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 2022 recipient, Lagat is now completing his studies in Computer Science and Game Development at Northeastern University. Here is a word from Dylan:
“Aloha, my name is Dylan Dinio and I was a Paubox Kahikina STEM Scholarship Recipient in 2022. This year marks my final year in college as a Computer Science & Game Development student at Northeastern University. I am once again so grateful to Paubox and Hoala Greavy for all the support they are providing for Native Hawaiian students in STEM.
Looking back on my journey through college, I remember being lost in my freshman year. My father and mother weren’t familiar with college in the mainland and much of my family was unfamiliar with the tech landscapeI had just moved to the East Coast a continent away from my family, the city of Boston was so huge, and I was terrified that I wasn’t ready to be in CS after my first day of classes. I had questions of if I was in the right major, the right university, or the right place. I’m forever grateful to my friend who went to college near me, who came down that night just to talk. Both of us were homesick but that night she convinced me to stay at Northeastern just a bit longer: “Just give it the year. You’ll find your people here eventually and once you do you’ll be just fine.” Looking back I’m so grateful for that moment and the advice my friend gave me. These past 4 years at Northeastern have been so formative to developing my skills as a computer scientist as well as growing as a person. I’ve made friends and found a community here that I never would’ve imagined back in my freshman year. Friends who push me to work hard in my field and I know have my back in a place thousands of miles away from home.
During my time here I continued to stay involved in the Northeastern community. I became a co-president of our campus’s Hawaii club running another successful luau sharing our culture with the Northeastern community. I also ended up being a choreographer for the Filipino club here on campus alongside a close friend. I continued to conduct research under the guidance of Professor Alexandra To and her team growing my knowledge of HCI and the games industry. Moving forward post graduation, I will be returning to work at Google as a part of the YouTube Live Discovery team. I’m so grateful to be able to have this opportunity to grow my computer science skills through working on a product that I’ve long been a fan and that is so adjacent to the games industry I studied in college. Though I’m sad to leave Boston and the community I’ve found here, I’m excited for the new opportunities and growth in California. The Paubox team has been indispensable in my growth not only through the financial support but through the networking events that they provide to connect fellow scholars as well as local entrepreneurs and industry workers. During a time when I was unsure about my Computer Science and Game Design combined major, talking to people in the industry was invaluable in helping me find my path in STEM. A huge shoutout to Taylor Ho and Douglas Finnegan who’s advice helped me get to where I am today and Richard Matsui who’s encouragement for my tech journey when I first entered as a Paubox scholar stuck with me to this day.
Going forward I hope to continue to work hard at my new job and learn as much as I can through the opportunity and experiences provided to me. I’m so happy to see the Paubox Scholar community continue to grow and hope that I may be able to help future scholars in their tech journey just as many Paubox mentors have done for me. Thank you once again to Hoala Greavy for this opprtunity and to the entire Paubox Team for their support all these years. Mahalo nui loa for all the hard work you are putting in to build this community.”
Read more: Paubox Kahikina Scholarship Recipient Reflection | Dylan Dinio
Tshedimoso Makhene
