Hui Makaala held its 48th annual Scholarship Fund Luncheon and Fashion Show on July 30 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom. The show featured fashions by three Hawai‘i designers — Allison Izu, Janice Tsujimura and Jeanie Chun. The audience was also treated to a program of cultural entertainment that included Okinawan dances by Hooge Ryu Hana Nuuzi no Kai Nakasone Dance Academy, led by grandmaster and artistic director Lynne Yoshiko Nakasone-Sensei; Okinawan music by Ryukyu Koten Afuso-Ryu Ongaku Kenkyu Choichi Kai USA, Hawaii Shibu, led by Grant “Sandaa” Murata; and energetic eisä drumming and dancing by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii, led by Akemi Martin-Sensei and Melissa Ching.
All nine of the new Hui Makaala scholarship recipients attended the event. It gave them an opportunity to see how the scholarship monies they received are raised each year. In 2017 alone, Hui Makaala awarded $20,000 in scholarships to the following nine students.
- Briana Campbell, daughter of Paul and Roxanne Campbell. Briana, a Mililani High School graduate, is a student at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, where she plans to major in kinesiology. She hopes to become a physical therapist assistant.
- Nikki Chinen, daughter of Stephen and Emi Chinen. Nikki graduated from Mililani High School and is currently a student at Creighton University in Nebraska, majoring in psychology, with her eyes set on becoming a clinical psychologist.
- David-John Fernandez, son of Michael and Jayna Fernandez. A Kamehameha Schools-Maui graduate, David-John plans to major in cyber security at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz.
- Treyson Furuta, son of Cindy Shishido and the late Roger Furuta. Treyson graduated from McKinley High School and is attending Kapi‘olani Community College, majoring in business.
- Emma Kojima, daughter of Kryss Kojima and Jill Uehara, is an ‘Iolani School graduate who is majoring in biology at Seattle University in Washington state. Her career goal is to become either an orthodontist or a pediatric dentist.
- Kiaria Zoi Nakamura, daughter of Bruce and Leslie Nakamura. Kiaria graduated from Waiäkea High School and is majoring in English and dance at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. Her career goal is to become an English teacher and to also own and operate her own dance studio.
- Cheyne Tanoue, son of Clayton and Carolyn Tanoue. Cheyne graduated from Mililani High School and is studying kinesiology at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. He hopes to become a doctor of physical therapy.
- Sydney Tsukenjo, daughter of Dayne and Melissa Tsukenjo. Sydney graduated from Sacred Hearts Academy and is a senior at UH-Mänoa, majoring in political science and minoring in philosophy.
- Dane Yamashiro, daughter of Daniel and Cindi Yamashiro. Dane graduated from ‘Iolani School and is attending Illinois Institute of Technology, where he is majoring in electrical engineering.
All of the scholarship awardees are involved in the Okinawan community as members of Hawaii United Okinawa Association clubs or in some form of Okinawan performing arts or in volunteering in the Okinawan community. The scholarship selection committee consisted of 2017 Hui Makaala president and committee chair Clayton Uza, Val Kato, Eric Nitta, Ryan Okunaga, Dennis Shimabukuro and Reid Yamashiro.
Karen Shishido and Jane Lee chaired the scholarship fashion show luncheon.
