Dressed to impress and armed with completed college applications, polished essays, impressive test scores and transcripts, 41 high school seniors anxiously waited for their name to be called.
For the first time ever, a College Admissions Day was held at Keaʻau High School. Counselors from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Hawaii Pacific University and Chaminade University of Honolulu were present to meet with the students and decide if they met their schools’ application criteria.
Kamehameha Schools’ Kupa ‘Āina Initiative – which helps high schoolers transition to college successfully – hosted this rare and unique college admissions opportunity for students from Kea‘au and other Hawai‘i island public and charter schools.
Students were able to meet and interview with admission officers from the four universities and receive on-the-spot admissions decisions. Students also received application fee waivers, which addressed another known college barrier for many students.
“My goal with this event was to increase college access and acceptance rates,” said KS Career and Post-High Counseling and Guidance Counselor Jessica Waiaʻu.
“College Admissions Day encouraged positive peer pressure amongst the participants and promoted the idea that college is possible and attainable. Some of the seniors who participated in the event will be the first generation in their family to attend college and that in itself is exciting to me.”
Waiaʻu, along with fellow counselor Kūlani Calina and Program Manager Lovina Moevao, collaborated with Keaʻau High School Senior Counselor Mālama Chong and other school staffers to spearhead this first annual event.
In addition to Keaʻau High School students, seniors from Ke Kula ‘O Nāwahῑokalaniʻōpu’u and Waiākea High School were also in attendance.
Workshops were held prior to the event to prepare participants and ensure that all students were mākaukau (ready) to meet with the college representatives. Applications were reviewed for completion, essays were revised and edited and students were prepped for interviews.
Out of the 65 completed and submitted applications, 33 applicants were accepted. Those that were not accepted received valuable advice and next steps from college representatives regarding the resubmission of their application. Nearly 50 percent of the participants were interested in attending UH Hilo and 80 percent of those who applied were accepted.
Last year, HPU had zero applicants from this geographic area, but eight students applied at the event this year. Chaminade accepted half of its interviewees and UH Manoa’s representative, Tracyn Nagata, met with 18 interested candidates. All of the universities present were pleasantly surprised by the caliber of students at the event and are looking forward to next year.
“In this age of instant gratification, being accepted to a university after a 15-minute application review and interview might be just we need to get more students excited about going to college,” shared Waia’u.
Kupa ‘Āina is a collaborative Extension Education Services Division initiative which provides academic support to ensure students transition to college successfully. The program focuses on science and natural resource pathways by leveraging the strength of project-based and place-based learning at engaging students in effective learning practices. By strengthening links between K-12 schools and ‘āina-based learning labs on KS lands, Kupa ‘Āina aims to increase the number of Native Hawaiian students in the management of natural and cultural resources.
Mahalo to EES/Career Post-High Counseling and Guidance Counselor Jessica Waia‘u for sharing this story and photos.
College Admissions Day encouraged positive peer pressure amongst the participants and promoted the idea that college is possible and attainable. Some of the seniors who participated in the event will be the first generation in their family to attend college and that in itself is exciting to me.
Jessica Waiaʻu, KS Career and Post-High Counseling and Guidance Counselor
Last year, HPU had zero applicants from the Keaʻau area, but eight students applied at the event this year.
Out of the 65 completed and submitted college applications, 33 applicants were accepted.
TAGS
ees,kupa aina,extension education,college,post-high counseling,public education support
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Kaipuolono Article, Newsroom, Community Education
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