Konawaena graduate wins Keauhou Canoe Club scholarship for archaeology study

Konawaena High School graduate Melina Kaupiko received a $2,000 scholarship from Keauhou Canoe Club to help pay for her studies in archaeology at Portland State University. The award keeps Kaupiko on a path she said she chose to help Native Hawaiian and other Indigenous communities preserve and understand cultural heritage, while also adding another name to a scholarship list that has stretched across West Hawai‘i for nearly two decades.

Kaupiko, who is from Miloli‘i, began paddling at age 13 with Miloli‘i Canoe Club before later paddling with Keauhou Canoe Club. Her scholarship application tied that experience to the way she grew up in Hawai‘i, saying it shaped her appreciation for ancestral knowledge and traditions. In high school, she also played volleyball, an activity that helped her build teamwork, balance and perseverance, the qualities she pointed to as part of her preparation for college and for the work she hopes to do after graduation.

The scholarship is named for Mary MacCheyne, a Kona coffee farmer and paddler remembered by the club for positivity, hard work and service. Keauhou Canoe Club President Bill Armer has said MacCheyne brought that same enthusiasm to the water and to club workdays. Since 2008, the club has awarded more than 30 local seniors scholarships totaling $53,500, turning a paddling community tradition into direct help for students taking the next step after high school.

The same sports brief that highlighted Kaupiko’s award also pointed to a more immediate need in Ka‘u: the athletic program at Ka‘u High and Pahala Elementary School is accepting applications for a head girls volleyball coach. For students and families in the district, the opening means the program is in another hiring search before the season, with practices, player development and team organization depending on someone willing to step in. In a county where school sports often rely on volunteer leadership and close community ties, the coaching vacancy is a reminder that keeping a program running takes as much commitment off the court as on it.