Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 10, 1 October 2015 — Kamehameha partner ships for college prep [ARTICLE]

Kamehameha partner ships for college prep

Kamehameha Schools has partnered with the University of Hawai'i and Chaminade University to advance Native Hawaiian student success statewide.

At the University of Hawai'i, less than three percent of Native Hawaiian students transfer out of the community college system to attend UH Mānoa. The partnership with Kamehameha Schools is designed to give Native Hawaiian students a solid cultural and educational foundation, preparing them for sustained success in college. KS Chief Executive Officer Jack Wong said the program will "offer Native Hawaiian students opportunities to earn college credits in high school and increasing rates of post-secondary level enrollment and completion." The partnership with Chaminade would ensure Native Hawaiian students seeking degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, will have a solid foundation. Chaminade University's director for the Office of Native Hawaiian Partnerships, RaeDeen KeahiolaloKarasuda said the partnership will focus efforts in development of a cohort of Hawaiian STEM leaders. "A Hawaiian sense of plaee steeped in Hawaiian cultural practices will

be the foundation on whieh the cadre of 21st century STEM professionals will be built," she said.