Aloha! My name is Cash Helman, and it is truly a great privilege to be the first Hawaiian student to receive the Fernandez Earle Scholarship.

I am currently a sophomore at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, majoring in Natural Resources and Environmental Management. After obtaining my degree, I plan on using my college education not only as a path towards employment but also as a tool that aids Hawaii’s community. I hope to help educate students on the ways to becoming more resourceful and to create a more sustainable environment for future generations. Furthermore, I hope to open the Dalisay Grotkin Scholarship Fund in the memory of my mother for less fortunate students who have lost their parents. Just as the Fernandez Earle Scholarship has helped me, I would like to one-day aid students who have used perseverance to triumph over adversity.

This scholarship has not only vastly alleviated my family from the financial aspect of college, but has opened the doors to the amazing opportunities and experiences I have had here at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. To think that someone from across the world could give so much is truly a humbling experience. As we say here in Hawaii, a big “Mahalo” to the Fernandez Earle Scholarship and all the donors’ that have made this scholarship opportunity available to students here in the Islands of Hawaii.