HEA Awards Professional Development Grant to Kaunakakai Resident

Anna Marie Nip. Contributed photo

HEA News Release
The Hawai‘i Education Association (HEA), a nonprofit organization founded more than 100 years ago to support educators and students aspiring to be teachers, recently awarded grants to four Maui County educators for professional development.
“We’re excited to support homegrown teachers in Maui county, for Maui county. At a time when the U.S. Department of Education is being dismantled and education is under siege at the federal level, HEA is glad to support Hawaii’s educators and students who give so much of themselves,” said Joan Kamila Lewis, HEA president and an instructional coach at Kapolei High School.
Kaunakakai resident Anna Marie Nip, the only grant recipient from Moloka‘i, received a $2,000 HEA student teacher grant, sponsored by the Helen MacKay Memorial. This scholarship is for student teachers who are attending a state-approved or nationally accredited institution of higher learning who plan to teach in a Hawai‘i Department of Education school after they graduate. These scholarships are awarded to student teachers to minimize their need for employment during their student teaching semester so they can devote all their attention to helping others.
Nip is planning to earn a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and said she comes from a “family of helpers.”
“It started with my grandparents and my parents. When someone called with a request, we went to lend a hand. Now it’s my turn to help when called upon. Helping others is what makes me really happy and feels good,” she said. “Knowing that someone out there is able to carry on with their day and life with less stress or strife is what keeps me wanting to do what I want to do, teach.”
Since there is a shortage of licensed teachers in the state, HEA also gave two grants to help teachers obtain their license. The two Maui residents — Makella Diaz, of Ha‘ikū, and Piʻikea Lono, of Hana — were among the 13 teachers enrolled in the University of Hawai‘i’s educator preparation programs that lead to state licensure. Each received a $1,000 award funded through a generous grant from the Hawaii State Legislature’s Grant in Aid (GIA) program.
Wailuku resident Jody-Lynn Glickman, a Kihei Elementary School teacher, will use a Ronald K. Toma Scholarship for Professional Development grant of $280 from the HEA to participate in project-based learning professional development courses to enhance her instructional expertise and ability to support her colleagues.
This year, HEA awarded a total of $35,580 in scholarships and grants to 29 individuals at various stages of their teaching careers, from high school graduates just entering college to experienced educators pursuing professional development opportunities to expand their teaching capabilities.
Those interested in supporting student and teacher grants may visit the HEA website to make donations online at hawaiieducationassociation.org.