Yuna Lee and Jaysen Akahi-Vida each received $32,500 Bob Poulson CIM Scholarships at a banquet on May 24.

The Construction Industry of Maui and its supporters raised $65,000 at the CIM scholarship fundraising event held in November 2022.

Two West Maui high school seniors, carefully selected by the CIM committee, were awarded a $32,500 Bob Poulson CIM Scholarship at a banquet on May 24.

The Bob Poulson Scholarship encourages Maui students to pursue a degree in the construction and design industry out of state, then bring their acquired knowledge and skills back to Maui to serve their communities.

This year’s scholarship recipients are seniors Jaysen Akahi-Vida of Lahainaluna High School and Yuna Lee of Maui Preparatory Academy.

Bob Poulson was a steward in the Maui community and a construction industry veteran. One of the original leaders of the Construction Industry of Maui organization, he co-founded Arita Poulson General Contracting in 1986 and was involved with the building and remodeling of over 1,000 projects statewide, including schools, hotels, healthcare facilities and other significant commercial projects on Maui.

This scholarship was created to honor Poulson’s legacy and perpetuate his spirit of helping others. He enjoyed teaching young people about the opportunities in the construction industry.

To date, $200,000 in scholarship funds have been awarded to deserving Maui high school students.

Criteria for the scholarships included the graduate must be from a Maui high school and entering a two- or four-year degree program in construction, engineering, landscaping and/or other design fields.

Akahi-Vida is pursuing a degree in Architectural and Civil Engineering from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. As an athlete, Jaysen has always taken pride in his ability to challenge himself both physically and academically.

A fourth-generation pig farmer, he hopes that his humble beginnings and work ethic instilled in him by his family will be the foundation to great success for his future.

“My dream is to one day become the owner of a world class Maui-based business,” Jaysen said. “And I would like to build this dream alongside a strong crew of construction, planning and design industry professionals from my community.”

Lee is a member of the National Honor Society, the Student Senate and the GSA Club.

Yuna’s passion for building began as a youngster, and she was often found “inventing” products or gadgets and building with Legos or other available materials.

She plans to attend Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington to major in Engineering with a minor in Construction Management and Business.

“My intent is to return to Maui after graduation and establish a business that constructs affordable, sustainable homes for our communities,” she said. “My goal is to use my education, my love for Maui and work hard to improve my community and its future.”

“We are beyond excited to award these two scholarships to two very deserving local students who met very high academic standards and other requirements during our selection period,” said Anthony Nelson, CIM Scholarship Committee chair and president of the Maui-based company Rethink Restoration.

“We are so grateful to everyone in the construction and Maui community for their generosity in making these scholarships possible, so these students can pursue their dreams of higher education, earn their degree and then come back to Maui to make an impact in the construction industry. These students will become role models for future generations.”

The scholarship mission of CIM is to encourage and shape the future leaders of the industry at a time when there is a shortage of qualified professionals and skilled craftworkers.

CIM represents roughly 100 member companies and unifies the community by taking on legislative actions; providing scholarships to local students; hosting training seminars, monthly membership meetings and “lunch and learns;” and undertaking volunteer community projects.