The Paubox Kahikina Scholarship helps Native Hawaiian students pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and Tech in general. Its purpose is to offer financial support and create a strong network for these students. The scholarship makes education more affordable and connects students with professionals, giving them valuable opportunities to learn and grow in their chosen STEM or Tech fields. This scholarship is about more than just money; it's about building a community and empowering Native Hawaiian students to succeed in STEM or Tech careers.
See also: The big ideas behind the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship
As a recent Kamehameha Schools Kapālama graduate, scholarship recipient Ryan will move on to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study electrical engineering. Here is a word from Ryan:
“Aloha! My name is Ryan Lagon, and I’m extremely grateful to be selected as one of the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship recipients this year! This past May, I graduated from Kamehameha Schools Kapālama and am now attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a freshman studying course 6–5 (Electrical Engineering with Computing).
I grew up on Oʻahu in Kalihi Valley, where I first attended Nuʻuanu Elementary School before transferring to Kamehameha Schools in the fourth grade. Back in elementary school was when I first got into computer science and programming. I joined Nu’uanu Elementary’s technology club and enjoyed working with simple visual languages like Scratch to create “fun” games (I say “fun” because they were really simple, so current me would not find them fun anymore, but they were a good start). These early explorations catalyzed my growing passion for all things technology.
I took this passion much further when entering middle school and throughout high school. Inspired by my early explorations, I pursued many programming languages like Python, C++, the HTML-CSS-JS stack, Java, and more. I was motivated by programming’s seemingly endless possibilities to approach a multitude of problems.
As I entered my later years of high school, I began to tackle larger-scale problems. First of all, I started tutoring/mentoring peers at my school in computer science, math, physics, chemistry, and other STEM subjects. I found it very fulfilling to help others learn and succeed. I also pursued research over the summer, where I led and first authored a paper on the use of machine learning to predict surgical outcomes in indigenous populations.
Late high school was when I really began to discover what I wanted to do in the future. A lot of my work revolved around finding ways to bridge the Hawaiian cultural side of me with the high-tech side that is passionate about technology. For example, I pursued a few jobs at Purple Maiʻa, where I built innovative solutions to Native Hawaiian problems. One of the subsets of the research I mentioned earlier focused on Native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders. I worked collaboratively to develop two provisional patents for the reuse and processing of kalo waste, and also led a third patent on an application to aid the understanding of language.
Senior year overall was the usual whirlwind of college applications, heavy coursework, and tons of essays. Summer came quickly, which was filled with summer activities, an internship, many “last” gatherings with friends, a trip to Japan, and prepping to move over five thousand miles across the country…. As I continue to study at MIT, I am even more determined to pursue this area. With the rich education I’ll receive, I can’t wait to apply myself to additional similar areas. This first semester, I’m taking 8.02 (Physics II), 18.02 (Calculus II), 6.1000 (A combination of two CS classes condensed into one semester), and a philosophy-focused seminar class.
The Paubox Kahikina Scholarship has provided invaluable assistance to me, especially in this transition to college life, not only financially, but also with networking. The scholarship offers a large network of individuals working in STEM, allowing me to reach out to and utilize this network to find opportunities and receive advice, something few other scholarships offer. For this reason, I am extremely grateful for the opportunities and doors opened by receiving this scholarship.
In the future, I see myself in a career that features the following two aspects: cutting-edge work in the fields I am passionate about, and a thoughtful, problem-solving approach to traditional cultural issues.”
Read more: Paubox Kahikina Scholarship Recipient Reflection | Ryan Logan