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Career and Leadership Development Grant
Application Open Now!
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Is the cost of a conference, certification, or professional training standing between you and your next career move? The AAUW Honolulu Career and Leadership Development Grant was made for you.
We offer multiple grants of up to $4,000 each to support working women in Hawaiʻi who are ready to invest in upskilling and growing their careers. The application is now open online and closes September 7th, so now is the time to act!
Grant funds can be used toward conference registration, airfare, hotel accommodations, and career-related certifications, licensing, and other professional training opportunities. This cycle is again focused exclusively on professional development for working women — whatever field or stage of career you're in. Academic conference grants are not available.
Who can apply? Any woman currently living or working in the State of Hawaiʻi is eligible. You do not need to be an AAUW member. Women from all islands are welcome, no matter your industry or role. Please note that past Career Grant recipients and current AAUW Honolulu scholarship awardees are not eligible.
A complete application includes an online form, your resume, and an itemized budget using our provided template.
Visit our website to learn more and apply. The FAQs are especially helpful! Don't wait — the deadline is September 7, and no late applications will be accepted.
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Women's Circle September 3
Advocacy 101: Making Change Close to Home
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You don't have to be a politician, a lawyer, or an activist to have a say in the decisions that shape your community. You just have to care.
In this Circle, we'll talk about how change actually happens and the everyday ways women can make their voices heard. Maybe you've always wanted to speak up but didn't know where to start. Maybe you've never thought of your own story as something that could shift how things are done. Either way, this conversation is for you.
We'll talk through things like:
- What's something going on around you that bugs you enough to want to say something, and what's stopped you so far?
- Has something ever affected you and you didn't even realize you could've spoken up about it?
- What if your own experience, just as it is, could be your way of making a difference?
- Who's someone in your life who spoke up for what mattered to them, and what did you take from watching them?
Come with your questions, come with your story, and leave with one small thing you can actually do. Your voice matters here.
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Graduate Scholarship Awardee
Spotlight
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Congratulations to Kristine Joyce Locquiao, one of our 2026-27 Graduate Scholarship awardees! We are ecstatic to support her in the male dominated field of electrical engineering.
After completing her degree, Kristine plans to remain in Hawaiʻi to build her career and contribute to the community that raised her by helping strengthen the local engineering workforce and inspiring more students to pursue STEM. She is deeply honored to receive the AAUW Honolulu Scholarship and grateful for the opportunity to continue pursuing her academic and professional goals.
"Thank you so much for selecting me as a recipient of the AAUW Honolulu Scholarship. As a first-generation college student, receiving this scholarship means everything to me.
As an electrical engineering student, I have often found myself to be one of only a few women in my classes and internships. This has motivated me to encourage more young women to pursue STEM and to create a space where they can thrive."
We will be highlighting all of our scholarship recipients via our Instagram and Facebook @aauwhonolulu, as well as the upcoming newsletters.
| Undergraduate Scholarship Awardee Spotlight | |
Congratulations to Darcy Taylor Inouye, one of our 2026-27 Undergraduate Scholarship awardees! Darcy is studying Civil Engineering and we are glad to support her!
Darcy spent the last several years working in the insurance industry where she developed a strong interest in infrastructure, structural safety, and community resilience. Her work experience inspired her to better understand how buildings and infrastructure are designed in the first place, not just evaluating after a loss.
"I am honored and truly grateful to have been selected as a recipient of the AAUW Honolulu Branch Educational Fund Scholarship.
While currently balancing a full-time job and school, my time is limited and I’m not able to fully engage in my education, especially when it comes to in-person courses. With your support, I'm able to reduce my work hours, dedicate more time to my studies, and take part in extra-curricular activities like volunteering and networking at future AAUW events.
Your support motivates me to continue working hard and to strive for excellence in the upcoming semesters."
We will be highlighting all of our scholarship recipients via our Instagram and Facebook @aauwhonolulu, as well as the upcoming newsletters.
