Waimea seniors receive more than $134,600 in scholarships from community donors

More than $134,600 in scholarships landed in the hands of 53 Waimea High School seniors, giving the Class of 2026 a major boost as they prepare for college and trade school. The money came from community donors, local businesses and Waimea Alumni and Friends Foundation fundraising, showing how Westside students are still being financed by neighbors, alumni and island institutions rather than relying only on larger outside aid.

The awards were handed out at a dinner in the Waimea High School cafeteria on May 12, where Nicholas Street, a Princeville resident in his 90s, attended with his two daughters and congratulated the 15 students receiving scholarships from the Street Family Charitable Fund. That fund was one of the largest contributors in the 2026 distribution, alongside Naauao o Waimea, which funded 12 scholarships, and the Waimea Alumni and Friends Foundation itself, which provided nine.

Captain Andy’s Sailing funded five scholarships, and Port Allen Sunset Grill funded one. Together, the awards reflect a scholarship network built from community traditions and recurring fundraisers, including corn sales, a golf tournament and a luau, that help convert local goodwill into actual tuition support for graduating seniors.

The Street Family Charitable Fund reaches beyond Waimea High School. It also supports scholarships through the Kapaa High School Foundation, the Kauai High School Foundation, Island School and the Kauai Community College Nursing Department, broadening the impact of one donor family across Kauai’s public and private education pipeline. For families facing tuition, housing and travel costs, that kind of support can shape whether a student stays on island, leaves for a mainland campus or chooses a career path at Kauai Community College.

The 2026 total marks a steep climb from recent years. The Waimea Alumni and Friends Foundation distributed $43,000 to 35 graduating seniors in 2022, more than $90,000 to 63 students in 2020 and nearly $80,000 to 52 students in 2024. The steady growth underscores how scholarship giving on Kauai has become a core part of the island’s spring graduation season, alongside awards distributed this month by groups including the Kiwanis Club of Kauai and the Zonta Club of Kauai.