HONOLULU — Waimea High School graduate Braelyn Cayaban was recently named the top county scholar in the Citizen-Scholars award program.
Made possible through a partnership between the Hawai‘i Lodging &Tourism Association, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and the state Department of Education, the annual program awards $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors from public high schools around the state.
Cayaban receives an additional $2,500 for being named the county winner.
In total, 41 graduating seniors were named Citizen-Scholars and received $1,000 scholarships.
In addition to Cayaban, the following Kaua‘i graduates are among those selected: Jeran Paleka of Kapa‘a High School, off to Southern Virginia University, and Alana G. Cayabyab of Kaua‘i High School, who is to attend Creighton University. Cayaban will attend Colorado College.
HLTA President and CEO Mufi Hannemann praised the Citizen-Scholar Class of 2021, saying “We are proud to partner with the Star-Advertiser and the Department of Education to recognize the exemplary work of these young leaders. Their accomplishments are all the more impressive when you consider that nearly half of their high school years coincided with a worldwide pandemic.”
“This is my favorite event of the entire year,” said Honolulu Star-Advertiser Chief Revenue Officer Dave Kennedy. “It warms my heart every time I hear all the bios and all the outstanding accomplishments of these Citizen-Scholars.”
Citizen-Scholars are selected by the DOE on the basis of their academic achievements and records of community service. They must have maintained a minimum 3.3 grade point average and have been outstanding stewards in their respective communities. Each scholar receives $1,000 paid directly to the college that they will attend.
The Citizen-Scholars program recognized a top male and female scholar, both of whom received an additional $5,000 scholarship: Mallory H. Go of Moloka‘i High School was selected as the top female scholar. She will attend Brown University in the fall, where she intends to study public health and Japanese. Hana High &Intermediate School’s Owali Moea‘i was chosen as the top male scholar. He will attend Brigham Young University-Hawai‘i, where he will major in computer science and Hawaiian language.
