Ten scholarships were awarded at the Hawaii Rotary Youth Foundation luncheon.

WEST MAUI — Benson Medina will be the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset’s meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 16. The meeting will be held at the Royal Ocean Terrace Restaurant at the Royal Lahaina Resort.

Medina is a member the Rotary Club of South Hilo. He has been club president twice and has served as the District 5,000 trainer for the past three years.

He is a senior investment partner with Sustainability Partners, providing infrastructure capital to state and county governments.

Besides Rotary, Benson also serves as the president of the Hawaii Island Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce and speaks frequently on the relationship between Native Hawaiian values and business. He is also an active member of Hula Halau O Kawananakoa of Keaukaha and competes each year in the Kupuna Hula Festival in Kona.

Benson will be speaking about Native Hawaiian foundational beliefs and how they coincide with Rotary’s beliefs and objectives. He will also provide the club with a Hawaiian blessing.

For more information about Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset meetings, upcoming speakers and calendar of events, visit the club’s website at https://www.rotarycluboflahainasunset.org.

In related news, ten scholarship recipients, parents and a representative from the sponsoring Rotary Clubs gathered on a recent Saturday at Tante’s Maalaea Fishmarket Restaurant for a celebration luncheon.

Eight of the students received a $5,000 scholarship award, and two of the Maui County recipients each received at $10,000 scholarship award.

The Hawaii Rotary Youth Foundation (HRYF) was founded by Maurice J. “Sully” Sullivan during his year as Rotary’s district governor in Hawaii in 1976-77.

It was Sully’s desire to assist Hawaii’s high school graduates to realize their potential by attending a college or university of their choice here in Hawaii or on the Mainland.

Scholarship awards are $5,000 for graduating Hawaii high school seniors.

At the celebration luncheon, each of the scholarship winners shared information about their college selection, their declared major and plans for their post-graduate degrees.

Also introduced were the 2022-23 Maui HRYF organizers. Katy Shroder will serve as the Maui HRYF trustee; Wendy Hornack will take over as the Central Clubs representative; and Rick Nava will serve as the Coastal Clubs representative.

Maya Ploi Blasi, a graduate of Hana High School, and Leanne Osorno, a graduate of Maui High School, were the recipients of the $10,000 Sully Sullivan and Joanna L. Scholarship awards.

The following students were selected by their respective clubs and have received a $5,000 scholarship award: Natalie Dzuiban, King Kekaulike High School, Rotary Club of Upcountry Maui; Kaylee Cordeiro, Baldwin High School, Rotary Club of Wailuku; Camry Gach, Seabury Hall, Rotary Club of Maui; Kaydence Lilio, Kamehameha Schools Maui, Rotary Club of Valley Isle Sunset; Andrei Umali, Kihei Charter School, Rotary Club of Kihei Wailea; Mark Ruaburo, Lanai High School, Rotary Club of Lanai; Maile Cacal, Lahainaluna High School, Rotary Club of Lahaina; and Grace Martin, Maui Preparatory Academy, Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunrise.

For more information about the HRYF Scholarship Program, contact HRYF Maui Trustee Joanne Laird at mamalrd01@gmail.com or go to the HRYF website: https://www.hawaiirotaryyouthfoundation.org.