Paubox Kahikina Scholarship Recipient Stacy Cambra: 2026 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 2025 recipient, Stacy Cambra is majoring in Neuroscience at UC Berkeley. Here is a word from Stacy:

“Aloha mai kākou!!! My name is Stacy Cambra, I’m a Neuroscience major on the pre-med track, entering my 4th and final year at UC Berkeley. I am apart of the 2025 cohort of Kahikina Scholars and want to take a moment to express my gratitude to Hoala Greevy and all those in the Paubox community for their financial and professional support.

Much of my previous post was an introduction to me, my academic and career goals, and a quick glimpse of what was to come in the 2025–26 school year. Now that spring semester has concluded, I’m taking the time to reflect on my penultimate year at Cal (SPOILER ALERT: it was my absolute FAVORITE) and share my hopes for what’s to come this fall.

Back in August, I mentioned my new role as a Residential Assistant (RA) with UC Berkeley’s Residential Life. I’m happy to report that over these past 10 months, the memories created and relationships cultivated in this space have been beyond fulfilling. My team has become a close-knit family I feel supported by in and out of work. There are too many amazing moments to pick a favorite, so I’ve compiled a quick list of some stand-outs: late-night studying sessions w/ WingStop, trauma-bonding over ongoing roommate conflicts, our Friendsgiving potluck, Codenames game nights, our IM volleyball team, end of the year superlatives (I won Human Sunshine!) and of course, our Night Hide-N-Seek Tag in my unit’s oldest, creepiest, and potentially haunted building.

I would be remiss if I didn’t include my residents in this year’s highlights. At the beginning of the year, I remember being so anxious to see how my residents would be, whether they’d like me, if they’d cause trouble, etc. Luckily, I hit the lottery and ended up with the sweetest, wittiest, brightest, most fun, creative, and hard-working group of first-years. This role provided me the opportunity to interact with students from all walks of life, each with their own set of such dynamic, wide-reaching interests. I’ve had conversations with residents who’ve conducted quantum mechanics research, ones who’ve worked since 14 to save up for college, ones who’ve founded companies to raise awareness for social causes. At the risk of sounding corny, their lively energy, tenacity, and humility have inspired me to strive for greatness in my own endeavors. Outside of dorm life, I found myself in a couple of other communities this year. Firstly, research.

As if one job wasn’t enough, I picked up another this spring as an Island Justice Fellow with the Critical Pacific Islander Research Collective or CPISC for short (I know, not the most appealing student org name when you say it aloud). Our team, comprised of undergraduate mentees and graduate student mentors, delves into work that advocates for Pacific Islanders. This manifests in many different forms (ex. attending academic conferences, assisting with literature review and grant-writing for various research projects, organizing events that educate the public on culture and history of the Pacific). In case you haven’t noticed, a sizable portion of my extracurricular activities are Pacific Islander-involved. What can I say?Having a strong upbringing rooted in Native Hawaiian culture calls you towards these spaces and it’s work I find much purpose contributing to. This April, these efforts paid off; we received university recognition and our organization won the Outstanding Graduate Student Organization Award, courtesy of the Oski Student Leadership Awards.

Secondly, dance. Performing arts has always been a passion of mine (more specifically, I did musical theatre and hiphop/contemporary dance in high school). But as we all know first-hand, STEM courses at any university are quite rigorous and time-consuming. Consequently, I held off on joining anything arts-related my first 2 years.

However, with a gentle shove from a friend, I joined one of Berkeley’s modern dance teams, [M]ovement this past fall. Not only has this experience given me a community of dancers and an healthy outlet for stress, but it’s also reignited my creative passions outside of academics. In STEM, in college, in life, it’s so easy to get sucked into this “grind” mindset, tunnel-visioned on the next accomplishment or career stepping stone. Joining [M]ovement reminded me that not everything I do needs to be a resume builder. Some activities are worth doing just because you love them, in fact, they are just as important to pencil in your schedule.

Currently, I’m still in denial about my time at Cal ending soon (please no one remind me). While this post included all the flashy opportunities and fun adventures I’ve had here in Berkeley, don’t be fooled. I’ve had my share of rejections from prestigious clubs, research positions, clinical experiences, grades I’m not proud of, along with feelings of insecurity, worthlessness, loneliness, and homesickness.

And truthfully, those lows didn’t magically disappear this year; they just didn’t become the only things I focused on.

I truly believe the reason this year was my favorite was because of the people. Finding your people (culturally, academically, and socially) takes time. Hell, it took me three years, and I feel incredibly grateful to have found it at all. It requires stepping outside your comfort zone, routinely putting yourself out there, and learning to sit with disappointment, judgment, and failure.

But when you do find them, your outlook changes drastically. The rejections don’t hit as hard, the lows don’t feel as isolating; these don’t seem to matter when you have so many sources of love and light around anyway. This is to say: if you’re still in that phase where it feels like things aren’t clicking yet, don’t write people or experiences off too quickly. You might be surprised where you find your people. Some of my closest friendships came from majors and communities completely different from my own. It’s the people I had nothing in common with on paper that are now some of the most important parts of my college experience.

These are words I wish I lived by sooner. But with one year left, I’m choosing to lean into them fully, filling my time here with new adventures, the people I’ve found and the people I have yet to meet, saying yes to opportunities I won’t get anywhere else, and checking everything I can off my Berkeley Bucket List.”

Read more: Paubox Kahikina Scholarship Recipient Reflection | Stacy Cambra