Scholarship deadline tomorrow

Student athletes and coaches in Hawaii high schools are reminded that applications are still being accepted for the Hawaii Medical Service Association's Kaimana Awards & Scholarship Program.

HMSA will award 21 scholarships to high school seniors this year. The application deadline is tomorrow.

Each scholarship is worth $2,000, and an additional $1,000 will be awarded to three outstanding recipients.

Winners will be selected based on athletic and academic achievement, community involvement, sportsmanship and letters of recommendation.

Applicants must be Hawaii high school seniors graduating this year, with a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.75 in their senior year. They must have played on at least one school athletic team in a league-sanctioned sport during the current school year.

Student athletes must submit a short essay on why they think they deserve a scholarship.

Applications must include recommendations from two faculty members and verification in writing by a faculty member of the student's GPA.

Scholarship winners will be notified in writing in May and recognized at a luncheon June 23 at the Hawai'i Convention Center.

The program, sponsored three years by HMSA, supports the association's goal to promote physical activity among Hawaii's youth.

Its name, Kaimana, means "diamond" in Hawaiian, reflecting the program's multifaceted nature, according to an HMSA news release.