By Barbara Bumatay Picayo
Since 1905, AAUW Honolulu has been transforming women's lives through educational funding—a tradition that continues to thrive today. What began with a single $5 pledge has evolved into a comprehensive scholarship program that has helped hundreds of women achieve their academic dreams.
Humble Beginnings: The Student Loan Fund (1905–1939)
The vision began in June 1905 when Augustus Knudsen pledged $5 toward an educational fund. By year's end, AAUW Honolulu (then known as the College Club) had raised $135, allowing them to offer their first education loan of $100 to Amy Hill—equivalent to approximately $3,500 today.
This initiative quickly united members around a common purpose. Over the next 33 years, the Student Loan Fund provided interest-free loans to more than 40 women pursuing higher education, demonstrating the club's unwavering commitment to women's advancement through education.
Expanding Horizons: The Pacific Fellowship Fund (1939–Present*)
In 1939, the organization made a pivotal decision to transition from loans to outright gifts. Recollected loan funds were invested to create the Pacific Fellowship Fund—a groundbreaking program supporting women from Pacific countries pursuing graduate studies at the University of Hawaii.
Marta Baclit, a nurse from the Philippines studying public health nursing, became the first Pacific Fellow in 1946. AAUW members didn't just provide financial assistance—they offered friendship, mentorship, and support through challenging times, establishing a holistic approach to scholarship that became the hallmark of the program.
Thanks to generous contributions from the Castle Foundation, Mary Dillingham, and others, the fund became self-sustaining by 1954. AAUW Honolulu's Pacific Fellowship grants made history as the first program bringing women from Pacific and Asian nations to study in the United States.
*Our Graduate Scholarship is now for students living and studying in Hawaiʻi and no longer called the Pacific Fellowship Fund.
Broadening Impact: Undergraduate Scholarships (1970s–Present)
The early 1970s marked another expansion when AAUW Honolulu began offering undergraduate scholarships. Initially conceived to support Micronesian women, the program was opened to all deserving undergraduate women. In 1973, the first $230 scholarship was awarded to a woman attending night classes at UH.
In the beginning, this fund flourished through member fundraising, community events, and significant contributions from E.E. Black in honor of his wife Ruth E. Black—a former AAUW Honolulu president and respected community leader.
Join Our Legacy Today
Now, 120 years after its inception, AAUW Honolulu continues its mission of helping women rise through education. Thanks to the vision of our founding members, we support more women each year through graduate and undergraduate scholarships as well as grants for working women.
Become part of this inspiring legacy by donating to AAUW Honolulu today. Together, we can continue empowering women across our island home through the transformative power of education.
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