An eighth grader from Haʻikū is heading into high school with her tuition covered, after being named a Caroline D. Bradley Scholar for the Class of 2031. Luana Fitch won the four-year, merit-based national scholarship for gifted students, adding an academic honor to a resume that already includes a championship saddle and a hula dance background.
The Institute for Educational Advancement named Fitch among its newest scholars, according to Maui Now. The Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship describes itself as the only merit-based, need-blind award recognizing exceptional academic achievement in gifted seventh graders, per the Institute for Educational Advancement. The award covers four years of full high school tuition, either at an optimally matched school or through an individualized education plan tailored to the recipient's needs.
Beyond tuition, scholars also receive ongoing, personalized counseling and educational advocacy from IEA throughout their high school years, the institute notes. Getting to that point required Fitch to complete a rigorous portfolio application process that included essays, middle school transcripts, letters of recommendation, a work sample and standardized test scores, per the same account. IEA’s July 30 announcement named Fitch among the 54 finalists for the scholarship.
A Champion in the Arena and on the Dance Floor
Fitch's academic honor arrives on the heels of a strong showing at the Makawao Stampede, held over the summer. She was recognized as the repeat Junior Barrel Champion at the event, and even posted the fastest barrel time of the entire weekend, according to Maui Now's coverage of the 2026 Makawao Stampede results.
Fitch is also an accomplished hula dancer, performing with Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi under the direction of nā Kumu ʻIliahi and Haunani Paredes, per the outlet's report on the 2025 Fourth of July Makawao Stampede. Between the arena and the dance floor, the eighth grader's activities span a wide range even before factoring in the classroom achievement that earned her the scholarship.
A Nationwide Class With Hawaii Ties
Fitch joins a Class of 2031 that IEA describes as spanning academics, the arts, athletics, community service and other interests. Deborah Monroe, according to the dossier's attribution, said the class of 2031 is an impressive group of young people. Fellow scholars named in the class include Dylan Aumer-Wong of Honolulu, Simran Adnani of Troy, Michigan, Augustus Bikel of Los Angeles, Cosette Buechele of New York City, and Max Cao of Dallas.
The scholarship's scale has been described with conflicting figures for this cycle: IEA's own scholarship program page said it planned to select approximately 25 Caroline D. Bradley Scholars for the Class of 2031, while separate reporting on the announcement identified 26 students as selected nationwide. Either way, the program traces back to 2002, when it began with just five students from the Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco areas, and the institute says it has since served more than 450 students in total.
This year's finalist pool, announced in July, was drawn from states including Alaska, Florida, New York, California and Hawaii, according to the institute. Students interested in applying for the next round have a bit of a wait: the application for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholars Class of 2032 will be available in late fall, per the same source.
