Starting with a single recipient in 2019, the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship has expanded to 62 recipients. In 2022, we began compiling analytics on the scholarship. We've done our best to gather data annually since then.

This post covers the latest trends and data for the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship as of May 2026. 

The deadline to apply this year is May 31st, which falls on a Sunday. Apply today. 

See related: 2022 at a glance: Paubox Kahikina Scholarship

See related: 2023 at a glance: Paubox Kahikina Scholarship

See related: Paubox Kahikina Scholarship analytics (2024 cohort)

 

The Paubox Kahikina Scholarship

Scholarship recipient holding a Paubox branded gift at a formal event

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 Paubox Kahikina Scholarship is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations to the scholarship fund are tax-deductible. Donate today.

EIN: 39-4926437

 

 

Paubox Kahikina Scholarship: By High School

Bar chart showing top 5 high schools for Paubox Kahikina Scholarship recipients, with Kamehameha Schools Kapālama leading at 23 scholars

Kamehameha Schools Kapālama alone accounts for 23 of 62 Paubox Kahikina scholars. That's nearly one in three.

As an aside, we have yet to review a single application from graduates of my alma mater, McKinley High School.

 

Paubox Kahikina Scholarship: By Residence

Pie chart showing 62 high school Paubox Kahikina Scholarship recipients distributed by island: O'ahu 70%, Maui 11%, Hawai'i Island 10%, Kaua'i 5%, Other 5% Though 70% of Paubox Kahikina scholars are from Oʻahu, the scholarship has reached nearly every island, including Maui, Hawaiʻi Island, and Kauaʻi. We have yet to award a Molokaʻi recipient. 

 

The Growth Story

Bar chart showing Paubox Kahikina Scholarship cohort size growing from 1 recipient in 2019 to 17 in 2025

Here's how we got to 62 recipients since 2019. Our ambition now is to 10X the scholarship.

See related: 10Xing the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship

 

Where do Recipients Attend College?

Pie chart showing 68% of Paubox Kahikina scholarship recipients attend out-of-state colleges, 32% attend in-state Hawaiian colleges

68% of Paubox Kahikina scholars leave Hawaiʻi for college. Many of them have expressed interest in returning home after graduation.

 

"What high school you went?"

Donut chart showing high school attendance: 76% private, 24% public

The Paubox Kahikina Scholarship is primarily made up of private school high school graduates. We have work to do here, as over 90% of Native Hawaiians are public school graduates, including myself. 

 

Elite Colleges and Universities

Bar chart showing the top 5 colleges attended by Paubox Kahikina Scholarship recipients: Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UH Mānoa with 6 each; Harvard and U of Michigan with 3 each.

The joke at Paubox is we designed a scholarship I would never qualify for.