Hawaii Education Association awards scholarships to two Maui residents

Kahului resident Dillon Gunderson and Wailuku resident Kristen Takamiya have received scholarships from the Hawaii Education Association, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to improving education by supporting Hawaiʻi students and educators in public, charter and private schools.

Gunderson, a Maui High School graduate, was awarded an HEA Teaching As A Career Club and Career and Technical Education Pathway High School Senior Scholarship. This is jointly sponsored by Pi Lambda Theta-Beta Zeta Hawaiʻi Chapter.

Gunderson will use the $500 scholarship to pursue a career in teaching.

Ironically, he said he never felt the urge to become a teacher and had his mind set on becoming a chef. However, his goals changed in his first year in high school when he met advisor Rondy Arquero who shared the importance of a teacher in a child’s life.

Throughout high school, Gunderson volunteered with activities and programs in schools throughout Maui, including Maui High School’s Education Advisory Board. Now that he has graduated, he will be pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree, focusing on elementary education, at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College and eventually transfer to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Takamiya was awarded a $2,000 HEA Student Teacher Scholarship. She will receive a Bachelor of Education degree, specializing in music from kindergarten to grade 12 from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa this fall.

Takamiya is a student teacher at Maryknoll School (grades pre-kindergarten to the fourth grade) and at llima Intermediate School.

“I strongly believe that music is our universal language and that every student should have the right to have access to music education just like STEM subjects,” she said. “Music is an invisible source of information that can communicate feelings and messages that everyone can relate to in one shape or another.”

Takamiya is a collegiate member of the National Association of Music Education, Hawaiʻi Music Educators Association and Hawaiʻi Orff Schulwerk Association.

Statewide, HEA awarded 12 scholarships to educators and students in six categories, totaling $18,495. HEA’s investment in students furthers their education and supports their professional development, and ultimately enhances their capability to deliver a quality learning experience for students.

The Hawaii Education Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1921 that strives to improve education in Hawaiʻi. HEA brings together educators from public, private and charter schools, professors, and supporters to spark improvements in education for all educators and students statewide.