Student Employees Receive Scholarships from McDonald’s

McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii scholarship presentation participants included (left to right) Ed Yamamura, McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii owner/operator; Dena Austria, McDonald’s of Maui; Li Xia Peng, McDonald’s of Discovery Bay; Sharmaine Pascua, McDonald’s of Kīhei; Lucky Dave Magarin, McDonald’s of Maui; Sheena Ann Castillo, McDonald’s of Maui; Zachary Espino, McDonald’s of Waimanalo; Abegail Cabudol, McDonald’s of Laulani; Kristianee Francisco, McDonald’s of Salt Lake; Nicholas Ige, McDonald’s of Waipahu; Martin Lau, McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii multi-department head. Missing from the photo is Joyce Yoo, McDonald’s of Wahiawa. Photo of courtesy of McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii.

McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii awarded $25,000 in scholarships to 10 of its top student employees, including four recipients from Maui.

The high school seniors were selected based on academic achievement, community involvement and on-the-job performance.

Each recipient received a $2,500 scholarship and was honored at an Employee Scholarship Awards Luncheon on Saturday, April 23.

· Dena Austria – McDonald’s of Maui
Dena is a student at Maui High School and plans to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa to pursue a degree in biology.

· Sheena Ann Castillo – McDonald’s of Maui
Sheena Ann is a student at Maui High School and plans to attend the University of Hawai‘i Maui College to pursue a degree in culinary arts.

· Lucky Dave Magarin – McDonald’s of Maui
Lucky Dave is a student at Maui High School and plans to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to pursue a degree in physics.

· Sharmaine Pascua – McDonald’s of Kīhei
Sharmaine is a student at Maui High School and plans to attend the University of Hawai‘i Maui College to pursue a degree in computer engineering.

· Abegail Cabudol – McDonald’s of Laulani
Abegail is a student at James Campbell High School and plans to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa to pursue a degree in computer engineering.

· Zachary Espino – McDonald’s of Waimanalo
Zachary is a student at Kailua High School and plans to attend Hawaii Pacific University to pursue a degree in political science.

· Kristianee Francisco – McDonald’s of Salt Lake
Kristianee is a student at Radford High School and plans to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa to pursue a degree in engineering, architecture or interior design.

· Nicholas Ige – McDonald’s of Waipahu
Nicholas is a student at Pearl City High School and plans to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa to pursue a degree in nursing.

· Li Xia Peng – McDonald’s of Discovery Bay
Li Xia is a student at McKinley High School and plans to attend Kapiolani Community College to pursue a degree in liberal arts.

· Joyce Yoo – McDonald’s of Wahiawa
Joyce is a student at Leilehua High School and plans to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa to pursue a degree in biology or computer science.

“McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii is committed to supporting our hardworking employee-scholars as they pursue college degrees,” said Victor Lim, McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii owner/operator. “We understand the importance of investing in our employees to help them further their education and achieve their dreams. Congratulations to all our winners.”

The Employee Scholarship Program is one of many programs McDonald’s uses to assist employees in reaching their educational goals. McDonald’s also supports employee education through the Archways to Opportunity program, which helps employees further their careers both at McDonald’s and elsewhere.

As participants in the program, employees are able to pursue a high school diploma and an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, as well as improve their English-language skills. Archways to Opportunity provides employees with the tools and world-class training needed to help them succeed.

Since 1995, McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships under the Employee Scholarship Program.