(Editor’s note: the following was written with information from Leah Bernstein, Director of the Harriet Bouslog Labor Scholarship Fund - HBLSF).
Who was Harriet Bouslog?
The scholarship is named for the lawyer who represented ILWU Local 142 in the 1940s and 1950s.
Harriet Bouslog defended workers who hardly had the means to defend their cases, let alone receive any type of counsel.
Bouslog’s courage and commitment to social justice coupled with the ILWU workers’ tenacity brought deep lasting change to the whole state.
She started this scholarship fund in 1989 to benefit the children and grandchildren of ILWU Local 142 workers attending schools within the UH system.
Winners join proud legacy
The Harriet Bouslog Labor Scholarship was created with ILWU members’ families in mind. This year the Harriet Bouslog Scholarship Fund awarded 12 new scholarships for the Fall 2019/ Spring 2020 academic year at the University of Hawaii.
Combined with students currently in the program, there are 49 total students receiving scholarship assistance for the coming academic year. Congratulations to this year’s awardees!
Selection process
Harriet Bouslog created the HBLSF for high school seniors entering UH as freshmen in the hopes that they would complete their degree at UH and go on to a UH graduate school if so desired.
This year the HBLSF received 30 completed applications. Although the selection committee was happy to receive that many applications, only four of them were from high school seniors. With insufficient high school senior applicants, there was an abundance of upper-class students, but not enough available scholarships for them.
Unfortunately, this was the first time in all its 31 years that the HBLSF had to turn away applicants.
Preference for high school seniors
The imbalanced amount of freshmen applications to upper classmen applications has become a trend in recent years, so the HBLSF would like to emphasize that special preference goes to applications from high school seniors. This preference is especially granted to those seniors whose qualifying relative is their immediate family, i.e. a parent or grandparent.
Visit www.harrietbouslog.com for more information. You can also call 808-537-3327 or email Mark and Leah Bernstein at harrietbouslog@ gmail.com
Amber Abara
Amber’s grandfather Florentino Abara, Sr. worked for Dole Foods.
Julia Asano
Julia’s great grand aunt Amelia Among Rego worked for Dole.
Geraldine Euplas
Geraldine’s mother Rosemelda Euplas works at Unit 2506 Kaanapali Beach Hotel on Maui.
Alyssa Faletoi
Alyssa’s uncle Chad Adrian works at Unit 1417 Hawthorne Pacific Corp. in Hilo
