2022 SPIO Scholarship Recipients
We are honored to announce our 2022 SPIO Scholarship Award Recipients.
About South Pacific Islander Organization
South Pacific Islander Organization (SPIO) is a 100% volunteer-led 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to building global Pacific Islander presence across academic and professional fields through digitally accessible resources. Our resources include a spotlight program, a directory of educational resources, and a digital network.
About the 2022 Scholarships
SPIO offered four (4) scholarships:
One (1) Academic Scholarship - $5,000 USD
One (1) Extracurricular Scholarship - $5,000 USD
One (1) Community Leadership Scholarship - $5,000 USD
One (1) Pasifika Bay Area Storytelling Grant - $4,000 USD
The scholarships were eligible to scholars of Pacific Islander descent planning to attend an accredited institution of higher education during the 2022-2023 academic school year.
Who funded the 2022 scholarships? The Academic Scholarship, Extracurricular Scholarship, and Community Leadership Scholarship were funded by individual donors and Nike’s Until We All Win campaign. The Pasifika Bay Area Storytelling Grant was funded by Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Our 2022 Applicant Pool
We received over 20 applications from around the world.
10 academic scholarship applications
6 extracurricular scholarship applications
8 community leadership scholarship applications
4 eligible applicants for the Pasifika Bay Area Storytelling grant.
Scholars represented Fiji, Guåhan, Hawai’i, Kingdom of Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Rapa Nui, Samoa, and Solomon Islands.
OUR SCHOLARSHIP TEAM’S BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS
We continue to be inspired by the next generation of Pasifika scholars.
This year’s applicant pool showcased a strong desire to uplift their families and communities by pursuing higher education. Many applicants discussed the challenges they have faced so far in their academic journey, how they are working to overcome them, and how they plan to pave a way for future Pasifika applicants in their academic fields.
In 2023, we hope to offer more scholarships.
Our goal for the future is to continue offering our annual 3 $5,000 scholarships, but we hope to offer additional scholarships to support more of our deserving global scholars.
2022 SPIO Scholarship Recipients
Click on their pictures to read their profiles.
Do you have any questions about the 2022 Scholarships?
Contact us at scholarships@southpacificislander.org