For Na Aliʻi President Cariann Ah Loo, helping Native Hawaiian students receive an education not only represents the Nakupuna Companies’ commitment to promoting the success of the Native Hawaiian community, but also serves as a tribute to her father, Na Aliʻi founder Warren Nakupuna Ah Loo. So, in 2016, the Nakupuna Companies established the Warren Nakupuna Ah Loo Memorial Scholarship, a college scholarship program for students at Kamehameha Schools, a K-12 school network dedicated to educating Native Hawaiian students at its three campuses in Hawaiʻi.
In a profile of Ah Loo featured in the 2018 Kamehameha Schools Annual Report, she noted that attending Kamehameha Schools, just as her father had, gave her “the opportunity to build a strong foundation that has shaped her life.” Building upon this foundation, the Warren Nakupuna Ah Loo Memorial Scholarship program supports Kamehameha students of Native Hawaiian ancestry who demonstrated academic excellence and an interest in contributing to the betterment of the Hawaiian community. The Nakupuna Companies recently awarded their first-ever scholarship to Jade Ishii.
“Selecting the first recipient of the scholarship was truly a momentous event for my ʻohana because it solidified my dad’s legacy,” Ah Loo said. “It is rewarding to know that you can make a difference in someone’s life.”