Charles & Mitch Ota Foundation Scholarship This scholarship was established in 2020 by the Board of Directors for the Charles & Mitch Ota Foundation. Created in memory of the lifelong Maui residents, Charles and Mitch Ota who shared a deep love for their island home and left a lasting legacy for its children. During their lifetime, the Otas quietly supported hundreds of students at Maui schools, focusing on those who desired to go to college, but had not yet found the means to reach that goal due to lack of experiences, resources and structure.
The Otas firmly believed that if college led students to destinations beyond Maui, to new lifestyles and cultures, the student’s growth as a person would be greatly enhanced. Their hope was that those students would return to Maui, bringing all that they had learned back to benefit the community.
This scholarship is to benefit students from Maui that participated in Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) to attend a college or university outside of Maui County, either on other Hawai‘i islands or on the continental U.S., with the intention to sustain support for scholarship recipients through their undergraduate education.
Requirements:
- Be a resident of the State of Hawai’i
- Demonstrate financial need
- Be a high school senior or previous graduate of Maui High School or King Kekaulike High School, with preference being given to current high school seniors
- Candidate must have participated in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program while in high school, with preference for candidates who have completed at least three years of AVID classes
- Attend an accredited, two year or four year, public or private not-for-profit post-secondary institution in Hawai‘i (outside of Maui County) or on the continental US
- Attend college as a full-time student (as determined by the college’s financial aid office)
- GPA of 2.7
- Renewal candidates must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 in college