The HPM Foundation pledged $100,000 to the University of Hawai‘i Foundation to provide college scholarships for students enrolled at University of Hawai‘i campuses across the state, according to a news release.
Students may apply for the new Robert M. Fujimoto Memorial Scholarship and Building Future Builders Scholarship via the UH Common Scholarship Application Portal.
The deadline to apply for the 2024-2025 academic year is 4 p.m. Hawai‘i time on March 1, 2024.
“Higher education is a catalyst that helps individuals to achieve their highest potential,” says Jason Fujimoto, president, CEO and fifth-generation leader of HPM Building Supply. “For the last 50 years, the HPM Foundation has awarded scholarships to students on Hawai‘i island, where HPM has roots stretching back more than a century.
“Now, as a company that has been fortunate to grow across all islands, we are excited to support college students statewide in partnership with the UH Foundation through a new scholarship in honor of my grandfather, Bobby Fujimoto, and an expansion of our Building Future Builders scholarship for carpentry program students.”
Up to $20,000 will be awarded annually statewide via the Robert M. Fujimoto Memorial Scholarship and the Building Future Builders Scholarship.
The first scholarship is named for Robert “Bobby” M. Fujimoto, retired chairman and CEO of HPM, who died in 2020 at age 93. Full-time UH undergraduate students who graduated from a Hawai‘i high school and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, as well as all Hawai‘i high school seniors intending to enroll full-time at UH, are invited to apply for the $1,000 scholarships awarded in his name.
The Building Future Builders Scholarship assists students enrolled in the carpentry program at any University of Hawai‘i Community College campus, helping cover costs associated with the second year of attendance, including tuition, books and student fees. Full- and part-time UH Community College carpentry program students who graduated from a Hawai‘i high school and have a current GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible to apply. Recipients will receive $750 each.
From 1973 through 2023, the HPM Foundation awarded the Barney S. Fujimoto Memorial Scholarship and the Hawai‘i Community College Building Future Builders Scholarship.
This year’s final award recipients, who were selected based on academic achievement and community service, each received $1,000. Tiare Regina Morita is a 2023 graduate of Kapa‘a High School on Kaua‘i and is currently enrolled at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, where she intends to major in psychology. Michael Endres is a 2023 graduate of Mililani High School on O‘ahu and is currently enrolled at Leeward Community College, where he intends to major in natural science.
The 2023 Hawai‘i Community College Building Future Builders Scholarship winners are Joshua Crouch and Leonard Garlitos, who each received $750 to help with expenses during the second year of Hawai‘i Community College’s carpentry program.
