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
Taylor Moniz is one of the Paubox Kahikina Scholarship 2022 recipients and is now attending New York University, studying toward a PhD in Neuroscience. Here is a word from Taylor:
“Aloha, my name is Taylor Moniz, and I am honored to be one of the recipients of the Paubox Kahikina STEM Scholarship. I was part of the scholarship’s 2022 recipient class and am incredibly fortunate to continue receiving support through this recurring scholarship. I am especially grateful to Paubox and Hoala Greevy for their ongoing commitment to Native Hawaiian students. This fall, I will begin the first year of my PhD in Neuroscience at New York University.
The Paubox Kahikina STEM Scholarship supports Native Hawaiian students pursuing careers in STEM, with the mission of increasing representation in these fields. I’m deeply honored to continue receiving this scholarship alongside many talented peers and friends.
I’m excited to share that I will be entering NYU’s PhD program in Neuroscience after graduating from the Columbia University Dual BA Program with Trinity College Dublin in May 2025, earning two BA degrees in Neuroscience. I’m incredibly proud to have attended and graduated from both Trinity College Dublin and Columbia University in the City of New York.
During my final year at Columbia, I embraced the opportunity to explore a new city, form new friendships, and engage in the diverse experiences Columbia offers. In addition to my neuroscience coursework, I served as the Senior Class President of the School of General Studies Student Council. In this role, I helped plan major events for the General Studies and broader Columbia senior communities, including senior brunch, gala, Class Day, graduation, and more. I was proud to receive the General Studies Service Award for the second time for my work on the council.
I was also an active member of Columbia’s Mālama Hawaiʻi Club and participated in the club’s hula group, representing my heritage with pride.
Academically, I completed the Senior Thesis Advanced Research Seminar through Columbia’s Department of Psychology — a three-semester program beginning in junior year and culminating in a senior thesis. My thesis, titled “Ovarian-Derived Hormones Mediate the Prophylactic Effects of a VPAC2 Agonist in Female Mice,” was awarded departmental honors. I conducted this research in Dr. Christine Denny’s systems neuroscience lab at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The project is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia, the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene (RFMH), and the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI). This research focuses on developing pharmacological treatments to promote stress resilience and prevent psychiatric disorders in women.
This year, I was also fortunate to publish my second co-authored paper in Nature titled “Cold memories control whole-body thermoregulatory responses”. This paper includes work that I conducted from 2021 to 2023 during my time at Trinity College Dublin, working in the lab of Dr. Tomas Ryan in the Department of Biochemistry and Immunology.
Pursuing a PhD in Neuroscience has been a lifelong dream, and I am thrilled to begin this next chapter at NYU. I remain passionate about increasing female and ethnic minority representation in higher education, especially for Native Hawaiians — and I hope to use my journey to inspire other Native Hawaiian students to pursue advanced degrees. Scholarships like Paubox make these paths possible.
With the support of Hoala Greevy and Paubox, I’m able to take this next step toward my academic and professional goals. I am sincerely grateful for their commitment to Native Hawaiian education and strongly encourage other Native Hawaiian students pursuing STEM degrees to apply for this invaluable opportunity."
Read more: Paubox Kahikina Scholarship Recipient: Taylor Moniz
Read also: Paubox Kahikina Scholarship Recipient 2022: Taylor Moniz
Farah Amod
