Paubox Kahikina Scholarship Recipient Grant Lau: 2025 update

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 graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama and a senior at Stanford University pursuing a degree in Data Science and a Master's degree in Computer Science. Here is a word from Grant:

“Aloha kākou! My name is Grant Lau, and I am so grateful to be a recipient of Paubox's Kahikina Scholarship. Born in Waipahu and raised in Kāneʻohe, I am a graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama and a rising senior at Stanford University pursuing a degree in Data Science and a Master's degree in Computer Science. Even though I am almost finished with my undergraduate degree, the support from this scholarship will help me finish strong and focus my effort into joining the workforce and pursuing graduate school.

When I started my freshman year at Stanford University, I was unsure what career or major I should commit to. Throughout high school, I had a wide range of STEM interests, including mathematics, computer science, and chemistry. I spent my afternoons studying for our monthly math team competitions, coding silly games and websites, and preparing for a chemistry olympiad. Having to choose from my interests was a challenge—until I found Data Science.

Through Data Science, I could explore all of my interests with the freedom and flexibility of the interdisciplinary study and with the tools to analyze, predict, and engineer. The Data Science program at Stanford exposed me to mathematics, computer science, and statistics, and I really enjoyed the broad applications that these studies had. I could pursue my passion for teaching and sharing knowledge through the CS program at Stanford and Stanford's free virtual coding course Code In Place, or study the genomics of the Polydactylus sexfilis, known as Pacific threadfin or moi.

I've always had a love for marine biology and fish, and I happened to come across research on moi at Stanford in collaboration with Hawaiʻi fishing group Nā Kai ʻEwalu. Integrating techniques of DNA and RNA extraction and machine learning models to create an non-invasive epigenetic clock for the moi was an amazing opportunity integrate Data Science with a passion of my own, and it affirmed my decision to commit to the degree. My study of moi was incredibly grounding in my home, and allowed me to give back to the lāhui through a collaboration of Western and indigenous science. Hawaiʻi has a special place in my heart and goals, and although my future career is tentative, I'd love to find a way to return to my community at home and give back to the village that has uplifted and supported me. 

My journey at Stanford has taken me down many twists and turns, but I am so lucky to have the support of my community, and now, this scholarship. Currently, I am interning at Nakupuna Foundation as a Data Analyst this summer, conducting data analysis on internal company management and data engineering on our enterprise model for business users. I am eager to learn more about different sectors of tech industry and Data Science's impact in business through machine learning and statistical methods, and I can't wait to see where this journey takes me next.

In my free time, I enjoy playing taiko, surfing, running, weaving lauhala and lei making, playing the guitar, and enjoying a bowl of natto.

As I near the conclusion of my collegiate journey, I am so honored and thankful to now have the support of Paubox and the Kahikina Scholarship. Covering the cost of education can be worrisome, but with this scholarship and network, I am more confident about pursuing my goals and school with less financial burden.

Mahalo nui loa!”

Read more: Paubox Kahikina Scholarship 2025|Grant Lau