Growing up in low-income housing isn't a big deal when you have parents who are constantly challenging you to think beyond your immediate surroundings, into the future, ignoring the negativity and embracing all things that push you towards greatness, until it's so CLEAR, you can actually reach out and touch it.

At least, that was our experience!

Hi, we are Hinatea & Tehina Otare. Most people know us as "the twins". We're 17 and are Seniors at Kealakehe High School in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. We grew up in Jack Hall low-income housing from age 1-14. Our parents, Kapena and Shantell, were teens when we came along, our dad 15, and our mom 17. Without getting into the details, now that we're 17, we can only imagine the stress of having not ONE but TWO children at an age when we're just beginning to figure things out. But they did...in a pretty inspiring fashion.

OUR APARTMENT GROWING UP...APT 4AC

This is how the  "Otare Gen-1 Scholarship Fund" was founded. Looking back at all the friends we grew up with at Jack Hall, we are the only ones who transitioned to moving out and buying our first home, and are now going off to college after high school...The 1st Generation of our family to seek a Bachelors and beyond degree...I (Hinatea) will, be headed to France to Study History at The American University of Paris, and I (Tehina) will, be headed to Philadelphia to study Computer Science at Drexel University. It's sad when you spend your life with your peers, only to see them be separated from their dreams because of money.

We grew up not realizing that we were poor and living in the "ghetto", and it's because our parents fed us the "mind-food" to see beyond, and into an attainable future, by teaching us just a few standard disciplines that would work for the rest of our lives.

The " Otare Gen-1 Scholarship Fund" was created for Seniors of any West Hawaii High School, who are the 1st Generation to seek a higher education in their family, and grew up in any of the public housing projects around Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, like Jack Hall, Kaimalino Apts, Kealakehe Projects, Kahaluu Apts, Lokahi Makai Apts, La'ilani Apts.  Just like US!

We will be taking 10% of all Gifts given to us for our graduation, and using those funds to create the " Otare Gen-1 Scholarship Fund". Our Goal is to have enough to fund Two (2) $500 Scholarships to be gifted in the 2016 Scholarship Season, that means we'd have to raise $10,000 to meet that goal...and we're sure we can do it!

Had we followed their path, we would be 5th generation teen moms. We were fortunate that our parents lead us down a different path, and now, we'd like to see more of the kids we grew up around, be given the same opportunity to have someone not just tell them "theres ALWAYS a way", but also be able to pay for part of their journey through funds raised from this gift-giving/scholarship campaign.

Thank you so much for your gift to us as we take on our future after graduation...it really WILL make a difference  

Many Mahalo's (Thanks)

Hinatea & Tehina Otare

Gifts/Contributions can also be sent to:

Otare Gen-1 Fund

C/O Hinatea & Tehina Otare

74-5096 Kumakani St. Kailua-Kona, HI 96740