Linda Yoshimoto was working full time at Bank of Hawaii to put her daughter and two sons through college when she learned about the company’s College Assistance Program, which fully covers tuition and fees for textbooks and materials.

On Saturday, Yoshimoto, a mother of five who didn’t think she’d ever be able to afford a degree of her own, completed her dream when she graduated from Chaminade University.

It was a lifelong goal for Yoshimoto to graduate from college, so she jumped at the chance and enrolled at Chaminade using the bank’s financial aid program. With three of her own children in college, including one at Chaminade, and two younger sons at home, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in history while continuing her job as a Bank of Hawaii branch manager in Kapolei.

“As children get older, they tend to wean off their parents, but this brought us together in such a special and meaningful way,” Yoshimoto said. “It could get pretty hectic sometimes, especially when we were all doing finals at the same time. But we relied on each other a lot.”

Yoshimoto graduated with honors and is now the latest of 20 Bank of Hawaii employees to obtain the degree of their choice through the company’s College Assistance Program.

Since its inception in 2016, 20 employees have earned degrees from Chaminade or an associate degree from the University of Hawaii Community Colleges with more than $1.7 million in educational costs covered.

The bank’s College Assistance Program allows employees without a college degree to achieve their educational goals by paying 100% of their tuition upfront. Fees for textbooks and materials are covered, and participants are given an extra paid day off from work during final exams so they can focus on studying.

With the goal of helping people reach their personal educational dreams, employees are not required to remain with the company upon graduation.