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University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law

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Student Scholarships

What is this fund?

The cost of a college education is rising, while the need for a quality higher education is more necessary than ever before. Scholarships are powerful tools to help students overcome financial barriers to school and embrace their career aspirations.

Your gift will help fund scholarships, awards, grants and fellowships, offering aspiring future lawyers and public servants the opportunity to pursue their educational goals at Hawai‘i’s only law school.

There are many types of scholarships. Some fill financial gaps for families, and some are designed to attract and retain the most outstanding candidates to our program with generous packages. Others are created to nurture diversity and equity for our world, ensuring that students from all walks of life have access to a college education.

Fund Impact

Leilani Carrero’s Law School Journey

Leilani Carrero, Student Scholarship Recipient

Leilani Carrero says her scholarship donors have not only made it possible for her to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law, they have broadened her outlook: “The mentors who provide these scholarships, they show you a world you didn’t know existed and they open doors and your eyes to these things.” View Leilani’s story below.

Studying Law to Solve Society’s Problems

Jackie Ching is the recipient of the Cades Schutte Scholarship, the Bruce C. Bigelow Memorial Scholarship and the Hyman M. & Betty D. Greenstein Memorial Scholarship. This is an excerpt of his thank-you letter to donors.

Headshot of Jackie Ching
Jackie Ching

I am a third-year law student at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law. Growing up, I never thought that I would pursue a career in law, especially because of the well-known high financial costs of law school and the esoteric nature of the legal system.

However, after graduating from college, I worked in public service where I realized that I wanted to pursue a career where I can use the law to solve problems in our community and society.

I am very grateful to be attending Richardson. Going to Richardson has been a fulfilling experience. I am a Student Scholar Advocate and researcher for Professor Eric Yamamoto, the Fred T. Korematsu Professor of Law and Social Justice where we are examining executive branch-level evidentiary privileges. In addition, I am an articles editor for the University of Hawai‘i Law Review and am the captain of the Saul Lefkowitz Intellectual Property Moot Court team. I am also serving as President and one of the founding members of the Federal Bar Association Hawai‘i Law Student Division. 

These are wonderful opportunities, and I am grateful to be involved in so many areas of academic and student life at Richardson. These scholarships give me confidence, knowing that there are organizations in our community committed to supporting current students, including first-generation college and law students like me.

Your support not only motivates me to do my best in my coursework and programs at the law school, it also encourages me to continue striving to pursue my educational and career goals.

Working for Inclusion

Kona Keast-O’Donovan is a 2022 graduate of the William R. Richardson School of Law and a recipient of the Edward H. Nakamura Memorial scholarship.

Kona and her mother at an event
Kona and her mother

I am originally from Canada (despite my name) and grew up in a small town in southwestern Ontario. I completed my bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminal justice at Western University in London, Ontario, and my master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice policy at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario.

I am lucky enough to have an auntie on the Big Island, so I grew up visiting her and knew that Richardson was the only place I wanted to apply for law school, due to its emphasis on Indigenous studies and the opportunity it provided me to give back to the community.

I completed my Second Year Seminar on Indigenous exclusion from criminal jury panels. For a year, I researched how jury policy excludes Indigenous people, and I made recommendations for increasing inclusion, specifically noting that sustained efforts made in true partnership with Indigenous communities are desperately needed.

Indigenous people are significantly underrepresented on jury panels. This underrepresentation is the result of systemic exclusion furthered by governmental policy. The jury system is built upon settler-colonial foundations of justice, which can be incompatible with some Indigenous values, and it discourages or prevents adequate Indigenous participation.

I’m thankful for donors’ support of law students at William S. Richardson School of Law. Seeking justice through social policy is one of my main goals, and I will continue pursuing this now that I’ve graduated.

The Edward H. Nakamura Fund has been of tremendous help to me and my studies. Not only did it reinforce that my research is important, but it has also provided me with financial assistance to focus on my research and have it accepted for publication.

My goal from the beginning has been to give back to the community and I believe that my research can truly assist with addressing systemically discriminatory policy existing in the criminal justice system. UH has fantastic scholarship opportunities and I am so thankful to have been selected. This scholarship has affirmed that I am making a difference and that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.


Make a Gift

If you would like to support students at the William S. Richardson School of Law with a scholarship donation, please use the dropdown menu in the form below to select from the available scholarship funds.

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