The University of Hawaii at Hilo will offer new scholarships for students working toward careers in agriculture, according to a recent announcement from the University of Hawaii Foundation, a nonprofit that raises funds to support the UH System.
The scholarships are being funded through a $200,000 gift from the Edmund C. Olson Trust II to the university's College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management. In the selection of scholarship recipients, a preference will be given to students from the Kau District of Hawaii Island, according to the announcement.
The gift will fund scholarships for the next two years.
The Edmund C. Olson Trust II is the private landowner of 17,000 acres of conservation and agricultural land in Hawaii and six companies: Hamakua Mac Nut Company, Kau Coffee Mill, OK Farms, Kau Farms Management, Palehua Ranch and Hawaii Eco Experiences. Edmund C. Olson, the founder of the trust, is one of the state's 20 largest private landowners, with 15,000 acres on Hawaii Island and another 2,000 acres on Oahu, according to the foundation.
“Talking about the future of agriculture in Hawaii and doing something about it are two different things, and we don’t want it to be different,” said Troy Keolanui, Olson’s partner in OK Farms, in a written statement. “We need to keep them in agriculture, encourage them to stay in agriculture. ... That’s one step in the right direction and that’s how we feel about this scholarship.”
The university has named its first two scholarship recipients, Keya Davies and Kassey Hanoa, who are both majoring in animal science. Davies is working toward an equine certificate, while Hanoa is focusing on livestock.
For more information about the scholarship, go here.
