University women award scholarships to 3 women

The American Association of University Women awarded scholarships to students Marnie Meuser, Adriana Araneta and Annette Pagay at the University of Hawaii Maui College during a ceremony on May 7.

The $2,000 AAUW Dorothy Shimer Scholarship was awarded to Meuser for the third year in a row. After earning an associates degree in accounting, Meuser is working toward a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in sustainable science management. She is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and carries a 4.0 grade-point average. She is employed at the Kealia Wildlife Refuge and also works for the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monuments. She was unable to attend the award ceremony.

The Dorothy Shimer Scholarship, established in 1994, honors one of the women who founded the AAUW Maui Branch in 1962. Shimer was branch president in 1962-63 and 1965-66 and served as the Hawaii State AAUW president in 1967.

The $2,000 AAUW Harriet Haines Scholarship was awarded to Araneta, who is working toward an administration of justice degree. A graduate of a Hawaiian language immersion school, Araneta is also enrolled in Hawaiian studies. Her long-term goal is to earn a law degree and work in the criminal justice system.

The Harriet Haines Scholarship honors another of the founding members of the AAUW Maui Branch. She was an active member of the AAUW Maui Branch for 37 years until her death in 1999 at age 102.

The $2,000 AAUW Heritage Scholarship was awarded to Pagay, who is a nontraditional student. Pagay is the mother of five children and has 16 grandchildren and 14 greatgrandchildren. Her goal is to earn a degree in human services and work with children in need.

This year, the Heritage Scholarship honors Martha Martin, a lifetime member of the AAUW Maui Branch. In her own words, she renews her membership each year “to help single women graduate with less student debt and to help them further their careers.”

Since 1987, the AAUW Maui Branch has awarded scholarships annually to women who have completed two years of post-secondary education and plan to continue at UH-MC.

Proceeds from the branch’s annual whale watch cruise provide funds for the scholarship program.

AAUW’s mission is to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, educational philanthropy and research.

Janet Walker, AAUW past president (far left), and Scholarship Chair Dorothy Tolliver (far right) present $2,000 AAUW scholarships to Adriana Araneta (second from right) and Annette Pagay.