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We're ecstatic when our Career Grantees share what they've learned from the career development opportunities we helped fund. Below, Ryley shares in her own words what she learned while obtaining her Certificate of Residential Interior Design. Read the entire writeup on our website.
Designing Spaces that Support Well-being
by Ryley Posey, 2025 Career and Leadership Development Grant Awardee
The spaces we spend time in affect how we feel, think, and function. While our environment cannot solve every challenge we face, thoughtful design choices can support our well being at home, at work, and within our communities. Research in environmental psychology suggests that elements such as color, lighting, spaciousness, and natural materials can influence our mood, stress levels, and ability to focus.
First, consider color and lighting. Different colors evoke different emotional responses. Bold, saturated colors such as bright reds tend to feel energetic and stimulating, while softer, muted tones often create a greater sense of calm. Lighting has a similar effect. Harsh, cool toned lighting can feel more alerting, whereas warm, softer light often creates a more relaxing atmosphere. Small changes, such as choosing warmer light bulbs or incorporating calming color palettes, can help create spaces that feel more restorative.
Next, think about spaciousness and the shapes within a room. A space with high ceilings often feels open and freeing, while a cluttered or crowded room can feel mentally overwhelming. Even in a smaller home or office, using lighter wall colors, mirrors, and thoughtfully arranged furniture can create a greater sense of openness. Rounded, organic shapes in furniture and décor may also contribute to a softer, more welcoming environment, reflecting the forms commonly found in nature...
Read the rest on our website here.
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Civic Action Opportunity
Saturday, August 22
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You are invited to join AAUW Windward Oʻahu and League of Women Voters Honolulu for an afternoon of civic action and community on Saturday, August 22, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM at the beautiful Pohai Nani Solarium in Kaneohe.
We will be writing postcards as part of Reclaim Our Vote — a nonpartisan grassroots campaign run by the Center for Common Ground that works to increase voter turnout in historically underrepresented communities.
This is a social, hands-on opportunity to encourage and thank fellow Americans for voting — no political advocacy, no candidate endorsements, just nonpartisan messages of civic encouragement. AAUW and LWV partner nationally through LWVUS's Unite & Rise 8.5 initiative, and this event is that partnership in action right here at home.
What's provided (yes, all of it):
-Postcards, stamps, address labels, and colorful pens
-On-site training, including an experienced postcard writer to walk first-timers through
-A short training video shared with everyone who RSVPs
-Snacks
-Just bring yourself — and a friend, if you'd like.
Event Details
Saturday, August 22, 2026
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Pohai Nani Solarium
45-090 Namoku St., Kaneohe
Parking is limited and carpooling is encouraged. We'll share detailed parking instructions with everyone who RSVPs. And if you can only stay for part of the time, you're welcome to take postcards home to finish. No need to write a stack on the spot.
RSVP to Younghee Overly at publicpolicy-hi@aauw.net.
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Mom's Equal Pay Day was marked on August 6 this year.
This day marks how far into the year mothers must work to catch up to what fathers earned the year before. In 2024, moms working full-time, year-round were paid 74 cents for every dollar paid to dads — and just 64 cents when including part-time and seasonal workers.
Closing this gap means rethinking pay transparency, caregiving support, and workplace flexibility — not just for moms, but for every family that depends on them.
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Every August 26th, we mark Women's Equality Day — the anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the decades of work it took to get there.
At AAUW Honolulu, it's a reminder that equality isn't a finish line we crossed, but ongoing work we're still part of, from closing the pay gap to opening doors in leadership and career growth.
Today, we're thinking about the women who came before us and the ones still pushing forward through grants, mentorship, and advocacy. Equality for women is still unfinished business, and we're glad to keep showing up for it, together.
| | AAUW Honolulu was founded in 1905 as the College Club. Created to promote “the higher ideals of education among women” it became an official branch of the American Association of University Women in 1922. | | | | |
