Alaka'ina Foundation Email Addresses

Welcome to the Alaka'ina Foundation where our mission is to provide leadership and education programs for our "Na Pua 'o Hawaii (the youth of Hawaii). What began as a vision by founder, Vaughn Akimeka Vasconcellos, the foundation now supports multiple educational endeavors. Our digital bus program offers an exciting and dynamic approach to stimulating interest in science and technology. Currently operating on Maui and Molokai, and coming soon to Kauai, this program has been embraced by local school districts and is proving to be an effective educational approach. We continue to seek and fund internship opportunities that provide unique and enriching experiences, as was the case with a recent internship at the Pacific Missile Range project. Providing scholarships for next generation leaders that focus on leadership and mentorship remains an integral part of our educational agenda. Our Board of Directors and advisors are committed to fulfilling our mission. Being of part Hawaiian descent, we are all graduates of the Kamehameha Schools and recepients of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop's gift of education. Our career experiences in the military, public safety and education provide us with values important to the Foundation's vision. In addition, our shared background imparted a set of principles that guide the Foundation's work. These principles are embedded in Hawaiian Olelo No'eau or Words of Wisdom: Pupukahi i holomua Unite to move forward By working together we make progress. This saying would be especially applicable to the Hawaiians in their canoes, where all paddlers must pull together on command in order for the canoe to move forward swiftly.