Maui Culinary and Tourism Students Awarded $6,000 in Scholarships

Maui Hotel & Lodging Association presents scholarships to UH Maui College (from left to right): Koa Taylor; Lisa Paulson, Executive Director, MHLA; Shermila Sioson (back); Rhea Salvador (front); Josefina Sanchez; Jason Amby; Melissa Haake; Gregg Nelson, GM, Napili Kai Beach Resort and MHLA Board President. Courtesy photo.

By Maui Now Staff

A total of $6,000 was awarded to six University of Hawaiʻi Maui College students from the non-profit Maui Hotel & Lodging Association.

The funds were raised from proceeds at the annual Excellence in Education golf tournament that raises scholarship funds for Maui students in culinary and hospitality programs.

Three students from the Maui Culinary Academy and three Business & Hospitality students each received a $1,000 scholarship, the MHLA announced in a press release.

Recipients include:

• Jason Amby: currently pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality & Tourism with plans to work in the hotel industry;
• Rhea Salvador: currently working on her Associate in Applied Science Degree in Hospitality & Tourism with plans to transfer to UH School of Travel Industry Management to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree;
• Shermila Sioson: currently working on her Associate in Applied Science Degree in Hospitality & Tourism with plans to transfer to West Oahu and pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration;
• Melissa Haʻake: currently pursuing an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts with plans to obtain a position at one of Maui’s hotels
• Josefina Sanchez: currently pursuing an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts with plans to pursue a Degree in Hospitality and become an Executive/Sous Chef; and
• Koa Taylor: completes his Associate Degree in Culinary Arts in 2015 with plans to eventually open his own restaurant.

The sixstudents were recognized as outstanding achievers by their department coordinators, and were honored during the Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Magazine’s ʻAipono Restaurant Awards gala held on April 13, at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea.

“It’s an honor to be able to provide for our future leaders. These students have excelled in their respective areas and have been justly awarded for their achievements,” said MHLA Executive Director Lisa Paulson in an organization press release.

She continued saying, “We look forward to watching these stellar students turn into the next generation of industry leaders.”

The next edition of the MHLA Excellence in Education golf tournament is scheduled to take place on August 22, 2014.