Last night in San Francisco, we tried something new for the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship: a dinner for its recipients and the Advisor Network.

Here are my takeaways from the dinner.

About the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship

Hoala Greevy with Jade Hao (Computer Science major, USF) | Paubox Kahikina Scholarship dinner (San Francisco)

Selfie with Jade Hao (Computer Science major, USF)

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.

You can make a donation here.


The big ideas driving the scholarship

Taylor Ho (Block) | Paubox Kahikina Scholarship dinner (San Francisco)

Taylor Ho (Block)

Trends that don’t change are big ideas. Big ideas are simple, obvious, and worth paying attention to. 

When it comes to our scholarship, we know recipients want financial aid and access to our professional network. These are the two big ideas that will not change over time. 

Naturally, these big ideas shape how we spend our time and resources.

See related: The big ideas behind the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship

 

The Advisor Network

Tianna Johnson | Paubox Kahikina Scholarship dinner (San Francisco)

Tianna Johnson (People Culture Talent)

The Paubox Kahikina Scholarship Advisor Network is the professional network we’re building to drive value for scholarship recipients.

To our pleasant surprise, members of the Advisor Network also derive value, as they get access to hiring pipelines, internship candidates, and, in some cases, investment opportunities.

The Advisor Network currently has 154 members. They serve voluntarily and at will. 

 

Last night's attendees

Kahikina-Scholarship-SF-dinner-img4

Donavan Kealoha (Startup Capital Ventures x SBI Fund) raises his hand for a question 

I set a limit of 12 attendees for the dinner. While we achieved our headcount goal, three attendees did not make it. All three are current or past scholarship recipients. 

That being said, the table was stacked with achievers:

 

My takeaways 

Asia Lum (Netflix) | Paubox Kahikina Scholarship dinner (San Francisco)

Asia Lum (Netflix) 

Here are my takeaways from last night's dinner at Hong Kong Lounge on Geary Street:

  • Jade Hao was the only scholarship recipient in attendance. She’s currently a senior at the University of San Francisco, pursuing a computer science degree with a minor in biology. She prefers to stay in the Bay Area after graduation.
  • Ikaika Sheehan (CEO, Activiter) suggested we do wool socks as the next iteration of Pausox.
  • Both Donavan Kealoha and Tianna Johnson were teachers before becoming involved in tech and entrepreneurship.
  • Tianna recommended reverse engineering a resume an applicant submits to the job description.
  • Tianna: "Your network is your power." 
  • Table vibes: We are proud to be Hawaiian and from Hawaii. At the same time, life in San Francisco is vibrant and fun.
  • Asian Lum's career advice to Jade Hao: Maximize the opportunity and time you have up here.
  • Ikaika Sheehan: "The way around the [resume] filter is networking."
  • Kealiʻi Jones: "Never pay for your Masters [degree]."