More Hawai‘i High School Seniors Getting Help to Apply for College

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Lesli Y Yogi, (808) 956-5443
Bus and Comm Outreach Spec, Hawaii P-20
Posted: Nov 5, 2013

University of Hawai‘i staff volunteers at Farrington High School CAES Event, October 28, 2013
University of Hawai‘i staff volunteers at Farrington High School CAES Event, October 28, 2013
Farrington High School CAES Event, October 28, 2013
Farrington High School CAES Event, October 28, 2013

HONOLULU – More than 200 Farrington High School seniors received assistance in applying to a University of Hawai‘i System campus earlier this week to kick off “College Application and Exploration Season (CAES)”.  An initiative of Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education, CAES encourages high school seniors, particularly prospective first-generation college students from low-income families, to apply to at least one college before they graduate from high school, giving every student the option to continue their education and attain a college degree. Over 25 college personnel from University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Kapi‘olani Community College and Honolulu Community College were on-hand to guide the Farrington High School students in filling out an online application to a University of Hawai‘i campus of their choice. A second event targeting the remainder of the senior class – an additional 200 seniors – will be held at the school on Monday, November 4 from 10:40am – 11:30am.

“Our goal at Farrington is to increase student achievement and our college going rate, so the help we received during our first CAES event from the UH campuses was incredible,” said Farrington High School Principal, Al Carganilla. “We are trying to change the mindset of our students from if you are going to college to when you go to college and these are the steps you need to take.”  

“In order to reach the state’s goal of 55% of working age adults with a 2- or 4-year college degree by 2025, it is essential that our young people pursue postsecondary education, whether that means a four-year university, a community college or other additional training beyond receiving their high school diploma.” says Karen Lee, Executive Director, Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education. “We must encourage our students to pursue education beyond high school, or as a state, we won’t be positioned for competitiveness in the 21st century. Helping students with their college applications is a key component.”

During CAES application events, local volunteers, staff, and personnel from the University of Hawai‘i campuses and other Hawai‘i colleges will work with over eleven high schools statewide during the next few months to plan activities that encourage their seniors to complete a college application. Among the schools participating this year include: Castle High School, Farrington High School, Kahuku High School, Kailua High School, Ke Kula ‘o Ehunuikaimalino, Kohala High School, Konawaena High School, McKinley High School, Roosevelt High School, Waialua Intermediate and High School, and Wai‘anae High School. Each school coordinates its own application event with the goal of every senior completing and submitting at least one college application. In addition, some schools are planning pre- and post-application activities that target younger students to get them thinking about college early and start them on track toward the college application process.

For a list of dates and times for upcoming CAES events happening statewide, please go to www.p20hawaii.org

In addition to the CAES events, informational packets were sent out to over 10,000 Step Up Scholars from the Classes of 2014 and 2015 to provide them with resources on preparing and applying for college and financial aid. A sample of the materials is available at www.stepuphawaii.org.

CAES is an initiative of Hawai‘i P-20 funded in part by GEAR UP Hawai‘i and the College Access Challenge Grant. This effort is based on the “College Application Week” program, in association with the American Council on Education and the Lumina Foundation, started by GEAR UP North Carolina in 2005, which has since expanded to 30 states. For more information on CAES, go to www.p20hawaii.org.

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Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education, a statewide partnership led by the Executive Office on Early Learning, the Hawai‘i State Department of Education and the University of Hawai‘i System works to strengthen the education pipeline from early childhood through higher education so that all students achieve college and career success. Hawai‘i P-20’s partners share a sense of urgency about the need to improve Hawai‘i’s educational outcomes in an increasingly global economy, and have established a goal of 55% of Hawai‘i’s working age adults having a 2- or 4-year college degree by 2025. For more information, visit www.p20hawaii.org.

For more information, visit: http://www.p20hawaii.org