Hilo student awarded $3,000 dental scholarship to serve Hawaiʻi

A Hilo resident and dental hygiene student, Samantha Oliveira Gasmen Goodman, received a $3,000 scholarship from the Hawaiʻi Dental Service Foundation on January 17, 2026, part of a statewide push to support the next generation of oral health professionals. The award was one of 14 scholarships granted to dental hygiene students across Hawaiʻi this year as the foundation distributed a total of $122,000 to dental and dental hygiene students.

The foundation’s funding provides immediate financial relief for students facing tuition and living expenses and represents an investment in local workforce development. For Big Island County residents, that investment translates into potential increases in the number of locally trained providers who may remain in Hawaiʻi after graduation to treat keiki, kupuna, and rural communities where access to dental care can be limited.

Scholarships of this size help reduce barriers that can push young professionals off-island, particularly in professions where training costs and the cost of living weigh heavily on new graduates. By directing dollars toward students already living and studying in the islands, the foundation is targeting a pipeline approach: support students now with the expectation that a share will return to practice in their communities.

Institutionally, the gift raises questions about long-term retention and accountability. Philanthropic scholarships are an important supplement to public funding and private practice incentives, but their impact depends on whether recipients remain in-state and enter community practices. Tracking outcomes—such as where recipients establish practices, the populations they serve, and whether they accept public insurance—will determine whether the funding shifts access to care for underserved neighborhoods on the Big Island.

For community leaders and policymakers, the scholarship program underscores the need to pair financial aid with broader strategies to retain health professionals, including loan repayment programs, clinic support in rural areas, and collaboration with community health centers. Residents may see effects in the years after graduation if more clinicians choose to stay and serve locally.

What this means for Big Island County is practical and long term: the $3,000 award to Goodman and the broader $122,000 distribution represent steps toward strengthening the island’s dental workforce, but the true measure will be whether these investments translate into more appointment availability, reduced travel for care, and sustained local practices. The community should watch for follow-up on where recipients practice and advocate for complementary policies that turn scholarships into lasting access for patients.