{"id":231742,"date":"2026-04-06T16:09:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T02:09:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=231742"},"modified":"2026-06-15T16:09:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T02:09:03","slug":"yeow-dream-deferred","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/06\/yeow-dream-deferred\/","title":{"rendered":"Dream deferred: Starting college after decades with scholarship help"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Kriss
Kriss Yeow is now studying natural resource and environmental management, with a minor in botany.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For 48-year-old Kriss Yeow, receiving the Linka and Michael Mullikin Endowed Scholarship wasn’t just financial aid; it was the validation of a 25-year-old dream she thought might never come true.<\/p>\n

Her journey was marked by geographic instability, forcing her to cycle through different educational systems across Malaysia, Christmas Island and Australia.<\/p>\n

But after settling in Hawaiʻi<\/span> nine years ago, Yeow felt like she found her place.<\/p>\n

“It felt like I was making good on the promise my grandmother always saw in me,” Yeow said. “Grandmother never stopped believing that one day I would soldier on towards a higher education. Now I hear her telling me, ‘keep going, Kriss,’ until you get that degree.”<\/p>\n

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Kapiʻolani Community College students can apply for the Linka and Michael Mullikin Endowed Scholarship.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Drawn to Kapiʻolani<\/span> Community College<\/a> by its deep connection to Hawaiian culture and its welcoming, aloha-spirited environment, Yeow is now an undergraduate studying Natural Resource and Environmental Management, with a minor in botany.<\/p>\n

Resilient non-traditional students<\/h2>\n

None of this, she said, would be possible without the generosity of donors, such as the Mullikins. Yeow\u2019s journey is a powerful reminder of the resilience of non-traditional students, a demographic that Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> is deeply committed to supporting.<\/p>\n

“Non-traditional students bring their wisdom and real-world experience to the classroom\u2014perspectives that high schoolers coming to college for the first time simply wouldn\u2019t have,” said Veronica Ogata, dean of Arts and Sciences. “It creates a beautiful dynamic where both generations learn from one another.”<\/p>\n

Read more 糖心视频<\/abbr> Giving Day stories<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Complex financial barriers are often the defining factor for non-traditional students to achieve a college degree.<\/p>\n

“For students to continue schooling, finances have always been the number one issue,” said David Nāwaʻa<\/span> Napoleon, vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “Scholarships absolutely level the playing field for students. Any way we can support our students through these scholarships is what we need to be doing.”<\/p>\n

On Giving Day<\/a>, your gift to the Mullikin Endowed Scholarship<\/a> ensures students like Yeow have resources to earn their degrees.<\/p>\n

Read more about the Mullikin Endowed Scholarship<\/a> and more Giving Day opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Donor support levels the playing field for non-traditional students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[63,660,71,1726],"class_list":["post-231742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-student-recognition","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-giving-day","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