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'Onipa'a: Bridging The Gap for Waianae Grads

Flickr / Leeward CC
Flickr / Leeward CC
Molly Solomon
Credit Molly Solomon
'Onipa'a participant Carolyn Phapakdy with her best friend Andrew Nguyen about to take her first college class at Leeward Community College.

When it comes to higher education, school officials are noticing a disturbing trend. For high school graduates in Leeward Oahu, one in three kids who apply and get in to college, somehow fail to register and show up in the fall. The problem is particularly bad for graduates from Waianae and Nanakuli high schools. In an effort to close that summer gap, three University of Hawaii campuses, Kamehameha Schools, and the Department of Education have come together to form the program 'Onipa'a. HPR’s Molly Solomon met up with an 'Onipa'a participant and joined her on her first day of school.

Molly Solomon
Molly Solomon joined HPR in May 2012 as an intern for the morning talk show The Conversation. She has since worn a variety of hats around the station, doing everything from board operator to producer.
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