Paubox Kahikina Scholarship 2024
Aloha! My name is Cashel Akana and I am extremely thankful to be a 2024 recipient of the Paubox Kahikina STEM Scholarship. This past spring I graduated from the University Laboratory School in Manoa, and this upcoming fall I’m excited to be attending Oregon State University in Corvallis. At OSU I will be pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a minor in Marine Biology. This scholarship is a great help to me in my academic journey.
I’ve always been fascinated by technology. Even though I understand how a lightbulb works or how an x-ray functions, I’m still amazed. It just seems so incredible, like real life magic. For a few summers, I was able to join a program in which I could take a robotics class. I had so much fun working with others to design and build a robot. We got to code it and make it run obstacle courses or even fight other students’ robots. Ever since then, my love of working up close and personal with technology has only grown.
I started attending the University Laboratory School in 6th grade, and I will be forever grateful for my time there. From the very beginning, the school sparked my curiosity across so many subjects. Science, my favorite subject, especially got ample time to shine at my school. I got to take a wide variety of science classes and learned so much. One of my favorite classes was Marine Science. Unfortunately the pandemic was at its peak around that time so I had to take most of the year online. Despite that, and thanks to my wonderful teacher, the class really inspired me. I learned about wave patterns, water salinity, underwater geography, and my favorite of all, undersea species. Taking that class sent me down an exciting rabbit hole of underwater possibilities.
As I finished out my years of high school, I tried to narrow down all my interests into a singular major or course of study. It was hard, because as much as I’d like to, I couldn’t major in everything. I ended up focusing on my love of technology and the ocean. Marine engineering was a very attractive career to me, because in the career I could do all sorts of interesting things combining engineering and marine science. From remotely operated exploration vessels to underwater screens to project and study shark body language, I could do it. This also allows me to explore two of my biggest passions in my studies.
Since I am originally from the Pacific Northwest, I’m excited to be returning to pursue higher education in Oregon. Oregon State University, which is widely known for its engineering program and has one of the best marine science programs in the country, seemed like a perfect fit for me. It will definitely be a hard adjustment to live so far away from my parents, but I am extremely motivated to do well and make them proud.
I strongly believe a mixture of technology and nature is a great way to address old problems in the natural world with modern solutions. Not only that, but it can also be a way to keep Hawaii in the global forefront of technological research focused on preserving the natural environment. In the future, I hope my work in the marine engineering field and my peers in similar fields helps to preserve the ecosystems and balance of life not only in our Hawaii community, but also the world.
The Paubox Kahikina Scholarship is helping cover the cost of my education to lighten the burden on myself and my parents. It makes seeking higher education more realistic and affordable. With this scholarship I can worry a little less about the cost of college and focus more of my time on my studies. Mahalo again, I’m so honored to be a recipient of this award!