At the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama commencement ceremony later this month, 106 graduating seniors will already have two-year associate degrees from Hawaiʻi Pacific University.
They are the first KS students to graduate from the dual-credit program. Students learn from KS teachers who hold master’s degrees and are approved by HPU, according to the program website.
"As far as we know, there's no other school in the state that has come even close to graduating 100 students while in high school receiving their associate degree," HPU President John Gotanda said.
Of those 106 KS students, Gotanda said about 40 are continuing on to pursue a bachelor's degree at HPU. More students may be on the way.
Gotanda said HPU has nearly 1,000 Kamehameha students in the program year-round, earning some amount of college credits.
"Having this program in particular, I think, is part of our mission to serve the community overall and our Native Hawaiian community," he added.
The dual degree program at HPU also has students at Maryknoll School and Hanalani Schools.
This interview aired on The Conversation on May 11, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
