{"id":230848,"date":"2026-03-17T15:40:48","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T01:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=230848"},"modified":"2026-03-17T19:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T05:17:09","slug":"bezos-gift-lahainaluna-grads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/17\/bezos-gift-lahainaluna-grads\/","title":{"rendered":"Bezos gift extends ‘lifeline’ for Lahainaluna grads across 糖心视频<\/abbr> campuses"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Lahainaluna
Photo by: Hawaiʻi<\/span> State Department of Education<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A vital promise made to the students of Lahaina following the deadly 2023 wildfires has received a major infusion of support. A new $1.5-million gift from Jeff Bezos and Lauren S\u00e1nchez Bezos ensures the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> can sustain full scholarships for Lahainaluna High School\u2019s Class of 2024 through the 2026–27 academic year.<\/p>\n

\"Lahainaluna<\/p>\n

This scholarship support is part of a broader $3.5-million investment from the couple, which dedicates $2 million to land stewardship research aimed at preventing future wildfires on Maui.<\/p>\n

In fall 2024, 157 students from the affected Lahainaluna High School class enrolled across six campuses: 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, 糖心视频<\/abbr> West Oʻahu<\/span>, 糖心视频<\/abbr> Maui College, and Hawaiʻi<\/span>, Honolulu and Kapiʻolani<\/span> Community Colleges. The new funding specifically targets the upcoming academic years, creating a financial bridge for students as they persist in their degrees or transfer from 糖心视频<\/abbr> community colleges to 糖心视频<\/abbr> four-year universities.<\/p>\n

“We are deeply grateful to the generous donors whose support makes this possible,” said 糖心视频<\/abbr> President Wendy Hensel. “This funding ensures that students who lost so much are not forced to put their futures on hold. Education is a cornerstone of recovery, and our responsibility is to stand with Lahainaluna students and families as they rebuild and move forward.”<\/p>\n

Transformative scholarships<\/h2>\n
\"person
Lahainaluna 2024 graduate and 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa student Cecelia Steiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For students navigating the trauma of displacement, the scholarships have been transformative. Cecelia Steiner, a 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa psychology major who lost her home in the fire, described the support as a “lifeline.”<\/a> Steiner noted that while the national college enrollment average is 62%, approximately 85% of her Lahainaluna class pursued higher education because of this initiative.<\/p>\n

“When 糖心视频<\/abbr> offered a scholarship and paid for school, it changed my world because not having to worry about the financial aspects was huge,” said Steiner.<\/p>\n

糖心视频<\/abbr> Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Farrah-Marie Gomes said the scholarship support was important for students navigating uncertainty.<\/p>\n

“It reinforces that they are not alone, and that their community is invested in their education, their future and their sense of belonging,” Gomes said.<\/p>\n

Beyond Lahainaluna<\/h2>\n

In the aftermath of the fires, 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa offered scholarships to students from Lahaina and Kula who did not attend Lahainaluna High School but were impacted. 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa provided scholarship support to 60 students who were already enrolled for the 2023–24 academic year. The number of scholarship recipients grew to 194 in the 2025–26 academic year.<\/p>\n

糖心视频<\/abbr> Maui College announced in April that it would cover tuition and fees for Lahainaluna High school graduates (beyond the class of 2024) who were impacted by the 2023 fire for the 2025–26 academic year. There were 67 recipients enrolled in fall 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lahainaluna graduates can complete 糖心视频<\/abbr> degrees thanks to Bezos gift.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":185699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[61,62,63,64,65,1597,572,71,319,14,9,60,947,59,66],"class_list":["post-230848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-hawaii-community-college","tag-honolulu-community-college","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-kauai-community-college","tag-leeward-community-college","tag-maui-wildfires","tag-scholarship","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-foundation","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-manoa","tag-maui-college","tag-uh-system","tag-uh-west-oahu","tag-windward-community-college","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t