Public relations executive Kitty Lagareta, along with the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, has established a $50,000 endowment for Windward Community College to help provide financial assistance to students.

Lagareta, who has served on the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents since 2003, contributed $40,000 to the special fund. The Castle Foundation gave a grant of $10,000.

The fund will help provide financial help for tuition, books or other expenses for students with "special responsibilities," Lagareta said.

Lagareta, who gave birth to her first son at the age of 19, said she wants to assist other students who face additional responsibilities while attempting to earn a degree.

"I had a lot of challenges trying to get my own education having children that young," she said. "I was asked to speak to someone's 19-year-old daughter, and she was very discouraged because she just had a baby and she was thinking 'what about all my plans?' ... It can be done."

Lagareta earned her bachelor's degree in English from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa in 1981, while raising her two sons.

Specific qualifications for assistance will be established by WCC.

"Gifts like Kitty Lagareta's provide students with choices by opening doors to these educational pathways," said Donna Vuchinich, president of the UH Foundation, in a news release.

The Castle Foundation has contributed more than $143 million in grants since 1990.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.