A Maui High School graduate has committed a $10 million endowment to the Maui High School Foundation, a gift that is likely the largest endowment ever to be made from a graduate to a Hawaii public school.

“This is a monumental moment for our school and we are so grateful. When I told my foundation staff about it, they were very emotional,” Maui High School principal Jamie Yap said in a news release emailed exclusively to The Maui News today. “This endowment will ensure that our students are able to pursue their educational passions during and beyond high school, a gift that will keep on giving for a long time.”

This is the largest single monetary donation in the school’s history. While the donor has chosen to remain anonymous, Yap has spent time with the donor to better understand the wishes and intentions for the funds.

“This gift will be for all Maui High students who qualify,” Yap said. “What our donor is saying is, ‘Go follow your dreams, I’ll help you.’ We hope this inspires our kids to be resilient and put in the hard work. We hope this shows them that their dreams are possible, no matter their circumstances or where they started from.”

According to Yap, the endowment will be received by the Maui High School Foundation and be used to aid students in multiple ways — band, athletics, STEM, Career and Technical Educational pathways, arts, foreign language, special education, among other things — and give students opportunities they never had. The endowment will also create more scholarships for seniors to pursue college and vocational careers. 

“The endowment will also encourage expanding the foundation’s database and its ability to connect with former graduates,” Yap said. “We are currently creating a foundation office on campus to be more accessible to our community.”

Yap added, “We want our graduates to give back to Maui High. It takes a community to raise a child. We should not just rely on government money. It only goes so far.”