Matson Awards its 2024 Scholarships

Since 2013, Matson has awarded scholarships to children of Matson employees set to attend college in the fall. Each student receives $2,500 for the academic year, renewable up to three times, for a possible total of $10,000 in education financial support. Matson Scholarships are awarded based on academic merit, promise in their chosen field of study, civic awareness, and personal integrity. An impartial group of three individuals with no connection to Matson or its subsidiaries selects the winners. For 2024, Matson congratulates Nia Banouvong, Jade Cruz, Aiko Keanaaina, and Amari McGill on being chosen to receive the Matson Scholarship. Congratulations to all!

Nia Banouvong recently graduated from Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., and looks forward to attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the fall. There, she plans to pursue a degree in Biology and a career in the medical field.

At Liberty, she served as class president for two years while participating in Link Crew and Girls Volleyball. She was a member of the National Honor Society and the California Scholarship Federation.

Nia volunteered at Kaiser Permanente and works as a tutor at Kumon Math and Reading. She earned AP Scholar awards and other scholarships for service to her community and achievements in science. Nia is the daughter of Union Banouvong, a senior intermodal customer operations coordinator with Matson Logistics in Walnut Creek, Calif.

Jade Cruz is entering her senior year at the University of Portland, where she is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy. She plans to obtain her master’s degree in clinical psychology and become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and hopes to one day have a private practice.

Jade is of Chamorro descent, indigenous to the Mariana Islands, and is a member of the campus Chamorro Club. She is currently working off campus as a crisis counselor, working with kids in the 10-24 age group on the West Coast. She has been doing this work since December 2023 and has logged more than 330 hours of counseling. Jade is the daughter of Ben Cruz, Matson gatehouse and equipment control manager, Anchorage, Alaska.

Aiko Keanaaina is a recent graduate of Kahuku High School. She will attend Hesston College in Kansas on soccer and softball scholarships, playing both sports. She plans to major in both business and aviation.

Aiko will be only the second native Hawaiian to attend Hesston and the first to start a Polynesian Club at the college.

Aiko played and captained Kahuku’s soccer and softball teams and played for the West Oahu national soccer team, which took the 2024 National title.

Due to a torn meniscus, she was unable to play any sports her senior year. As team captain, both teams asked her to continue as manager, crediting her leadership qualities to their overall success. Aiko is the daughter of Sam Keanaaina, CVS supervisor, Honolulu.

Amari McGill graduated from Plainfield East High School, Plainfield, Ill., in June and will attend Northern Illinois University in the fall. He plans to major in mechanical engineering.

Amari works for the YMCA as a counselor for their before- and after-school programs and summer camp. He was a member of Plainfield East’s Bengal Athletic Leadership Council, where students must maintain a 4.0/5 GPA, volunteer their time helping younger students from the local community, and participate in school sporting events and activities such as Feed My Starving Children. He played travel baseball since he was seven but “retired” to focus on his engineering studies.

In his spare time, Amari enjoys playing basketball with friends, spending time with Reigna, his American Akita, and creating designs on his 3D printer. Amari is the son of Ayana McGill, senior intermodal Customer Operations coordinator, Matson Logistics, Oakbrook Terrace.