ARDA-Hawaii Awards Scholarships to Two HPU Students

PRLog (Press Release) - Jun 04, 2010 -
HONOLULU-The American Resort Development Association of Hawaii (ARDA-Hawaii) has awarded the Steve Hirano Memorial Scholarship Award of $1,000 to two Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) students from Maui in the Travel Industry Management (TIM) program, Bronson Maulupe-Kanae and Ryley Mayo. Every year, ARDA-Hawaii raises money from its annual golf tournament to support the Steve Hirano Memorial Scholarship fund, created as a tribute to the late public affairs executive who was a long-time supporter of the timeshare industry in Hawaii.

"We congratulate both Bronson and Ryley for their academic achievements and passion for pursuing a career in the state's leading industry," said ARDA-Hawaii Chair Daniel Dinell, Vice President of Hilton Grand Vacations Club. "We thank our sponsors and donors for supporting the scholarship award and for recognizing the importance of timeshare for our island home."

Maulupe-Kanae is a graduate of Maui High School and Mayo is a graduate of Lahainaluna High School. Both are TIM majors at HPU.

ARDA-Hawaii created the Steve Hirano Memorial Scholarship Award to facilitate the education of students attending HPU, and provide an opportunity for students to pursue a career in the timeshare industry. Applicants must be enrolled full-time in the TIM program with a Junior or Senior class status, and have a 3.20 minimum GPA. Preference is given to students from Hawaii.

Since its inception, the ARDA-Hawaii Golf Tournament has raised more than $60,000 for the scholarship fund.

ARDA-Hawaii is the local chapter of the American Resort Development Association, the national timeshare trade association. Hawaii's timeshare industry generates close to 10,000 jobs in tourism, construction, and allied industries. The state's 8,800 timeshare units account for 10 percent of the State's visitor lodging inventory and thousands of jobs. Timeshare owners and guests generate $3 billion in direct timeshare-related spending in Hawaii. Learn more about "Timeshare with Aloha" at www.ARDA.org or email hawaii@arda.org.