Waipahu High Joins Pilot Program In College App Assistance

Promoting the importance of a college education, Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education has launched a College Application Exploration Season (CAES) designed to assist high school students in exploring possible options for college, as well as providing guidance with completing college applications.

The CAES pilot program is in the works now, and it comes to Waipahu High School from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday for “CRASH Apply for College Night.”

Waipahu High seniors will have the opportunity to fill out college applications with the assistance of local college admission representatives.

P-20 also has launched its CAES program at five other high schools: Kea’au (Big Island), Ke Kula o Ehunuikaimalino (Big Island), Castle, McKinley and Roosevelt.

“In order to reach the state’s goal of 55 percent of working age adults with a two-or four-year college degree by 2025, we need our young people to consider postsecondary education,” said Karen Lee, executive director of Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education.

A statewide partnership, it is led by the Executive Office of Early Learning, Hawaii State Department of Education and University of Hawaii Systems.

Local volunteers, college personnel and staff work also work with the schools at each event.

“An educated workforce is essential to move our economy forward,” Lee said. “We must inspire our students to pursue further education, especially students who may never consider college.

“Helping them to apply is the first step.”

CAES’s goal is to encourage high school seniors, particularly first-generation college students from low-income families, to apply to at least one college before their high school graduation.

For more information, visit p20Hawaii.org or call 956-3879.