Posted July 8, 2022

Mayor Derek Kawakami assisted the North Shore Lions Club in acknowledging scholarship recipients’ achievements and presented a certificate of achievement for the top four recipients.

The North Shore Lions have just named 38 North Shore Students to receive a total of $63,000 to help advance their education. These scholarships ranged from $500 to $7,200. This money was a result of the Annual Golf Tournament for Scholarships held in January at the Princeville Makai Golf Club. The Hunt Family Trust and and an anonymous donor were also significant contributors.

The recipients were recent high school graduates Kailea Danielson and Hi’ilani Ventura, and recent college graduates Taelee Kimura, and Tiana Tomoda-Bannert.

Honorees

  • Kailea Danielson – Just graduated from Kapaa High School where she completed seven early college dual enrollment courses. This Fall she will be a Freshman at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. Kailea is originally from Tahiti (speaks fluent French) and moved to Kauai after her sixth grade. She will be joined by her mother and grandmother at the event.
  • Taelee Kimura – After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from New York University (NYU) earlier this year, Taelee will be returning to the Graduate School at NYU intending to become a therapist. She is a native Hawaiian woman and plans on returning to Kauai to counsel families and children. Taelee’s mother and father will be attending the event.
  • Tiana Tomoda-Bannert – After receiving an Associate’s Degree in Biological Science from Kauai Community College in 2020, Tiana moved the University of Hawaii at Manoa to complete her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. She is now in her senior year. Tiana will be accompanied by her mother and perhaps her father.
  • Hi’ilani Ventura – Just graduated from Island School and headed to University of Hawaii at Manoa this fall. Her application reads, “Although I am unsure of where my future will take me, my ultimate goal is to give back to Hawai’i”. As a first step Hi’i has aimed at environmental science or sustainability, but astronomy, and it’s link not only to Hawaiian culture, but to the necessity of advancing this technology. Hi’I will have five of her ‘ohana joining her at the event.

Total Attendees – Twenty Four (24)

  • Scholarship Recipients, Parents, Family, Friends – fifteen (15)
  • Hunt Family – Mr. and Mrs. – two (2)
  • Kilauea Japanese Community Representative – One (1)
  • Kauai North Shore Lions – Six (6)