When Shae Lefcourt first arrived on UNC’s campus from her home on Oahu, Hawai‘i, she was incredibly overwhelmed. Despite both of her parents having graduated from UNC and reassuring Lefcourt that this was the right decision, the worries that most first-year students have when they first arrive on campus rushed through her mind. She wondered if she would make friends in this new place, in classes with people she didn’t know.  

As time passes, however, Lefcourt’s experience at UNC has continued to surpass her expectations. She has grown to love her classes, work and extracurricular activities.   

“Outside of the classroom, I spend a lot of time at the Campus Recreation Center, where I’m either working out or working,” said Lefcourt. “I love spending my time there with amazing people. Whenever I look back to how my life was even as little as a year ago, I’m so glad I found a good group of people to surround myself with and make great memories with.”   

Growing up, Lefcourt always wanted to be a nurse.  A strong drive to help others learned in part by watching family members pursue careers in health care ignited Lefcourt’s passion for the profession. Then, as Lefcourt was hard at work studying, she had an experience that made her see her career path in another light.   

“When my great-grandmother was in the hospital, the doctors and nurses worked incredibly hard to keep her going as long as possible. She was able to be stable and communicate with my family members, and even stayed awake until my uncle and I were able to fly in from Colorado and say our goodbyes. I am incredibly grateful for those nurses who allowed me to see her one last time,” said Lefcourt.   

Despite the uncertainty of traveling to a new state to study and the emotional toll of losing her great-grandmother, Lefcourt persevered in her studies.    

Luckily, the financial stress that students can experience from needing to work to pay for college was partially alleviated. Having received the Aloha Scholarship, Lefcourt had a bit less to worry about.   

“Attending school away from home isn’t always cheap, so having the Aloha Scholarship to support my out-of-state education helps not only me, but also my parents and my siblings,” said Lefcourt.   

In the late 1980s, Lloyd Yonemura, ’72, helped pioneer the Aloha Program and the Aloha Scholarship. The program helped first-year students from Hawai‘i gain a sense of belonging while settling into campus life at UNC. For Yonemura, his time on campus was pivotal. Making life-long friendships, developing coping mechanisms through stressful times and achieving academic success he hadn’t thought possible made his time at UNC, then called Colorado State College, so incredible.   

Students and alumni from Hawai‘i have fostered a community on campus dating back decades. Alumni who return to Hawai‘i after graduating have helped create a pipeline of high school students who go on to attend UNC, shaping the university into an educational destination. UNC’s rich history of support for Hawaiian students is due in part to the alumni who volunteer at college fairs and contribute to the Lei and Lu‘au crowdfunding campaigns or the Aloha Scholarship, which collectively ensure students from Hawai‘i feel supported to succeed.   

Yonemura’s overwhelmingly positive experience and seeing all the lives he has touched is what continues to inspire him to give to the Aloha Scholarship.   

“How can anyone describe what it feels like to know that they did something good for someone else, not expecting anything in return? [It] can’t be done,” said Yonemura.   

Yonemura and the Aloha Scholarship have had a tremendous impact on generations of students. For more than 20 years, the Aloha Program has built a strong community and the Aloha Scholarship will continue to help students from Hawai‘i, like Lefcourt, enroll at UNC and succeed throughout their college experience.