Three Maui grads are getting help with college costs thanks to the Construction Industry of Maui.
The CIM Bob Poulson Scholarship encourages local students to pursue a degree in the construction and design industry — away from Maui — then bring their knowledge and skills back to the Valley Isle.
This year, CIM has awarded each student — Leah Burns, a Maui Preparatory Academy grad; Brennan Tanaka, a graduate of Kamehameha Schools Maui; and Dominick Guiwa, a graduate of Maui High School — a $20,000 scholarship. They received their scholarships at a banquet last month.
Burns, who was born and raised in Lahaina, says she plans to venture to the Mainland, where she'll study landscape architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
"My interest in architecture stems from the loss of my home and town in the 2023 Lahaina wildfires," she told Aloha State Daily earlier this month in an emailed response to questions. "I knew I wanted a career that allowed me to care for others and give back to my community. Architecture combines my creativity and artistic skills with my empathy and desire to give back to my community."
On Aug. 8, 2023, fires flamed by winds from a passing storm ravaged parts of the Valley Isle. More than 100 people were killed in the blaze that destroyed much of Lahaina town.
Burns says that after five years at Cal Poly, she'll have her architecture license and plans to return to Maui — and Lahaina specifically — to be a part of the town's rebuild, "and help restore not just houses, but homes."
She was "completely shocked" when she received the phone call about the scholarship award.
"After I got off the phone, I literally ran to my mom to tell her the news!" Burns says. "It was such a relief. I knew the award was at least $10,000, and I was shook at that alone. At the actual ceremony when I and the other winners were awarded our checks, I saw the official amount, $20,000, and I started tearing up! It was unbelievable!"
Burns told ASD that Cal Poly has been her dream college with her dream program and this award helps her dreams become reality.
"My parents not only have to pay for my college, they also pay for my older brother's college, on top of trying to figure out whether or not we can rebuild our Lahaina home," she says. "This award takes off some pressure and financial burden. This award has also connected me with so many different people in the industry, and these connections may help me find internships and possibly jobs in the future. This award has helped me in so many different ways and I am forever grateful!"
For his part, Tanaka, of Wailuku, plans to study mechanical engineering at Northeastern University in Boston.
He told ASD in June that he became interested in engineering because of the erosion around his family's church, Pā‘ia Mantokuji.
"That made me want to pursue engineering to help solve problems like those," Tanaka says.
He was thankful to receive the scholarship and was "just celebrating when I heard the news." The scholarship will help relieve some financial burdens and allow Tanaka to "be able to focus more on college and doing the best I can."
After college, Tanaka says he'll maybe spend some time on the Mainland, but plans to one day come back home to Hawai‘i, specifically Maui, to give back to the community. He plans to do something related to the environment, like sustainability.
"I think that's because of Kamehameha Schools, too, because learning about the culture and the history, and getting more connected to the people of Hawai‘i, and wanting to give back and make sure that the future's in good hands."
Guiwa, a first-generation Filipino-American student born and raised on Maui, also hopes to pursue mechanical engineering at Santa Monica College before transferring to a university or a top mechanical engineering program.
He says he'll be the first to go to college in America, "and that is a big achievement, especially to me and my family, since I'm helping to break barriers in leading and guiding my siblings into higher education as well, especially in America."
Guiwa, of Kahului, said since he's going to Santa Monica, he'll likely pursue a master's degree in mechanical engineering with a focus on construction engineering and mechatronics in the future, "meaning that right now, as I begin college, I know that I'll either be going one of two routes, which is a speciality in the construction industry or the mechanics industry, meaning planes, military contractors, things like that."
A career in engineering was inspired in part by his father, who Guiwa says taught him mathematic and arithmetic principles when he was younger, "so that was where my strength was."
"Eventually, as I grew older, I found a lot of creativity and I developed a lot of critical thinking skills from math, and I found that I enjoyed using my hands a lot, so that's where the idea of engineering came to me, by my dad, because he knew that it was something that I was strong in."
When he learned of receiving the scholarship, Guiwa said he was ecstatic and speechless.
"This is something that's going to be incredible for my family, especially in lessening the financial burden for college, especially in California, where housing is extremely expensive."
The scholarship honors the legacy of Bob Poulson, a founding member of CIM who co-established Arita Poulson General Contracting in 1986. To date, $390,000 in scholarships have been awarded to 21 Maui County high school students.
According to CIM, to be eligible, students must graduate from a Maui County high school and enter a two- or four-year degree program in construction, engineering, landscaping or other design fields.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
