Former Hilo educator and administrator Audrey Furukawa established the Audrey S. Furukawa Study Abroad Scholarship Endowment. Furukawa made the lead gift upon her retirement from Hilo, and then enlisted the community to raise additional funds.

To be eligible, students must be enrolled fulltime as an undergraduate at Hilo and show academic merit as demonstrated with a minimum 3.2 GPA. The study experience will be at least one semester and reserved for students who have not studied, traveled or lived abroad for more than a month. Preference will be given to Hawai‘i high school graduates.

A lifelong resident of Hilo, Furukawa attended Hilo College, the predecessor of UH Hilo, and then went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Manoa. She spent over 30 years as a faculty member and administrator at Hilo, retiring in 2008 from dual positions as executive assistant to the chancellor, and director of the Center for Global Education and Exchange.

“I wish to extend a very special thank you to my family and the many friends who joined me in creating this endowment,” says Furukawa. “Your gift will enable eligible Hawai’i students to begin their global education journey and open infinite doors of opportunity.”

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UPDATE 8/31/08: Story in today’s Hawaii Tribune-Herald