, which are core principles we care intensely about. They lay the groundwork for building a company of long-lasting and exceptional value.

One of our eight Foundations is that we are leaders, not followers. We believe the leader always gives back.