An open door, a bright light
By Kalei Kaumaka Downey
Special to the Herald
I’ve always wondered what the purpose of my experiences throughout life would bring me. Little did I know that, with faith, love, support and reflection, these experiences would reveal the key to happiness.
Over the course of my life I have faced many obstacles. I’ve witnessed the grueling effects it has had on my life and my sister’s. While having to face these hardships, I’ve always come across some form of reassurance. Even when living in poverty, and not being raised by my mother or father, I was still graced with love from my grandparents.
I use to believe that I had pitiful circumstances, which disabled my ability to achieve my goals of a good education and a healthy life. With these feelings of doubt about any sort of peace in my life, I then felt a hand reach out to me with support from the Augustine Educational Foundation and Sacred Hearts Academy.
The gift of a scholarship and the promise of a good Catholic education provided the assurance for me, and so many others, that it was going to be OK. Our beginnings would not dictate our futures.
With the help and benefits from the Augustine Educational Foundation and the PWH Educational Foundation, I arrived at the Academy and found a community and a home in which I could flourish. It’s almost like this scholarship opened a door to a dark room and a bright light was turned on for me to explore all the possibilities.
This scholarship — this opportunity — changed my life and my path to a better future. I will never forget what has been given to me and I fully intend to somehow pay it forward in my future.
I’ve learned so much about the world, myself, and the direction I want to go in with my life. I have people in my life whom I now consider my family. I’ve been taught skills not only in academics but in morality, compassion and unconditional love. I have rekindled my relationship with the Lord and I’m only growing stronger in my faith.
I have so much appreciation for what Catholic schooling has exposed me to, and how it has affected my life, that is hard to put into words. Those I met throughout my years at St. Anthony School in Kalihi and now Sacred Hearts Academy have welcomed, guided and been there by my side in almost every aspect of my journey.
My older sister and I have been raised by my grandparents from the time we were days old. It has left them continually stressed and always worried about our future. With the opportunities from the Augustine Educational Foundation, and the PWH scholarship, they were given hope that we would be okay.
Throughout all of this, what I needed most in my life was God and he did not fail to show up for me. He’s shown through my family, spoke through my lessons in school, and has worked through all the perfect strangers who generously give to the Augustine Educational Foundation, which continues to reach out to more kids like me and my sister. I will forever be grateful.
Though I was given much to cry and complain about, I was given way more to hope and believe in. I have now found joy in being a servant leader, adoring the idea of stewardship, taking care of the environment around me, taking the knowledge and skills I have received and giving them back to my community.
On behalf of the many young scholars that receive support from the Augustine Educational Foundation, we thank you all. Thank you for your devoted energy, time and unrelenting belief in the future of our successes, and thank God for gracing us with your belief that we are worth investing in.
Kalei Kaumaka Downey is in the 12th grade at Sacred Hearts Academy. She and her older sister Xavier, now a student at Chaminade University of Honolulu, are Augustine Educational Foundation PWH scholarship recipients.
