Posted on: Friday, June 1, 2001

Awards recognize Kahuku's brightest

By Shayna Coleon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Members of the Hamashige family waited to greet the newest student recipients of the Shinkichi and Tona Hamashige Endowment on stage last night at the Kahuku High and Intermediate School graduation.

"The Hamashige family are always present at the graduation, usually sitting in the first and second rows, and some members come up and present the awards," said Anne Sheridan, Kahuku's testing coordinator.

Established six years ago by Dr. Shinichi Hamashige to honor his late parents, the endowment reflects the family's commitment to the Kahuku community and the ideal of people helping people.

Although Hamashige and his seven siblings were born and raised on the Kahuku Plantation during a time when it was normal for children to leave school to help their parents, Shinkichi and Tona Hamashige always stressed the value of education, their children say.

Students must apply for the scholarships, and the endowment has awarded 75 scholarships since 1995. This year, twin sister and brother Kaiulani and Travis Ostrem both received $500 scholarships from the endowment. For the first time, a teacher, John Jacques, was honored with a $1,000 gift for Outstanding Teacher of the Year.

This year's student Shinkichi and Tona Hamashige Endowment winners, and their plans for next fall, are:

• Brooke Barker, $500, Brigham Young University- Provo.

• Loseline Lautaha, $500, Brigham Young University-Provo.

• Brad Makaiau, $500, San Diego State University.

• Kaiulani Ostrem, $500, University of Washington.

• Travis Ostrem, $500, Oregon State University.

• Masina Tutor, $500, Brigham Young University-Provo.

• Teresa Camit, $600, DeVry Technical Institute.

• Chenoah Couvillion, $600, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

• Reuntae Juliano, $600, University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

• Vanueli Ma Sun, $1,000, Brigham Young University-Provo.

• Andrew Pontti, $1,000, Syracuse University.

• Melissa Zolkeply, $1,000, University of Puget Sound.

The Hamashige endowment is worth almost $150,000 today as Hamashige and family members including his brother Nobuichi Hamashige of Japan and sisters Tsutayo Ono of Salt Lake, Toshie Shishido of Maui and Tatsuko Fujimoto of Kaua'i, as well of some of their children and friends, continue to contribute to the fund.

But their contribution to the Kahuku students doesn't stop with the scholarships.

"The students and the Hamashige family will personally meet this Sunday for a luncheon at Turtle Bay," said Sheridan.