A $1.5 million gift from the Kaneta Foundation will expand the Lunalilo Scholars Program at Kapiʻolani Community College, enabling more students to access higher education and comprehensive wraparound support. Marian and Lester Kaneta have also pledged continued support, ensuring the program reaches more than 1,000 students by 2027.
“When we started the program, I wasn’t as optimistic as Lester,” said Marian Kaneta. “I had my reservations at first. As I listened to that first cohort’s family stories and the hardships they’d endured, it was clear these were individuals living on the very edges of society – some just barely getting by.”
Now in its 14th year, the Lunalilo Scholars Program has grown from its initial cohort of 22 students to an average of 70-80 participants per year. More than 900 scholars have now completed the program, demonstrating higher retention and graduation rates than comparable student groups.
