Hawaiian Airlines announced Monday it has created a $100,000 scholarship fund to encourage Hawaii students to pursue careers in information technology.
In partnership with Arizona State University, the Hawaiian Airlines New Horizons Scholarship will provide $10,000 awards each year to two undergraduate students enrolling in the school’s information systems program, beginning in the fall 2023 semester, according to the announcement.
“Information technology touches every aspect of Hawaiian Airlines," John Jacobi, senior vice president and chief information officer at Hawaiian Airlines, said in a statement. "We will continue to grow our technology team with a focus on improving our operations and the guest experience. We are delighted to partner with Arizona State’s exceptional IT program and offer Hawaii students a unique opportunity to succeed in this exciting field.
"Of course, we also hope graduates will consider building a career right here at home with our airline," Jacobi added.
Hawaiian opened a technology center in Tempe in 2020, and has developed a "strong relationship" with Arizona State University and area colleges, according to the announcement. The company said in June that it was exploring opportunities to expand the Tempe office.
The airline's IT team consists of nearly 300 employees and includes software engineers, architects, database managers, business analysts, and more.
"Hawaiian is aggressively recruiting for hundreds of positions, including in IT," according to the announcement.
Last summer, Hawaiian — a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: HA) also announced a program with Honolulu Community College, in which airline mechanics teach classes to the school's Aeronautics Maintenance Program. In September, the airline joined the University of Hawaii's IT/Cyber Leap-Start Experience Excelerator Program.
“We are incredibly grateful for this new scholarship to support our students from Hawaii in partnership with Hawaiian Airlines,” Ohad Kadan, dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU, said in a statement. “This partnership aligns well with our vision of providing access to excellent and innovative business education.”
The one-year scholarship is open to Hawaii high school juniors and seniors carrying a 3.0 GPA or higher. Applications must be submitted to Arizona State University before Feb. 1, 2023.
