Three Maui Graduates Receive Josh and Souk Jerman Foundation Scholarships

Three Maui County high school graduates were awarded $1,000 each by the Josh and Souk Jerman Foundation Scholarship program.

The Josh and Souk Jerman Foundation Scholarship has provided scholarships to college-bound students who will attend an accredited four-year college or university for fourteen years.

(L to R) Nickolas Lopes from King Kekaulike High School, Katelynn Oliveira from Hāna High and Elementary School and Daniel Ornelas from Maui Preparatory Academy received the 2017 Josh and Souk Jerman Foundation Scholarship. Photo Courtesy

The program has awarded more than $41,000 in scholarships to Maui, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i high school seniors who have displayed a passion for returning to Maui County after college to contribute to the community.

This year’s recipients are Daniel Ornelas from Maui Preparatory Academy, Nickolas Lopes from King Kekaulike High School and Katelynn Oliveira from Hāna High and Elementary School.

In the fall, Ornelas will attend the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, where he plans to study communication. Lopes is attending the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, where he is pursuing a degree in pre-veterinary medicine. Oliveira will attend UH Maui College, where she plans to fulfill her dream of earning a culinary arts degree.

Ornelas said the scholarship will help him achieve his academic goals. “The Josh and Souk Jerman Foundation Scholarship will help loosen the load I face financially going to college,” he explained. “Money and time are both critical resources for success; this scholarship makes it so that I can focus more on my dreams for college instead of focusing on college loans. Not only this, but I can look forward to dreams as more of a reality—rather than just a dream. Now I can spend a lot more resources on my goals and aspirations.”

Lopes is also grateful to be one of this year’s scholarship recipients. “The Josh and Souk Jerman Foundation Scholarship will help me achieve my academic goals by giving me and my family peace of mind,” he said. “It will allow me to concentrate on my education and not worry too much about the financial portion of my education. This will help lift the financial burden from us.”

Oliveira said she was elated to learn that she had been selected as one of this year’s recipients. “I was excited and very surprised at the same time,” she said. “I am both honored and grateful for the opportunity to use this money towards my education. This scholarship will help me achieve my academic goals by providing me with the necessary tools for a successful, knowledge-filled college career.”

Ornelas encourages all college-bound students to apply for scholarships like the Josh and Souk Jerman Foundation Scholarship. “Applying for scholarships and for college can be a scary and a laborious experience, but it doesn’t have to be,” he said. “Instead, make it fun and passionate. Everyone has a story; everyone has some event or series of events in their life that make them who they are. Realize your story and share it. Share it with all your heart, because you deserve to be recognized for it.”

Josh Jerman, an award-winning, top-producing real estate broker on Maui since 2004, and his wife, Souk, are the founders of the Josh and Souk Jerman Foundation Scholarship program. To learn more, visit here.