Norman Arancon is planting seeds to inspire Hawaiʻi Island high school graduates to pursue careers in agriculture by encouraging them to begin that journey early through the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management (CAFNRM) at UH Hilo. With a renewed gift from the Edmund C. Olson Trust of Hilo, CAFNRM will award five Olson Scholarships to incoming UH Hilo students, providing full-ride financial support. The initiative also includes scholarships for several students from Hawaiʻi Community College, creating a pathway for talented local students to continue their agricultural education and develop the next generation of leaders in Hawaiʻi’s food and natural resource sectors.
“We learned that students didn’t realize there was money for them to pursue a college education in agriculture,” Arancon said. “Many students assume college is financially out of reach, even when scholarships are available.”
The renewed gift from the trust of one of Hawaiʻi's largest private landowners will support the Edmund C. Olson Trust II Scholarship for another year, with a preference for students from the Kaʻū District on Hawaiʻi Island.
“It’s equivalent to the value of a Chancellor’s Scholarship, which includes tuition, books, fees and any other related expenses associated with attendance,” Arancon explained. “Eligible students must be agriculture majors with a self-declared focus in one of the following areas: tropical horticulture, agronomy, plant science or agroecology, which is traditionally crop science.”
Students who are selected to be Olson Scholars will also be invited to become a part of a cohort of community leaders that will engage with communities across the island as agriculture and educational stewards. Their role will be to build awareness of the programs and funding opportunities at CAFNRM and provide mentorship to potential students.
Olson’s investment in Hawaiʻi Island’s agriculture community is a commitment to sustainability, said UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin.
“The late Ed Olson had confidence in Hawaiʻi’s next generation of agriculturists to have a direct impact on Hawaiʻi Island’s sustainable future,” Irwin said. “We’re grateful for his foresight and commitment to the island.”
A two-time recipient of the Edmund C. Olson Trust II Scholarship and former president of the Ag Club at UH Hilo, Leilani Jensen said any effort to build up an educated and engaged agricultural community should be encouraged.
“We’re hitting a point in human history where this is becoming more of an important issue to discuss,” said Jensen, who is pursuing a double bachelor’s degree in Tropical Agroecology and Environmental Science. “And especially here in the islands where it becomes particularly pronounced. Things here change more rapidly than in other parts of the world.”
This support directly translates into student success, with over 50 percent of them engaging in active research every year, culminating in an end-of-semester symposium. Jensen experienced this transformation firsthand.
“One of the things the scholarship allowed me to do was work one job part-time rather than two,” she noted. “So that really opened up time for me to be able to get involved with the Ag Club work and volunteering.”
By giving her the flexibility to choose her own path, she anticipates graduating with no debt. “This scholarship changed my life drastically,” Jensen said. “I tell my parents the way I see scholarships is they are paying me to succeed.”
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