Nonprofit aims to uplift Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students

The Ho’omau Foundation will be honoring its sixth cohort of Kamery Lee Jr. Scholarship recipients at its annual fundraising gala at the Outrigger Canoe Club on Wednesday.

The late Lee owned a family-run flower shop for almost 30 years in Hayward, California, said his daughter JoNelle Sood, who was born, raised and resides there today. She established the foundation in May 2020 after leaving a career in high technology, human resources and talent acquisitions, to continue her fatherʻs legacy.

“I always knew I wanted to do something to give back to my community, but I didn't know what I had to offer until my dad unexpectedly passes away in 2018,” she told Aloha State Daily. “I grew up in a community where there weren't people who looked like me or shared my cultural values. My experience being Native Hawaiian is different.

"Thatʻs the fuel that started this nonprofit and what we focus on," said Sood, who along with her brother were first-generation college graduates.

The mission of Ho’omau Foundation is “to provide scholarships, mentorship and networking opportunities to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students who are active in the NHPI community attending an accredited vocational school, two-year or four-year college in the U.S.,” its website notes.

This year, 14 awards were given to students – six new and eight returning – who are pursuing their college degree nationwide from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, to Stanford University and University of Southern California, among others. In the first year, Sood won a grant and awarded five scholarships in amounts between $1,000 to $2,500, on a recurring basis, she said.

When asked about student feedback on the program, she noted, "It gives them support and confidence, so they know people believe in them. With mentorship, itʻs somebody outside of their family they can talk to about heavy pressures. The financial aspect helps with that, too.”

Sood added that 80% of the program’s scholars are from Hawaiʻi.

“Each student carries a strong connection to their cultural identity and is already making a difference — whether developing tools to teach ʻŌlelo Hawai‘i, conducting research on Native health, leading youth programs, or performing on global stages,” per the nonprofit.

Applications for next year’s cohort will open Feb. 1 and close April 16, on Sood’s dad’s birthday, she said.

“It’s continuing my dad’s legacy and who he was as a human being, and a dad, friend and grandparent," she said. "The values that we go through to choose the students who receive, they all embody that spirit and they all want to to bring their eduction, their knowledge and their love for their culture back to their local community.

“There’s a community of like-mindedness that is really nice to be around. For me, it’s been healing that I’m able bridge me being Native Hawaiian in California and still be rooted. I’m still constantly learning and educating myself. And I do things to continue to perpetuate my culture, as well. My daughter and I dance for a halau in the Bay Area and their lineage is also from O’ahu, so there’s that connection.”

Looking ahead, Sood is interested in continuing to grow her network throughout the Islands, while partnering with companies and employers that are looking to build a talent pipeline across the U.S.

Student perspective

Second-year returning Hoʻomau Foundation scholarship recipient Christina Young is pursuing her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences at UH Mānoa, with hopes of finishing the data collection portion of her dissertation by August of next year, she told ASD. She also currently works as a policy assistant for nonprofit health organization Papa Ola Lōkahi.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Young said, “I was part of the diaspora. My parents were born and raised in Kalihi and then they moved after high school and really liked it on the [Mainland], so I grew up in California. I would visit Oʻahu two weeks at a time during the summers visiting family. ... So, when I moved here for college in 2018 it wasn’t a huge culture shock. I had different opportunities for growth and more resources to connect on a deeper level to my Hawaiian culture in Hawaiʻi.”

Young said she came to Hoʻomau Foundation organically and resonates with its mission and values.

"I wouldn’t be where I am today without those opportunities,” she said. “Through the foundation, I’ve enjoyed networking and connecting with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders across the nation, as well as meeting other scholars in different fields who are contributing to their communities. For me, it’s been nice to have that other network outside of academia."

When asked what advice Young would you give to local professionals pursuing higher education, she said, "There’s a lot of pressure of going to college, especially in today’s day and age. I was fortunate to know what I wanted to do (nutrition/health care) in high school and throughout my college experience.”

“Embrace all of it. College is a time to really figure out what you do and don’t like. In my first year of college, I originally went to a state school in California. I realized I didn’t like it there, which led me to UH. I always say going to that school was my best mistake because it wouldn’t have led me to where I am today. For those people who do want to pursue higher education, as long as you have an idea of what you want to learn about, things will work themselves out."

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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.