YWCA of Kauai awards scholarships to two young women

The YWCA of Kauai awarded scholarships to Isabel Gampon and Brynn Lee Hirata at its Women’s Center in Līhue, selecting the two students from 36 applicants. Gampon received the YWCA of Kauai Board of Directors Scholarship, and Hirata received the YWCA of Kauai Young Women’s Scholarship.

The awards were presented Thursday, July 2, during a small gathering with YWCA staff, board members and the students’ families. The intimate setting underscored how local support for higher education often starts close to home, with a community organization recognizing academic promise before students leave the island for college or continue their studies on Kauai.

YWCA Executive Director Cheryl Lum said the organization believes women have a right to equal opportunity in pursuing their goals, and that the scholarships reflect the YWCA’s commitment to supporting young women of Kauai as they move toward their future plans. The awards also point to the practical costs that can push college out of reach, including tuition, books and other school-related expenses that can weigh especially heavily on island families.

The YWCA of Kauai said it has served its rural island community since 1921 and frames its work around eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Its website also lists a 24-hour hotline and survivor services, which places the scholarship program within a broader network of support for women and families rather than as a stand-alone education grant.

The scholarship program is not new. A YWCA account from 2022 said the organization was in its sixth year of awarding scholarships to young women heading to college, and that year it distributed $8,000 to four recipients at the Women’s Center. A later report showed the YWCA reviewing 35 scholarship applications and awarding two scholarships, a pattern that matches this year’s 36-applicant pool and points to a recurring, competitive process rather than a one-time donation.

Lum’s arrival as executive director in 2025 followed the retirement of Renae Hamilton-Cambeilh after nearly three decades with the organization. The leadership transition and the continuing scholarship program show an institution trying to maintain a steady pipeline of support for Kauai’s young women as they move into higher education and, eventually, into the island’s civic and professional life.