Big Island Retired Military Association
Big Island Retired Military Association
The Big Island Retired Military Association presented its 2017 BIRMA-Mark Allen Traxler Memorial $2,000 scholarship award to St. Joseph School graduate Israel Rodriguez-Herring.
Rodriguez-Herring attends Hawaii Community College and is planning to pursue a career in government.
BIRMA awards annual scholarships to Hawaii Island high school seniors who are relatives of a retired, active duty, reserve or National Guard member of the U.S. armed forces or to those who have completed at least two years in a JROTC or Civil Air Patrol program at the time of application.
For more information, visit www.biretiredmilitary.org, contact a school counselor or call 935-1946.
Operating Engineers Local 3
Kailua-Kona resident and Makua Lani Christian Academy graduate Brianne Lauro received a $5,000 college scholarship from Operating Engineers Local 3.
Lauro, the daughter of Local 3 member Steve Lauro, was chosen for her outstanding academic achievements, leadership abilities and commitment to her community. She maintained stellar grades throughout high school and received numerous academic honors and awards, all while serving as student body president, caring for her younger siblings and playing team sports.
“Brianne exemplifies our Hawaiian values of ‘ohana (family), kuleana (responsibility), aloha (peace, compassion) and malama ‘aina (care for the environment),” said Makua Lani Christian Academy teacher Frederick Herrmann.
Lauro plans to pursue a Ph.D. in wildlife biology with the goal of one day working with the Division of Forestry and Wildlife on the Big Island to establish a balanced relationship between native and invasive wildlife species.
Operating Engineers Local 3 represents about 36,000 heavy equipment operators and other workers in construction, public works and law enforcement and will award 31 college scholarships this year. This includes two first-place academic scholarships of $10,000 each, two second-place academic scholarships of $7,500 each, two third-place academic scholarships of $5,000 each and 25 merit scholarships of $1,000 each.
Monsanto Hawaii Life Sciences Scholarship
Three Big Island students were among 10 students statewide to be named recipients of the 2017 Monsanto Hawaii Life Sciences Scholarship. The students received $1,000 each to further their education.
Hawaii Island students receiving the award are Genel Joy Galvez (Keaau High School), Kiani Nishimoto (Waiakea High School) and Silas Pelkey (Hilo High School).
Monsanto Hawaii’s scholarship is open to graduating seniors of all high schools in Hawaii who will be attending an accredited college or university to pursue a discipline related to the life sciences. Related fields can include agriculture, agronomy, biology, botany, genetics, horticulture, plant physiology, chemistry, crop science and soil science.
“It’s an exciting time with so many different life science career paths available for our youth,” said Dan Clegg, Monsanto’s Hawaii business operations lead.
To learn more about Monsanto in Hawaii, visit www.monsantohawaii.com, on Twitter @monsantohawaii or Facebook (Monsanto Hawaii).