Brian Kajiyama
"As a child, I always dreamed of attending the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and envisioned playing for the Warrior football team. However, God had different plans for me, so I focused on doing the best I could academically. Today, as an instructor in a teacher preparation program at the College of Education, I see future educators grow and flourish. Our future must be built on solid foundations, which start with education. It is my hope that this scholarship can give children, who have gone through and triumphed over adversity, a better chance to earn a college degree, which will open many doors of opportunity. I am grateful for Jeff Reinebold and Coach June Jones for allowing this dream to become a reality,"
Brian Kajiyama, a native of Kailua on Oahu, now teaches at the University of Hawai'i of Manoa, as an instructor for the Department of Special Education. Brian has cerebral palsy and graduated from University of Hawai’i-Manoa with a bachelor and master's degree. He also worked under head football coach June Jones, who named Brian a graduate assistant coach in 2007. During his tenure as a coach, Brian worked alongside then UH defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold. During his two years working as a graduate assistant, the Warriors went 23-4 and appeared in the 2006 Hawai'i Bowl and the 2007 Sugar Bowl. The 2006 and 2007 seasons were the most successful back to back seasons in Hawai'i's storied football history. Brian’s contributions to the Warrior Football Team and his friendship with Reinebold were chronicled nationally in the 2008 ESPN E:60 news segment entitled "Heart of a Warrior." He is the only known person with cerebral palsy to ever have had an on field role in NCAA Division IA Football program.
June Jones, Miah Ostrowski, Jake Ingram, Jeff Reinebold, Lance Samuseva, Khevin Peoples, and Ben Yee, Zeus, Brian Kajiyama
(from left to right)