$1M gift expands scholarships for Maui nursing students

The Gilbert and Aileen Chuck Charitable Trust has awarded an additional $1 million to the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College to expand scholarships for nursing students – helping more Maui residents pursue careers in healthcare at a time when the island faces a critical nursing shortage.

The new $1 million pledge builds on the trust’s initial $2 million gift that established the Kam Scholars Program. Together, these funds offer full academic scholarships for students enrolled in UH Maui College’s Practical Nurse (PN) and Associate in Science Registered Nurse (ASN) programs, and will eventually support students in the college’s anticipated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. In the interim, the scholarship also assists UHMC ASN graduates in pursuing their BSN at other campuses by covering tuition, books, fees and other essential expenses.

“In addition to funding education, this new grant is opening doors to opportunity, stability and service,” said Ron Purdy, trustee for the foundation. “My heart always sunk whenever I’d hear someone say, ‘I want to go to nursing school, but I can’t afford it.’ We hope this gift helps change that story for more Maui students.”

For local families like the Gabuats, that change is already happening. Phoebe Gabuat (ADN ’91, UHMC, BSN ’12, UH Hilo) remembers the financial strain she faced while earning her nursing degrees. “I juggled multiple part-time jobs and stretched every dollar, always wondering if I could afford to continue,” she said.

Now, her son, Aaron Gabuat, is a Kam Scholar.

“When he got the scholarship, I could see he was much calmer and lighter,” she said. “He really worked hard to earn it, and we’re proud of him.”

The Kam Scholars Program honors Aileen Chuck’s father, Edwin T. Kam (1904–1993), a physician who practiced in Windward Oʻahu after training in China and at the University of Pennsylvania.

“The Gilbert and Aileen Chuck Charitable Trust believes that when you invest in a nurse, you’re investing in an individual, their family and the Maui community for years to come,” Purdy said. “That’s the legacy Gilbert and Aileen cared so deeply about.”

UHMC’s nursing program is part of the Hawaiʻi Statewide Nursing Curriculum and now offers two accredited pathways: the PN and an ASN. The school anticipates offering a Bachelor of Science in Nursing as of Fall 2026 to help address Hawaiʻi’s growing nursing shortage.

“We are deeply grateful to the Gilbert and Aileen Chuck Charitable Trust and their trustees for their unwavering commitment to our students and our program,” said UH Maui College Chancellor Lui Hokoana. “Their generosity doesn’t just provide financial support – it opens doors, changes lives and strengthens the future of healthcare on Maui.”