Bryan Pontanilla-Paubox Kahikina STEM Scholarship 2023 Update

Aloha kākou! ʻO Bryan Nāʻehu Pontanilla koʻu inoa. I just finished my first year at Portland State University in Oregon and I’m still on my path of studying architecture.

It was both a fun and tough year being a college freshman so far from home. I was definitely not prepared for the cold and rainy weather of Portland! I had jackets that I brought from home but soon discovered I needed clothes much warmer and rain resistant than that. Lucky for Amazon deliveries! It was also the first time in my life being in snow which was a bit unusual since it doesn’t usually snow in Downtown Portland.

At PSU only about 0.5% of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders make up the campus population. At first I felt a bit out of place but most people I met this year were very helpful and friendly. I was also able to connect with other Native Hawaiians through our Pacific Islanders Club. I was not a club member this year but I attended some of their events and the end of year lūʻau which served ʻono Hawaiian food.

I am currently home for the summer and doing an internship with Sustainable Pacific. I was lucky enough to receive this internship through the Kāpili ʻOihana Program of Kamehameha Schools. I am learning a lot about sustainability and see many connections with how to make architecture design more sustainable-friendly.

I can’t believe that I will be a sophomore in college soon! Time has gone by very quickly and I plan to continue studying hard and reaching my goal of becoming an architect and coming back to our state to help our people with affordable housing.

Mr. Greevy always tells us that he believes in us and that makes a world of difference! I really do want to thank Mr. Greevy and the Paubox Kahikina STEM Scholarship Committee for picking me as one of the 2022 scholars. I was so nervous to attend the Paubox luncheon this past December, but soon realized that so many successful Native Hawaiians are here to guide and support us. I will treasure these connections forever! Mahalo again and I look forward to seeing everyone, including the new 2023 Paubox Scholars, again this December on Oahu.