By Nakoa Nunies | Staff Writer

One of the biggest obstacles for most college students is the undeniable need for money. Whether it is used to pay for tuition or textbooks, we all need the financial resources to attend Kapi‘olani Community College. As luck would have it there are many scholarships, grants, and awards that can assist us to better our education.

The KELA Award is a grant provided by the Student Financial Assistance Program, that can award up to $1,500 per semester. Any student can apply and each year up to 20 students are present with an award.

A student may only receive this grant for eight times, where they can receive anywhere from $100 to $1,500. Each semester students must reapply for an opportunity to sustain the grant again. The money provided only covers the cost for owed tuition, so if you have other scholarships or grants that cover your tuition, you aren’t qualified for the grant.

Priority for this award is given to students who claim KCC as their home campus, are local residents of Hawaiʻi, and have not yet earned a degree. You must also have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and have a 3.0 GPA or higher in two classes in the Language, Linguistics, and Literature (LLL) department. The deadline to complete the application is Friday, Nov. 18.

However, if you do not meet the criteria, you aren’t necessarily disqualified from receiving the grant. After filling out an application, students then submit a written statement as part two of the application.

Applying for the grant is as easy as filling out an application form then submitting a written statement to Lisa Kanae, the chair of the LLL department. You can contact Kanae at lkanae@hawaii.edu for any additional information or questions about the KELA Awards.